‘And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Savior of Israel!’ (Acts 13:23 NLT)

The shadow of the cross lay over the beauty of the first Christmas night. It was there from the very beginning. That is why red is the color of Christmas. It isn’t because Santa wears red or that we sometimes wrap our gifts in red. Red is the color of Christmas, because red is the color of the blood that Jesus shed for us on the cross.

That is what Jesus came to do. He went voluntarily to the cross. Of course, He could have gotten out of it if He had chosen to, but Jesus laid down His life for us.

Jesus did not come so that we could go to endless Christmas events. He did not come to teach everyone how to be good or to love their neighbors, although these are good things to do. To the point, Jesus came to die an agonizing death and to ransom us from an eternal death sentence.

The story of Christmas doesn’t begin with the words “once upon a time,” though it has all the majesty and the magic of the greatest fairy tale you’ve ever heard. It has shepherds, angels, wise men from the East, and a bright, shining star. But it’s a real story pinpointed specifically in time.

Luke begins the Christmas story by telling us who is in power and what was going on at that particular moment in history. Luke was a physician by trade, and he was a stickler for detail. Everything in the world was in place for the arrival of the Messiah.

The Bible says, “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children” (Galatians 4:4–5 NLT).

When Christmas arrives and the gifts are opened, some of us will be very excited, and some of us will be a little disappointed. That’s because Christmas can’t deliver on its promises. Only Christ can.

What is Christmas at its best? At its best it is gathering with family and friends and perhaps enjoying a meal together. (And of course, worshipping together is one of the greatest things we could do on Christmas.) But these are glimpses of things to come.

In many ways, Christmas is a promise. It’s a glimpse of something greater. It’s a promise that has not been fully kept because it’s really not about Christmas; it’s about Christ.

That is what we’re really longing for—not Christmas but Christ; not merriment, but the Messiah; not goodwill, but God himself.

Put God first, not last. Don’t work Him into your busy schedule. Rather, put Him first in all things. Jesus won’t force His way into your life, but He would love to come and be a part of it. If you will seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness in everything you do, it will change everything about your life.

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