To truly understand the reason for the season, we need to go all the way back to the beginning of Christmas, which is found, believe it or not, in Genesis 12.
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)
God promises Abram, who lives in a dark and corrupted time, that in him “all the families of the earth shall be blessed”. How does this story play out?
If we trace down the family tree from Abram, we can see that it doesn’t play out very well…
- The descendants of Abram (later renamed Abraham) relocated to Egypt, where they became slaves
- They weren’t feeling very blessed, neither were they blessing others
- After God sent Moses to deliver them, Joshua brought them into the Promised Land. When they were later ruled by the Judges, it was a time when everyone did what was right in their own eyes.
- No one was feeling very blessed.
- When kings rose to rule over Israel, they had an opportunity. Unfortunately, after David, most kings did what was right in their own eyes and worshipped idols. As a result, the nation of Israel was divided into two. Shortly after, the two kingdoms were conquered by surrounding nations.
When things were as hopeless as they had ever been, when the Christmas story seemed to have failed and the promise to Abraham was out of reach…
When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son. (Galatians 4:4)
- In Jesus, the promise was fulfilled. For in Him, all people were blessed; He was a light to the nation; and through Him, the world would worship the God of Abraham.
Turns out, Jesus called us to continue his mission. He fulfilled the Christmas story, but he told us to continue the Christmas story. As he called himself the “light of the world” (John 8:12), he calls us “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).
Carry the life of Jesus into the world around you, be a blessing and light to others.
Be the reason someone celebrates this season.
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