Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
December 23, 2007 - W0751

When Herod was king of Judea, there was a census that forced Joseph and Mary to return to Bethlehem. The Magi came searching for baby Jesus and asked Herod where the King of the Jews was? Herod told them to let him know when they found him so that he too could worship Him even though he secretly wanted to kill all Jewish children two years old and under. So, as we all know, the Magi followed the star to baby Jesus. But Christmas was not the end of a season. It was the beginning of redemption. Jesus was an example to you and me. He brought us the greatest gift of all; the gift of eternal forgiveness.

Jesus, thank you so much for a day in history to look back to where redemption began. There are more records of your existence than that of Plato, Socrates or Alexander the Great. There is so much proof that you walked the Earth. You left us with eternal salvation so we thank you for forgiving us and we pray that you keep reminding us about what Christmas means. Amen

Christmas is defined differently by different people. For some it is heavy drinking and partying hearty all night. For others it is gathering family together or fighting long lines at shopping malls or dodging erratic drivers on the road to those shopping malls. But I wonder what does God think about the way we celebrate His son’s birthday? Is the meaning lost amidst all this hustle and bustle? Do we even remember the true meaning of Christmas? Or do we simply remember it as an archaic event that is not exciting enough so we have to prop it up with extravagant festivities and activities? I wonder what God thinks about all of this.

If we miss the meaning of His birth, then we miss the true meaning of Christmas and ultimately may miss Jesus for all eternity.

So Christmas means different things to different people. But parties and seasons come and go. We eventually take down the lights and throw out the tree. The season does come to an end and we are glad when it is all done. But does Christmas extend beyond December 25^th? Is it more than just a flurry of activities and stress? Does Christmas make a difference beyond the 25^th? It should. It must.

It is funny how things work out, though. We may get so frustrated during the Christmas season that we want to just quit. We get so stressed that we wonder where God is. It is no fun anymore. We have this love-hate-glad relationship with Christmas. We love the season but hate the hectic stress that go with it and then are glad that is all over. But we have to remember that God is at work behind the scenes. He will be there to change hearts, minds and you. So look for Him.

Is Christmas only rush, rush, and fulfilling obligations that you rather not? It just has to be more than that! Well, we may not know it but God is at work behind the scenes. God knows that there is more to Christmas and life. There is. There really is.

Christmas was never meant by God to be the end of a season. Actually it was designed to be the beginning of changing hearts. Hearts once stubborn were to slowly melt. Hearts once hard were to become soft.

Too often, as soon as Christmas is over we put the whole idea into the past. But God wants to exchange hearts every day. He wants to trade broken hearts for His heart and hopeless hearts for hopeful ones. Christmas is meant to be a gift exchange. But we have to be willing to give up our way for His.  We can receive the gift of a healed heart and salvation but we have to seek Him first. He has that gift waiting for us.

Christmas cannot be just be one day a year. We have to be willing to leave the living room on Christmas morning and go all the way to Calvary, where Christ redeemed us. Do not let the Christmas season simply come and go. Let it change you. Let the season help you find the greatest gift of all; eternal forgiveness and grace. Let Christmas go beyond December 25^th. If you recognize God, He will change your life! Open your heart to Jesus and he will transform you!

While we may not know when Christ was born, we thank Him for a day to celebrate and remember His birth and the beginning of our redemption. We should remember that there is more proof of Christ’s existence than that of Plato, Socrates or Alexander the Great. We thank Jesus for winning eternal forgiveness for us and pray that He keep reminding us of the true meaning of Christmas. While Christmas means different things to different people, we should not forget the true meaning of Christmas because if we do we might miss Christ for all eternity. The meaning of Christmas should extend beyond the 25^th. We should remember that God is working behind the scenes to change our hearts every day not just during the Christmas season. We have to be willing to give up our way for His in order to receive His gift of eternal salvation.

Study Questions.

1.      What can you do to remember the true meaning of Christmas?

2.      What can you do to help others remember the true meaning of Christmas?

3.      What does Christmas mean to you?

4.      How has God worked behind the scenes to change your heart?

5.      How has God worked behind the scenes to change hearts around you?