It is the time of year, once again, when we see homes adorned with lights and decorations. Christmas trees can be seen prominently displayed in the windows of homes. It is markedly different than Halloween. Gone are the ghoulish figures, with their focus on death and darkness. Christmas, by contrast, is about life and light. As Christians, we know why this time of the year is special. As Linus once said, “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about… ‘And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” Linus and Charlie Brown are obviously fictional characters, but their creator, Charles Schultz, was not. Schultz knew what Christmas is about. It is about the birth of the Savior, Christ the Lord. The entire television special was always headed toward that poignant declaration.
When we open the Word of God, we read, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:1–2). As we read on, we learn that God created the man and the woman (Gen. 1:26-31). The man, Adam, was given leadership and a command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:15-17). We know that the man and woman sinned against the Lord, and the result was death and expulsion from the garden of Eden (Gen. 3). Yet, were we left with interminable death and darkness? The answer is no. Genesis 3:14-15 informs us, “The LORD God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.’” The seed of the woman would come to bruise the head of the serpent. In Matthew 1:18-23, we read, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” The angel’s message makes the meaning abundantly clear. This Jesus, he is the Savior.
Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). The One who was laid in the manger is the light of the world. The Lord Jesus “… abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10). The One who was laid in the manger was born to die for the sins of mankind. He was raised so that we might live. The birth of Christ, the God-Man, was a necessary step on the way to the cross, which was a necessary step on the way to the resurrection. God’s wondrous redemptive plan is on display for us in the Scriptures. He worked out this plan for his glory and for our good. We praise him for this redemptive plan because he is worthy.
So, as my sons helped me hang the Christmas lights this year, I thought about why we do it. We hang lights because of Jesus. It is true that the lights pale in comparison with his glory, but we hang them anyway. We hang them because we are happy. We are happy that Jesus came, and we celebrate his coming. Each year, we celebrate Jesus’ birth. There is nothing else that we would want to do. The living room features an evergreen tree that we covered with lights and decorations and topped with a star. The evergreen tree is used because it is a symbol of everlasting life. We give gifts to each other because we are happy that Jesus came and gave himself for us. Jesus, who is God-incarnate, came to save us. He gave himself as an offering on a tree so that we could live. Some of you may be thinking, “But isn’t Christmas just borrowed from the pagans?” I would encourage you to read the article written by Wes Huff entitled “Christmas Isn’t Pagan.”[1] Wes also produced a video entitled “Christmas isn’t pagan and here’s why.”[2] If you can’t tell, I think that the answer is no.
Just as the storyline of the Peanuts Christmas Special was always headed toward the announcement of the birth of Christ as the true reason for Christmas, the Scriptures were always headed toward the very same announcement of the birth of the Savior, Christ the Lord. He is the light of the world. He is the One who brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Glory to God in the highest! Merry Christmas to you all.
[1] https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/christmas-isnt-pagan/