“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21
As a child, I used to love getting up on Christmas morning and rushing into the living room to hopefully receive all the gifts I had requested. Like most children, I rarely stopped to think that my parents had spent their hard-earned income on trinkets and toys that would soon be forgotten, discarded, or outgrown.
But as I look back as an adult on those Christmases, something sticks out as much more important and much more treasured than opening presents. You see, every Christmas morning, before any of those presents were opened, my family would spend some time with my grandfather’s well-worn Bible, reading the story of that first Christmas.
It’s so easy in our day and age to define Christmas by what’s under the tree. But let’s never forget the real reason for the season: Jesus Christ. He’s the one the Old Testament prophecies pointed to, and He is the only one who can truly bring peace to our dark and violent world.
As you and your loved ones prepare to celebrate Christmas, I want to encourage you to take the step of reading the Bible together as a part of your celebration. Don’t neglect the heart of the Christmas season. Put Christ and His teachings first in your Christmas, and you’ll create memories that last forever.
