Is Christmas Worth Celebrating?
by Jason Fam
It’s that time of the year again when we see Christmas trees being decorated and put up everywhere we look. Christmas lights would light up the night sky. Carols are heard in shopping malls. That could only mean one thing – Christmas is coming. Being celebrated on the 25th of December every year, Christmas is a day commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ celebrated among billions of people around the world. However, what is the true meaning of Christmas? What is the reason we can celebrate Christmas today?
Growing up, every Christmas we would put up a Christmas tree in our home, spend time and have a feast around the dinner table with family and friends, give and receive gifts, do some Christmas shopping, and sometimes we would travel overseas for vacation. Being born in a Christian family and being a Christian myself, we would celebrate Christmas in church, and we would sing Christmas carols with our church friends. Growing up with this tradition every year, I sometimes would ask myself a question: Is there more to Christmas than this or is Christmas just another holiday in our calendar?
Spending the past couple of Christmases during the COVID-19 pandemic really had me thinking of what Christmas really is about. If Christmas is about trees and presents, what about those who cannot afford them? If Christmas is about having a feast in the comfort of your home, what about those living in hunger and those living in the streets, with nowhere to call home? If Christmas is about spending time with family and friends, what about those who do not have people to celebrate it with, especially those in quarantine because of COVID-19? If all that is on our bucket list this Christmas is stripped away, do we still have a reason to celebrate Christmas?
I have good news for you. The answer is a resounding yes! Why do I say so? I’d like to personally share with you three reasons why Christmas is worth celebrating.
Jesus our Savior
Jesus our Emmanuel
Jesus our Reigning King
Jesus our Savior
“God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay;
Remember Christ, our Savior, was born on Christmas Day.
To save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy!”
– “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen”
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:21
Firstly, Christmas is about God willingly sending His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, out of His love for us, to save us from our sins. In Matthew 1:21, God commanded for the newborn baby in Mary’s womb to be named Jesus (ישוע), which in the Hebrew language means “The LORD saves”.
Jesus did not just come to perform miracles and to heal the sick physically; He came to fulfill man’s greatest need: He came to restore our relationship with our Maker which was once broken by our sins. He came to redeem us from sin so that we can have peace with Him.
Why do we need Jesus to save us from our sins? Wouldn’t our good deeds be good enough to undo or outweigh them? Romans 3:10 says that “there is no one righteous” and Romans 3:23 says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. In other words, because of our sinful nature, no good deed or charity that we do, no matter how good and noble it is, can ever meet God’s standard of good. And sin is not merely just doing what is wrong or unlawful, but it is simply turning away from God. Isaiah 53:6a says that “we all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.” And the consequence of sin is spiritual death – eternal separation from God.
Because we cannot save ourselves, God sent His Son, Jesus, who is holy, perfect, and sinless to take the punishment of death that we deserved, so that we might have abundant and eternal life with our Maker. He saved us, not because of our own merit or human endeavors, but because of His grace and mercy, given to us freely (Titus 3:4-5; Ephesians 2:8-9). Unlike most beliefs that tell us that we have to do good deeds and work our way up to heaven, our salvation is freely given to us because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” – John 3:16-17
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – John 10:10
Christmas is not just about celebrating the birth of a baby boy; it is about celebrating the birth of our Savior, through whom we receive the ultimate gift of eternal and abundant life through His death and resurrection. He came as the Light of the world so that those who have walked in darkness can now have the light of life (John 8:12). Because of what Jesus came to do, we can be set free from the bondage of sin and darkness, so that we may find light and life in God.
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the shadow of death a light has dawned.” – Isaiah 9:2
“Come Thou long-expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free
From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in Thee
Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art
Dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart”
– “Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus” by Charles Wesley
