Purposeful Encounter

December 24, 2022 

Everlasting Christmas

Chad Archbold

I must admit that I sometimes wonder if we are celebrating the birth of Christ as God would like us to. No time of the year brings more joy, generosity and compassion than Christmas. Even Easter, the most sacred of all Christian celebrations, enjoys the excitement and anticipation of Christmas.

We must ask ourselves, what does Christmas look like to God? Well, it is an everlasting event. God had a plan of redemption for humanity, and He decided that coming to live with us, fully clothed in human flesh, was the best way to redeem us back to Himself.

Christmas is an everlasting event that we highlight in our earthly lives. It is not ours, but God made it, especially for us. This year, I want you to remember that God made Christmas for you, not you for Christmas. Christmas has come to save, so celebrate it with clarity.

None of the scripture you will read this Christmas tells the story like John 3:16-17. Read this like it is the first time you have ever seen it. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

God did not wait for us to turn to Him before He loved us (the world). He loved and gave us His only begotten Son while we rejected Him. It is an intentional plan with an enteral duration of God’s love. The love we receive from others may fade or turn, but God’s love will never change. He will never stop loving His people, even unto the furthest distance of eternity.

That is what an everlasting Christmas means. It means love, selflessness, no condemnation, eternal life, and a complete rescue from the ghastly unknown. So, yes, celebrate Christmas, but not as the world does. You observe the eternal purpose of Christmas.

With God, every day is Christmas. He has continued working out the plans of its intentions for us as believers. Philippians 2:7 reads, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. We are the reason for the season. We have everlasting love and life because of Christmas. Amen!

Merry Christmas!