Tis the season to celebrate the birth of Jesus we proclaim. But how many really do pause during the course of their busy lives to even consider that glorious herald from the Lord’s angel?
Luke 2:10-12 proclaims,
“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 Saviour, 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.”
One might then ask, “Why celebrate the birth of a child who was born in a manger? Isn’t there a more ‘prominent’ child-birth for whom we should celebrate?” The answer to this question is found in the next glorious herald from the Lord’s angel.
Matthew 28:5-6 declares,
“And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”
For you see, we celebrate the birth of Jesus – not because of the crib – but because of the cross and Christ’s glorious resurrection. God sent Jesus [His only begotten Son] unto the world – born of a virgin – who lived, was crucified, paid our sin debt, and arose from the grave so that He would stand as the Savior of the world. Notice the following Scriptures.
Hebrews 1:1-3,
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”
Philippians 2:8-11,
“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Hebrews 12:2,
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
1 Peter 3:22,
“Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.”
In case you are still struggling with “why we celebrate the birth of Jesus”, please consider the words of the following poem titled, “The U in Jesus”. “Before U were thought of or time had begun, God stuck U in the name of His Son. And each time U pray, you’ll see it’s true, You can’t spell out JesUs and not include U. You’re a pretty big part of His wonderful name, For U, He was born; that’s why He came. And His great love for U is the reason He died. It even takes U to spell crUcified. Isn’t it thrilling and splendidly grand He rose from the dead, with U in His plan? The stones split away, the gold trUmpet blew, And this word resUrrection is spelled with a U. When JesUs left earth at His upward ascension, He felt there was one thing He just had to mention. ‘Go into the world and tell them it’s true That I love them all – Just like I love U.’ So many great people are spelled with a U, Don’t they have a right to know JesUs too? It all depends now on what U will do, He’d like them to know, But it all starts with U. When Jesus died on the cross he was thinking of [you]!” – Author Unknown.
John 3:16,
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Romans 5:8,
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 10:13,
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you have not done so, will you place your faith and trust in God’s Savior [Jesus Christ] today? For, only then will [you] truly understand why we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
