The main star of Christmas

One of the first Christmas songs I heard this year was “Christmas Time is Here” from “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.  And Christmas time certainly is here in full swing!  Recently, at my workplace, I was honored to be asked to hang the star on top of the Christmas tree, after it was finished being decorated.  I probably should have taken the time to post a picture of it here, but both the tree and the star, is lovely.

To have that experience of hanging the star on top of the tree was very special for me.  It reminded me that in the midst of all of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas festivities, I need to focus on the One who is the main star of Christmas: Jesus Christ.  This time of year we rightly contemplate Jesus being born into this world.  But we tend to forget that this same Jesus grew up. He lived a life of perfect virtue and integrity.  He was Superman. Eventually He died a sacrificial death for us; three days later, He proved His divine power by rising from the dead.  It’s all about Him, not just on Christmas or Easter, but every day.

“Why all this Jesus stuff?”  Someone wants to know my answer to that question.  My answer is two-fold.  Number one: because the older I get, the more I see how empty and futile life is without Him.  I celebrated my 40th birthday back in June, so I’ve been very reflective, believe me.  I’ve discovered how foolish it is to look to something or someone else for life and identity.  Things like money, pleasure, notoriety, and power are enticing, but they pale in comparison to a relationship with Jesus.  To quote Jonathan Evans, you and I can easily climb the ladder of success only to get to the top and realize the whole time it was leaning against the wrong wall.

Secondly, the answer to the why Jesus question is because you and I have a sin problem and only Jesus provides salvation.  The Bible says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).  Conceivably, God could have chosen to leave humanity to fend for itself when He saw how entangled we are with sin.  But He didn’t.  He chose to express His love in the most emotionally gripping way: death on a cross.  Because, the Bible tells us, “without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.”

In conclusion, I have listened to Rebecca St. James’ 2005 album “If I had one chance to tell you something” hundreds of times.  I listened to it again recently.  I could probably write a blog on each track, but I found myself resonating with these words from a track titled “Love being loved by You”:

“Who am I that You would notice me?  Who am I that You would think of me?  I stand in awe of Your amazing love.  Who am I that you would rescue me?  Who am I that you would die?” 

Kevin