One of the coolest things about the conversion from religion to relationship is the chance to see things from a perspective that you never could before. One that struck me like a 2 x 4 this year was Christmas. I just couldn't get into the holiday festivities with any real joy. Sure, I knew that this was the celebration of the birth of Jesus, but I couldn't look past the commercialism and shallow nature of the way our society treats Christmas.
Then I heard a couple of sermons and talked with some folks that got me thinking... and changed my perspective. First of all, there is the idea that Christmas makes no sense whatsoever unless you view it through the lens of Easter. Working backwards, Jesus was born to die as a perfect sacrifice. The culmination of everything and the act that sealed our salvation was His death and resurrection. Prior to His death, He had the opportunity to teach the people around Him and it was documented for us in the Bible. Then there was the birth itself. This was an end to 400 years of silence from God to His people.
Each of these should be celebrated, no doubt, but I think it's Easter that should be the one we really get behind. Yet it's Christmas that is celebrated and prepared for encompassing at least two months every year. Even the church seems to place a bigger focus on Christmas than Easter. Why is that?
#1 - Jesus was a disappointment to the Jews.
They thought He would come as a mighty warrior, not a humble servant. His birth and coming were widely anticipated and celebrated, but the reality of how He came didn't live up to the expectation. It was so bad, that the very people that celebrated His arrival had Him crucified. Even now, people of the Jewish faith don't believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
#2 - Babies are cute and vulnerable.
This is where I think society feels free to do what they want with Christmas. Jesus as a baby is cute. Babies aren't threatening to us. In fact, they need us! How easy is it to believe in a Savior that actually needs us as opposed to the other way around?
#3 - Nobody can overcome death.
Yet Jesus did! Replacing the cute, needy baby Jesus is a Savior so powerful that death itself can not contain Him. Someone that can defeat death? That makes Him invincible! Invincible is threatening, it can't be beat, and it doesn't need me for anything. The fact that Jesus comes to save us, that we need Him, and that there isn't anything He needs from us is repulsive in our culture. We are a society of self made men and women. We don't need anyone else's help unless they're a stepping stone up the ladder. But there it is in black and white and red. Every one of us needs a Savior and we are hopelessly lost without Him... the opposite of what our culture is feeding us.
So yes, let's celebrate Christmas. Let's celebrate the end of God's silence. But let's not forget that the birth and the teaching are meaningless without the death and resurrection. Without Christ's sacrifice and defeat of death, Jesus was just another fanatic or prophet at best. But He's so much bigger than that.
As we transition out of Christmas, let's look forward to the Easter season. Let's talk about the all-powerful, all-knowing Savior of the entire world. Let's tell our children about the man Jesus became rather than focusing on the baby that He was. Let's celebrate the fact that we are weak and helpless, and that it is us that needs Him.
2 Corinthians 12:9 - But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
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