Christmas is for all of us

As we approach Christmas this year, we are once again reminded that the birth of Jesus Christ is unlike any other birthday in the world. Songs, sermons, and Christmas performances fill our hearts and minds with the wonders of the nativity. As a pastor, it is a great joy to tell the beauty of the first advent of Jesus Christ afresh. It is a time for us to look back on the wonders of that holy night.

A time for us to look back and marvel that God sent a savior fit to atone for our sins.

Let’s take a closer look at the people and events that surrounded the birth of Jesus. The people or individuals who are often not seen in the nativity scenes communicate who Christmas was for. I think of Zechariah, who spent much of his life waiting for God to answer his prayer for a family of his own I think of the Shepherds who were working a tough and unglamorous job. I think of Simeon and Anna, advanced in years, who knew that God would never give up on those whom he promised to come for.

In the Gospel of Luke, you can see the Christ of Christmas was uniquely revealed to each of them. All of these individuals disclose that the hope of Christmas was not for those whose lives were well put together, but honestly, the opposite. Jesus coming into this world and revealing who he is reminded us that the hope of Christmas is for people like you and me.

Christmas is a reminder that the light of the world, not only came into the world on a dark night but came into the darkness that surrounds us all. The darkness of our sin and heartache. So, as we come to celebrate another Christmas, I encourage you to celebrate the Savior that came to redeem weary people, people with long-standing prayer requests, and people who think they will never be good enough. Jesus knows and came “to give light to those who sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79)

Now, if the good news of Christmas was for them, it is also for us.

Luke Wartgow is lead pastor at Carson Valley Bible Church