The resounding cry of this season seems to be: “Remember what Christmas is about.”   I think I’ve heard people say that, and seen people write and post that, and similar sentiments, more this year than ever before. At least, I am aware of it more this year.  And I concur.

The above video, from the UK, takes us through the wide range of perspectives people have about this holiday, and presents the viewer with a penetrating proposition: Christmas is about Jesus – God becoming man, miraculously conceived in and born of a virgin, to remove all the guess-work from quizical and philosophical minds about what God is like and how God feels about humanity.  It is the first observable stage of God’s plan to redeem humanity and reconcile with those that had rebelled against him and neglected to give him the honor he is due.

Christmas is not really about time with the family. It is certainly not about the gifts.  It is not about a quiet day. It’s certainly not about the hubub that leads up to it.  It is a time to be still and know that God is God, and he has made his dwelling among us, to deliver his people from a bondage of our own making. It is a time for reflection.  (See Psalm 46.10; John 1.14)  Above all it is a time to worship the God who is able and who was willing to do this for us.

In short, Christmas really points to something more. To paraphrase one writer: Christmas is God’s Good News – BUT only because we know the story of Easter.   

So to all who want to remember the meaning of Christmas: Happy Easter!