Christmas Day is upon us! For the past few Sundays we’ve been celebrating the Advent season, which is the weeks leading up to Christmas when we look forward to the celebration of the birth of our Lord.
For many of us, Christmas may seem like a sort of ending. During the weeks leading up to Christmas we are usually busy with fitting in end of year plans or preparing gifts and cards for loved ones. Christmas is also close to New Years, where we close out another year. Once the Christmas season is over, life seems to reset back to normal as we end the holiday season.
This year however, I was reminded of the fact that Christmas represents not an ending, but a new beginning. At Christmas, we celebrate the coming of Jesus, the moment when God came to be with us. An entirely new thing began on Christmas day. Jesus came to begin something new and bring a fresh start to our lives. So Christmas is not the end of something, but the beginning of the most amazing event in history, of God coming to be with us and save us.
This year, I feel like we could all use some renewal at Christmas time. 2023 was a tumultuous year for many. We’ve been praying for the unrest in different parts of the world, and also saw the refugee crisis taking place abroad but also in our own city. We’ve had to deal with sickness among our friends and family as well as difficulties in our own circumstances.
In times like these, it’s helpful to remember the reason for the season for us as Christians. Jesus came to change everything, and put an end to the death, strife, and evil that we couldn’t overcome ourselves. At Christmas we remember the coming of our Savior, and how,
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8
Of course, this doesn’t mean that all the problems in our lives and in our world will be solved overnight. But we can see glimpses of hope and moments of healing when God breaks through even the most difficult circumstances.
I’m reminded of a verse that has been meaningful for the church over the years:
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19
During Christmas, we celebrate the fact that it is Jesus who does this for us. Jesus is our way in the wildernesses and our stream in the wasteland. It is the life of Christ, his death, and victorious resurrection that changes everything for us. Christmas is the season for newness of life, because God is doing a new thing. So we can look forward to 2024 with hopefulness.
Jesus came to make all things new, and He is the one we can put our trust in as we celebrate this Christmas season.