What does Christmas mean to you?

Christmas can mean so many things. Sometimes we get so busy, we forget what Christmas is really all about.  That’s when good old Charlie Brown reminds us when he asks, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

Linus calmly answers him, “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.”

As Linus steps forward onto the stage he begins reciting his part in the Christmas play, taken from Luke 2, “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 so afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for behold, I bring unto 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.’”

After a brief pause, Linus walks back to his friend and softly says, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

Adam Hamilton wrote in his book ‘Not a Silent Night’: We sing the hymn, “Silent Night” but the scriptures don’t mention it at all. On that first Christmas night, with an estimated 300,000 people in town, Mary gave birth. I don’t imagine it was silent. It would have been filled with noise, not just the sound of the donkeys but the clamor and cries surrounding childbirth. Keep in mind that Mary was blessed by God, chosen as his handmaiden, and given the most important task as any human being would ever have. Her child was the King of Kings. She would be the mother of Jesus Christ. She was in the midst of the most profound thing God would do in the history of humankind. And Mary had to bring forth this child among animals in a place she didn’t want to be. God does not promise that life will be easy, that all will be calm and bright. God promises us that in the midst of the animal dung and the noise and the disappointment, He is at work! Think about it; if all were calm and bright in the world, Christmas would not be necessary. Christmas came because the world is broken.”

Christmas came because the world is broken. Christ came because you and I need a Savior.

Edmond Sears penned the perfect words in his familiar Christmas hymn, “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” when he wrote:

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load, whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way, with painful steps and slow.
Look now! for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing!

As we enter the 2024 Christmas season, may we remember the true reason why Christ came, that in the midst of the animal dung and the noise and the disappointment, we see God at work in our world and in our lives, and may we take time each day to rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing!

Most importantly, may we look forward to our Lord’s return!