CELEBRATE JESUS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:21 (NIV)

You have undoubtedly heard a famous line in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol: “I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.” The mean-spirited Ebenezer Scrooge was in the midst of a transformation after being visited by his former business partner and three ghosts throughout a Christmas Eve night. He is committing to embrace the spirit of Christmas and to live his life with kindness, generosity, and compassion, not just during the holiday season but throughout the year.

Christmas for many, is a joyous time. We love unwrapping gifts, listening to music, eating food, and watching our traditional family movies and shows. Christmas Day cannot merely be a once-in-a-calendar-year celebration. Christmas is an incredible annual tradition, but every day, we must work to remind ourselves of the reason for the season: the birth of Jesus.

We celebrate Jesus’ birth for deeper reasons than traditions and decorations. We celebrate it because He alone was God in human flesh, sent from Heaven to take away our sins and give us hope for the future. Put another way, Jesus Christ came to bring us back to God. Because of Him, the Bible says, “We have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Romans 5:1).

We need to have an “everyday Christmas” mindset. That does not mean we must sing Christian carols in June or leave the Christmas tree up year-round. What it does mean is that we maintain a spirit of gratitude and giving during Christmas throughout the rest of the year.

To celebrate Jesus year-round, we must deeply desire to change and become more like Him. That’s our motivation. We celebrate and live for the One who lives in us. We celebrate and live for the One who has set us free. We celebrate and live for the One who has given us new life.

Christmas is a great time to re-evaluate and determine what you’re living for. It brings a lot of emotions and feelings and it’s natural to stop and ponder it all. But let’s not go back to business as usual in our spiritual lives once the season ends.

But every day until then, remind yourself of the sacrifice of Christ, what it tells you about your spiritual condition and the glory, power, and authority of your Heavenly Father who loves you and controls your life for his glory and good.

Discussion Questions:

How can we celebrate Christmas year-round?
What can you do throughout the year to find ways to remind yourself about the truths of the Christmas story?