As I looked back through several of my old Christmas messages, I noticed a familiar pattern. Every year, I start the same way: “This year, we’re going to focus on the real meaning of Christmas.” It is a noble goal, but after a few decades, it begins to sound like a scratched record to anyone sitting in the pews. I imagine they are thinking, “Here we go again.” Still, it is hard to avoid the sentiment because Christmas is such a beloved season. We love to talk about “keeping Christ in Christmas,” but somehow, Christ always ends up buried under ribbons, receipts, and fruitcakes. J. L. Wilson humorously observed that perhaps it is impossible to get to the real meaning of Christmas during Christmas. “I look for Christ at Christmas,” he said, “but the tree, wrappings, and lights block my view.” He even joked about having Christmas in August to get away from the chaos. Now, that might sound strange, but who among us has not felt that same desire to escape the seasonal frenzy and actually experience peace on earth?
Wilson’s dilemma is ours too. Between school programs, work parties, and church events, we often arrive at Christmas Day feeling more exhausted than enlightened. The irony is rich: we celebrate the “Prince of Peace” in the most stressful month of the year. It seems the moment we hear the first jingle bell, our calendars explode. We rush to prepare our homes, our meals, and our gift lists—but seldom our hearts. The real challenge of Christmas is not finding the perfect present; it is finding quiet time to appreciate the perfect gift. The tree, lights, and glitter are not the enemy—they are merely the distractions. Hershel Hobbs wisely wrote, “Christmas is more than tinsel and toys, trees and toddies, gifts and greetings. It is a message of peace on earth among men who are pleasing to God.” He reminds us that Christmas is not a date on the calendar—it is a divine interruption in human history.
Christmas is the story of God stepping into our noise to bring us His peace. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The cradle in Bethlehem points forward to the cross at Calvary and the crown in glory. Hobbs said it best: “It is God in a cradle, the Eternal in a tender baby’s flesh and form.” The shepherds came to see Him and left rejoicing; the wise men brought gifts and bowed in worship. They understood something we often forget—Christmas does not end at the manger. It reaches all the way to the resurrection. That is what Christmas is really about: God bending low so that we could be lifted high. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, that truth still shines brighter than any string of lights.