The True Meaning of Christmas

Christmas year is the most celebrated holiday of the entire year. Regardless of what someone’s faith might be, there just seems to be an acceptance of the giving of gifts in the Christian tradition. However, let us remember the truth behind all the traditions of Christmas and its trimmings. With children at home, I love this time of the year. My seven year old gets so excited and my special needs son starts singing Christmas songs. Everyone in my family enjoys the season in so many different ways. It is truly the most wonderful time of the year. But behind all the man-made traditions of Christmas trees, Santa Claus, reindeer and so forth, there is a true story that is historical, biblical and very miraculous.

A child named Jesus was born to a virgin woman named Mary. It was first and only time that this encounter has happened between God and man. It is true that they travelled likely a six day journey because of the census bureau of the day. Please keep in mind how easy you have it this year when your form comes in the mail from the 2010 census bureau with 10 questions, What can take us 10 minutes of our time took Mary and Joseph on a journey of a lifetime when they went to register for the census.

When the day for his birth arrived, they ended up in an animal shelter in a busy city with no available rooms. After Jesus was born, angels proclaimed this historic news to a group of hillside shepherds who probably smelled as bad as the animals they worked with. Jesus was born as the King of the Jews, but he certainly was not born with a silver spoon in his hand or in a palace.

Sometime later, while this new young family was adjusting to life with a newborn in the city of Bethlehem, a caravan of Magi arrived after a brief visit to King Herod in Jerusalem. This was when the political and religious world were clued in. The prophesied Messiah was born. I still am amazed at how many of the religious leaders of the day missed it. However, the wise men from the far east had been watching, looking in the scriptures as they discovered a historical event. This event caused them such excitement, that they journeyed perhaps months to find this child. When they did find the child born of a virgin they presented the family with 3 precious gifts to acknowledge him as a Prophet, Priest and King.

Within a day the family headed south to Egypt, the wise men returned by a different route, and King Herod had approximately two thousand male children ages 2 and under murdered in Bethlehem. He was hoping to kill the new King of the Jews.

Centuries later, we still find ourselves celebrating His birth. It is the day when God birthed His own Son from eternity into the human race, announced it to poor shepherds by way of a host of angels and placed a star in the sky to lead foreign rulers to the Roman Empire acknowledging Him as king.

Today children still learn, adults still wonder and many truly believe. I am glad I can enjoy it all, but especially the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus was born as the anointed Messiah and King.