Why Do Christians Care So Much About Christmas?
How God Saved Humanity
Christians care about Christmas because it marks the beginning of the gospel, the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ. If you think about how the Gospel writers introduce their Gospels—Matthew, Luke, John—they all introduce it with a reference to the incarnation and the birth and the nativity of Christ. So that’s why it’s important to Christians.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Jonathan Gibson
For individuals and families, this 40-day liturgical devotional guides readers through Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany—helping Christians retain their focus on Jesus and meditate on the mystery of his incarnation.
Perhaps I could put it like this: the cross and the resurrection would never have happened had there not been the incarnation of the Son of God. And so it’s foundational to the gospel message. Without the incarnation, there would not have been redemption, resurrection, or ascension. Without the incarnation of Christ, there would not have been the redemption that he won for us on the cross, his resurrection, or his ascension.
God the Son had to become one of us in order to save us. Gregory of Nazianzus said something like, “God cannot save what he does not assume.” In order to save humans, he had to assume a human nature. And so that’s why Christmas is foundational and the meaning behind everything in regards to the gospel.
Jonathan Gibson is the author of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: A Liturgy for Daily Worship from Advent to Epiphany.
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