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As we approach the holiday season this year, many are settling down into their traditions of what the holiday means to them. Tradition gives us a cozy feeling as we approach the seasons and attaches memories and significance that the calendar day alone does not provide. We are all traditional in some way, even if we resist the thought of it. There is certainly nothing wrong with having traditions as long as they do not impinge on the reality God provides us. There is exchanging of gifts and decorating Christmas trees, holiday music and relatives visiting; children pining over gifts and merchants trying to keep stock of that new craze, while parents try to put that unique smile on their children’s faces. Christmas may also be a lonely time for some, as they wait patiently for the festivities to pass so they can get back to the comfort of normalcy.

While we all go through this time of tradition in our own way, there is a central truth found in the phrase, “the reason for the season”. God sent His Son into the world and this is the cause for such great rejoicing; just as the angels rejoiced on that magnificent morning, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). God did something important on this particular day out of so many. Our Lord was born into the world! “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). When any baby is born, there is usually a time of rejoicing. That rejoicing does not simply come from ease, but it is as a result of much travail. How wonderful it is to hear that piercing baby’s cry for the first time. Later, that cry may be a source of irritation, but now it brings forth smiles and applause. In the case of our Lord’s birth, the angels were the ones rejoicing that God did send the Savior.

What is unique about our Lord’s birth is we may also participate in this momentous occasion. Over 2000 years ago, our Lord arrived and we are still rejoicing today, just as the angels did. We can do so as we understand the reason for the season. We can do so as we know and experience the salvation He came to provide. Only then can we see the tremendous significance of this birth over all the other babies born into the world. John also realized this when he saw Christ coming, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Our eyes are now drawn to the reason Christ came into the world, to die for us. As we think about the universal nature of what Christ did, we are left with admiration. Many religions of the world focus on a particular group or culture. Christianity is global in scope, and Christ did not come to die only for Jews, but for the entire world. “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1Jn 2:2).

God has a master plan to bring peace to the world. I am not referring to world peace between nations, but a peace between a Holy God and fallen man. Christ is our peace, and without Him, reconciliation is just not possible. On this Christmas day, are you reconciled to God? Have you understood the reason for the season? It doesn’t matter what the world does with Christmas time. We can make Christmas a special time for ourselves, that is, those of us who understand and are reconciled. We have peace with God. No more trying to please Him or satisfy some requirement or laws. No more struggling with the guilt of rejection and the fear of death. We can go on, embrace God and the new spiritual life He has planned for us. We can live with the confidence that God loved us so much, that He provided a way for us to be reconciled. Our Lord reminds us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He is that way. Now go and celebrate traditionally, but we can be like Mary, who “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).

Merry Christmas!