How to Cherish Christ this Christmas Season
When’s the last time you held a baby? I notice when some people hold a baby, they can’t stop staring at the sweet child’s face. Some people snuggle close to the baby and breathe in his soft scent. Other people rock absent-mindedly, and there are those who sing or hum just for the baby to hear.
We can’t tell the Christmas story without a baby. To be honest, I miss the full wonder of the story at times, because I hear the story multiple times every year. I don’t see the glory and the miraculous. Instead, I perceive God is being a bit extra-ordinary; He is just doing things a little differently. After all, He’s God, so why not?
Why a Baby Jesus?
Recently, I pondered why Jesus did come as a baby. Consequently, I dug into God’s Word and I read Hebrews 2:14-15.
“Because God’s children are human beings – made of flesh and blood – the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.”
Hebrews 2:14-15, NLT
God wants us to know He understands what it’s like to be human. He comprehends what it is like to live within the limitations of a human body. As a result, we can live confidently in the knowledge that God gets us.
God also knew for man to be redeemed, He needed to fulfill the punishment for sin, which is death. God in His glory is eternal, He can’t die. So, Jesus, God’s one and only Son, came to earth as a finite man so He could rescue all of humanity.
God wasn’t acting in an extra-ordinary way; He was behaving extraordinarily. Jesus agreed to limit His power and His glory and live in limited human form. He experienced life as we do with its pain and its joy and its boundaries. All so He could die and rise again, breaking the power of Satan and death in our lives.
The Benefits of a Baby Jesus
In the process of grasping this truth afresh, I saw other benefits of Jesus coming to us as a baby. I thought of how we see babies and treat babies. I realized God wants us to see and treat Him in similar ways.
Draw Near
First of all, we want to be near babies. We love to hold them and snuggle them. Christmas reminds us we must hold God close to us. We delight God when we snuggle in close and breathe in the scent of His presence.
Delight in Christ
Second, babies are fascinating. We express excitement and delight over just about everything a baby does. Christmas, and the baby in a manger, reminds us God longs to fascinate us. He desires to thrill us with all He does. He wants us to look for how He’s moving and be held in awe and wonder.
Be Committed
Third, we work hard to earn a baby’s smile. Christmas reminds us God will smile with favor on us when we seek Him and live to delight Him. God tells us in His Word that He chooses us and loves us, we don’t earn His love. Nevertheless, He requires us to be committed to a covenant relationship with Him to experience His continued blessing.
Go the Distance
Fourth, we do what must be done when a baby has needs. If a baby cries, we pick her up, change her diaper, feed her, rock her, and even sing to her. We rise to the occasion to meet a baby’s needs in the morning, afternoon, and in the middle of the night. God isn’t dependent on us to provide for His needs. However, Christmas reminds us how far God was willing to go for us, and He wants us to be just as committed to Him and His Kingdom as He is to us.
Tell the Story
Last, we talk about babies. We take too many pictures, show them off and struggle to find something else to talk about when there’s a baby story to retell. Christmas reminds us we have so much to talk about when it comes to our God. He is good and we must be showing Him off and talking about His story endlessly.
Cherish Christ this Christmas
Jesus came as a baby for a specific reason. God had a grand goal to save us; Jesus coming to earth as an infant was the perfect avenue to achieve God’s deep desire. As we celebrate the babe in a manger this year, may we remember God’s gift of a relationship with Him is wondrous and precious.
Amid the decorating and baking, the shopping and gift-wrapping, as well as the singing and celebrating, consider the baby Jesus. Snuggle close and seek to delight Him. Offer yourself willing to do what must be done to meet the needs of His Kingdom. Talk continuously about your sweet Savior and all He is doing. Moreover, know His face is shining on you with unfathomable love.
