This is What Christmas Means to Me

            I know that it may not seem so, because we are so accustomed to
the traditional Christmas carols, but there are some newer contemporary
Christian songs which raise the joy of Christmas. May favorite is “Listen
to the Angels Sing.” Another lifts up the theme raised in the title of this
column. Here are some of the lyrics:

                    This is what Christmas means to me,
                            I have eternal life
                    This is what Christmas means to me,
                      I once was blind but now I see
                There’s a Savior was born on Christmas day,
                Born to take my sins, take them all a - way
                      Came to earth one starry night
               Now all I want to do is lift His name on high

                    This is what Christmas means to me
                     Now there can be joy to the world
                    The saints rejoice and angels sing
                          Emmanuel has come to us
(By Tommy Walker and the c.a. worship band)

            Indeed it’s easy to get caught up in all the hoopla around
Christmas time. I happened to swing by Wal-Mart the other day and the staff
was busy putting out all the Christmas sale items (and no, it wasn’t even
Thanksgiving yet). There’s so much to do during the holiday season that
it’s easy to get lost and forget about  “the reason for the season” until
we arrive at church on Christmas Eve.

            So once again Christmas draws near and in some ways things seem
unchanged from all the previous Christmases we have celebrated, but with
the thought raised in this song, we can realize that the first Christmas
was all about setting us right with God. Never again do I need to fear
being separated from God. Through Christ we would be and are united with
God throughout all eternity. And so, with all the other joyous parts that
are a celebration of Christmas, the greatest joy comes when I peer into the
depths of love and grace that are present at Christmas, and I realize that
Emmanuel truly means “God with us.” This indeed is what Christmas means to
me.
 

^Shalom,