Christmas is literally hours away and while it is a festive and joyous time for some, others may find that all this holiday brings is loneliness, loss, and even bitterness. Unfortunately, Christmas has turned into a massive propaganda for holiday sales. Parking lots are crammed with cars and malls are stirring with people who are rushing to find the perfect gift for their loved ones. The true treasure of Christmas is buried beneath all the stocking stuffing and gift exchanges. We all hear every year that Jesus is the reason for this season, but do we know the real meaning behind the virgin birth?
Whether you’d like to admit it or not, everyone longs for their life to be a love story. Nothing compares to that sweet feeling of being desired and pursued by someone that adores you despite all your imperfections. The nativity scene is just a piece of the larger plan that God ordained. Long before the foundation of the world was laid, God authored the greatest love story of all time. The main purpose for Jesus’ birth is explained in one verse:
Take a minute and let this verse sink in. God’s gift to mankind wasn’t an antique nativity scene or a biblical adaptation that is casually glossed over on Christmas morning. God wanted to show you and me how deep his love flows from Heaven into our hearts. But just how deep is this love?
“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,’ says the LORD, who has compassion on you.”-Isaiah 54:10
The Lord’s love cannot be explained in mere words. His love for us is so deep, so wide, and so vast that no one can comprehend just how much He adores us. God is enamored with every aspect of your being. He loved us enough to send His only son to pay the full price for our sins. In other words, He loved us enough to take a bullet so that we wouldn’t have to experience the sting of death. He loved us enough to endure the worst form of torture known to man just so we wouldn’t have to suffer. He longs to be a father to the orphans, a spouse to the widows, a comforter to the brokenhearted, and the fulfillment of your innermost desire to be loved. He is willing to fight to the ends of the earth in order to win and cherish our hearts forever. Aren’t some of the greatest love stories built around this premise?
On that holy night in Bethlehem, God carefully wrapped and delivered the gift of His everlasting love in the form of an infant encased in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Jesus’ birth is an eternal symbol of God reaching out meet our desperate need for a Savior. While the world was drowning in darkness and dying in sin, God sent us the precious gift of His love to save us from a lost eternity. Loneliness doesn’t have to be the beginning of your Christmas story. Grieving the loss of a loved one doesn’t have to be the end of your tale. God is writing a new story this year and it’s a legend that we can all be apart of. He is standing at the door of your heart, waiting for you to make Him your guest for this Christmas season. So before we finish wrapping our gifts, decorating our trees, preparing our meals, and rising early to open presents on Christmas morning, let us never forget the ultimate love story of an affectionate father seeking the hearts of His beloved children.
