The Christmas season is upon us. With two young children, this is a time of excitement and joy around my house as they anticipate the arrival of Christmas Day. There is something magical about this time of year, even as an adult. Certainly, the decorations, celebrations, music, and all that goes along with the Christmas holiday in our world play a big role in this. While it is easy to get lost in it all, I do not think it has to be a bad thing. However, there is an anticipation that makes this season even more special. It is the celebration of the day that Jesus entered our world as a baby that make all of the waiting worth it.

In the midst of the busyness of life, it can be easy to miss the opportunity to reflect on this moment. Why is that? Could it be that we sometimes forget why this moment in history mattered so much? So, why should we take a step back to anticipate the birth of Jesus, even 2,000 years after it happened?

The most obvious answer is that it is the day God came to dwell among us, taking on flesh and being born as a baby. As much as most people know the Christmas Story, it should spark wonder in us. That God would make himself that vulnerable on our behalf is an incredible love story in and of itself. That would worth pausing and celebrating, but it doesn’t end there. It is the reason why Jesus came and what he came to do that should inspire us and change the way we see ourselves and the world around us.

The day Jesus was born set set into motion God’s redemption and restoration plan for our world. Jesus came on a mission.

Really, the plan started the moment Adam and Eve turned their back on God. When man decided he wanted to do things his way, God began the process of bringing us back into right relationship with him. Through history, as detailed in the Old Testament of the Bible, God continued to move toward his plan to overcome the brokenness and darkness that came with humankind being disconnected from it’s Creator. God created us to be fully connected to Him and He would make a way for that to be possible again.

Enter Jesus. From the moment of his birth, God made it clear that this would be the moment when everything would change. What long had been anticipated had now arrived. A savior who would redeem what is broken and restore them to the wholeness for which they were created had arrived. Jesus would demonstrate this over the course of His life. In healing the sick, he provided a picture of a world no longer held captive by brokenness. In forgiving people from their sins and reframing their identity around who God had created them to be, he showed a way beyond the bondage of hopelessness. Jesus did come to die for our sins, but he also came to bring a kingdom ruled by hope to our often hopeless world. When Jesus was born, God was saying it doesn’t have to be this way.

In Jesus, we can find forgiveness of our sins and a right relationship with the God who created us. We can also live into a kingdom that is no longer ruled by darkness. Does this mean the world is now perfect? That shouldn’t be a hard question to answer. The truth is there are now two competing kingdoms. A kingdom dominated by darkness and brokenness that tells us we are hopeless, and a kingdom fueled by light that says there is hope for today and for eternity. The good news is as John, one of Jesus’ closest followers wrote, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5). If we find our hope in a relationship with Jesus, we can be confident that the kingdom of light will win in the end.

In the meantime, we have a choice. We can choose to live into the kingdom of light and hope, or the kingdom of darkness and hopelessness. If that sounds a little too theoretical for you, think of it as choosing to see life and the world through a lens of hope or a lens of hopelessness. As you go throughout your day, which lens will you use to view the world and the people who live in it? The lens you choose will impact how you live and experience life.

When Jesus arrived on the scene, he came with a mission to advance his kingdom of light and hope. Because of Christmas, the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we have the option to be a part of his kingdom. We can live lives informed by hope, connected to the God who loves us, and created us on purpose and for a purpose.

This is the beauty of the Christmas season. It gives us an opportunity to reset and reframe around this kingdom of light and hope as we anticipate the day Jesus was born. We can live more joy-filled because we know Jesus came to redeem and restore the world back to what it ought to be, and we can begin living into that reality today.

Jesus came on a mission and it changed everything. The Christmas mission should change the way we live. In fact, Jesus invites us to be a part of his kingdom advancing Christmas mission. More on that next time!

James Belt

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