Why is Christmas important?

The real story that we celebrate at Christmas time requires the whole Bible to tell. It’s the story that we’ve spent most of our life being a part of helping others tell… I’d love to write that it’s a short, simple, everybody’s-happy at the end kind of read. It isn’t. But you should still read it and study it! It’s truly the Greatest Story ever!

Here’s my synopsis.

Many years ago now (as we reckon time) the Creator (of every aspect of what it means to be alive) chose to create some special things that could worship Him.

First, He created a place for them.

Then He created EVERYTHING they would need to live there.

Then He created them, gave them names, a purpose, and especially the ability to choose. Every tree in The Garden was for them, except one. They could eat anything, except that. The Man and The Woman made lots of choices, too. They even chose to obey and do EXACTLY what their Creator created them for. And it was VERY good.

Then one day, the Woman, named Eve, was tricked into disobedience by a different kind of creature. This one TALKED, but wasn’t human. She didn’t realize how awful things were going to be and so she gave her husband, Adam, the same choice and he also disobeyed. Immediately they were exposed and judged as unworthy to live in the Perfect Garden the Creator had made for them. When the Creator met with them in the Garden, the Serpent Deceiver (the one who tricked her, Satan) was cursed, and so were The Man, The Woman, and even The Ground. It was a VERY bad day.

But God offered Hope. He promised that The Offspring of The Man and The Woman would crush the head of the Serpent Deceiver even though it will injure the heel of The Offspring! I don’t think she fully understood how great of a promise this was, either.
Despite their disobedience and rebellion, The Creator also made them coverings from the skins of other creatures and then banished them from the Perfect Garden before they could eat the fruit from the Tree of Everlasting Life.
Their purpose was still to fill the earth and subdue it, but now it would be difficult! So, they went to work, and it was hard!

FEUDS, FLOODS, FAMINES, SLAVERY, SUBJUGATION, PROPHETIC PROMISES of PEACE (if “they’d” just repent and obey!) STUBBORN REBELLION; FINALLY, SILENCE. 4500 years of FIGHT: 500 years of SILENCE.

And then, when The Creator decided the times were full, He sent an Angel to a young, gracious woman who had found favor with The Creator. She was to be the earthly mother of the incarnation of the Creator Himself. All she had to do was obey. And she did! Even though her country was occupied by Rome and in spite of extreme cultural humiliation, a different man and woman chose obedience and became the earthly caregivers of the newborn Incarnate Creator.

This CREATOR INCARNATE is who we celebrate at this time of year. This CREATOR INCARNATE is Jesus! This Jesus is The Offspring promised all those years ago to the First Man and Woman. Another verse in the Bible refers to Jesus as, The Last Adam. At Christmas Time, we celebrate His birth. We think it’s “kind of a big deal.”

Merry Christmas!