Christmas And The Wonder Of God’s Love

The Christmas season is here again. Lights on our homes. “Home Alone,” “Elf” and other Christmas movies on the screen. Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and I guess Mariah Carey, getting airplay. And the warmth of the holiday season filling our hearts as the wonder and awe surrounding this time of year capture our imaginations once again.

Whether we are younger or older, there is something magical that makes this, as Andy Williams sang, “The most wonderful time of year.” But what is it? What makes this time of year so special and meaningful? Why do some of us yearn for the warmth of the Christmas season sometimes so desperately that we will put out decorations earlier? Like Charlie Brown, frustrated and searching for answers, does anyone know what the reason for the season is, what Christmas is all about? The answer is so simple and profound, yet it often gets lost amid all the stress, hurry, worry and distractions that come with this time of year. The answer is love, and not just any love, but the love of God for humanity exemplified by the gift he gave all of us 2,000 years ago.

My wife will tell you I’m usually the one who wells up with tears if I see a heartwarming scene in a movie or show, and I’m a sucker for many of the heartwarming Christmas commercials. One of my favorites is of a father who dances for his son as a toddler, and the commercial shows him doing this awkward dance routine through several Christmases until the dad gets a FaceTime call with his son, now a father himself, doing the dance with his son. Or how about the grandpa who spends several weeks lifting weights so that when Christmas comes, he can lift his granddaughter? Or what about the one with the parents reminiscing over their trips to get a Christmas tree with their kids growing up? Christmas is about love, and giving and receiving gifts is meant to show that love, and the thought that we put into those gifts reflects how much our loved ones mean to us.

It is the same with God for us. Christmas is ultimately about God’s love and the gift he offers that reflects how much we mean to him. We are told, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

There is a lot of talk these days about UAPs or UFOs, whether we are alone in the universe, or just about how vast the universe is with what the James Webb Telescope reveals, and yet the Bible says that it is our planet, and it is you and I whom God is mindful of and caring toward. The most meaningful gifts are usually the ones that clearly demonstrate a lot of thought behind them. The message that you send is that they matter to you, and you care about them.

History is ultimately God’s story, and the climax of that story was God bringing his son into the world, and God sure put a lot of thought behind it. Before time began, God already planned to set in motion the entrance of his son in the person of Jesus Christ into our world at just the right time to offer us the greatest of gifts that many of us probably aren’t even aware we need: forgiveness and redemption.

At the beginning of time, our ancestors chose to sing the Frank Sinatra song and do things their own way, sinning and rebelling against our creator, and this pattern is one we have all inherited from our parents. So, the biblical reality is that we have all sinned, we are all broken in different ways, and each of us is longing for unfailing love, true purpose and eternal life. Within our soul, we have a God-shaped vacuum that nothing under the Christmas tree can fill.

The irony of Christmas is that God offers each of us the ultimate gift that cannot be bought or earned but only believed and received, yet tragically his gift and invitation are often ignored.

We need the child born in Bethlehem but often don’t want him, yet he doesn’t need us and still wants a relationship with us. He came into our world, lived among us, died for us, rose from the dead, and is ready to live in your heart if you will make room for him. He came to bring light over darkness, hope over fear, love over indifference, and peace over conflict and restlessness.

On Christmas night 2,000 years ago, the world heard good news that we still need in our cold, restless, broken and polarized world in 2025: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior, who is Christ the lord” (Luke 2:10-11). If you have nothing to be joyful about this holiday season – maybe you lost a loved one, you’re struggling in your health, you’re hurting financially, emotionally or mentally, or you’re dealing with a lot of stress – there is one reason you can have joy today. There is a God who loves you, wants a relationship with you, and was willing to send you a savior so that your heart could be filled with the warmth of his joy and with the gift of eternal life.

The wonder of Christmas is more than decorated trees, purchasing presents, or even time with our families. The wonder of Christmas is ultimately that God out of love sent his son to be our savior and lord. Have you received his gift?

“How many kings step down from their thrones? How many lords have abandoned their homes? How many greats have become the least? How many gods have poured out their hearts to romance a world that is torn all apart? How many fathers gave up their sons for me? Only one did that for me. All for me, and all for you.”
- “How Many Kings” by Downhere

Stephen Mitchell is the senior pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Severna Park. He also is the host of a weekly podcast, “Real Christian Talk with Pastor Steve,” available on all podcast platforms.