The Christ of Christmas—God’s Gift of Love
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 John 4:16 NKJV)
Walk into any Christmas store these days, and you’re bound to find tree ornaments to fit your lifestyle fancy.
Alongside the usual snowflakes, candy canes, and glittering bells, you’ll find ornaments shaped like pups and kittens, careers, cars, Santas, sporting goods, movie characters, dinosaurs, snack foods, gnomes, and more. Many are portrayed in brightly-colored blown glass for a touch of whimsy. We have mice, birds, cookies, and mini-schnauzers on our tree branches!
It’s a little harder, though, to buy images that tell of the Christmas story, such as manger scenes, stars, and shepherds. It’s even rarer to see ornaments shaped like a cross. We have several on our tree, to remind us of the singular purpose of Christmas—to lead us to Easter.
Christ’s arrival at Christmas marked only the beginning of God’s fulfillment of His promise to redeem His people. The Israelites expected their Messiah to arrive in kingly fashion, to be gifted with a long Davidic reign and a new kingdom that would give them freedom from the hated Romans. Instead, they received a baby in rustic animal quarters. This child grew up to become a lowly carpenter who would die in humiliation on a cross…not what His followers had imagined.
Yet, our Messiah took on the debt for our sins and paid for them in full as the Passover Lamb of God. He gave Himself as the substitute for the wrath we all deserved, so that His salvation would dawn into our dark, desperate hearts. We were lost, and He found us. He convicted us, and then He forgave us. He brought us under His banner of merciful grace. He pulled us back from the edge…away from the horrors of hell.
When He rose from the tomb, He broke the curse, crushed the grave. The blessings of His grace are even more profound. Jesus reserved for each of us a seat at His table in heaven, to join Him there at His marriage feast.
Christmas simply launched the process. Easter’s cross marked the destination.
Questions remain. Why would Jesus come at all? Why, in the face of all our sinfulness, would He want to fill our wandering hearts with His peace and gladness? What motive would He have to give us eternal life?
There’s only one answer—love. His love is the very essence of the Christmas season. In His unimaginable love for us, He surrendered His throne and crown to put on our tattered clothes and walk among us…even when we rejected Him.
We are, indeed, poor ordinary people who have been given the honor of joining Him in paradise. There is no greater Christmas gift we could ever receive. And, we have nothing to offer in return. We can’t do enough good deeds to repay Him for His gift of salvation. All we can do is accept it, with our empty, outstretched hands—and offer ourselves to bless His name forever.
Jesus is our joy, the Messiah of Christmas and Easter. He has bought us, claimed us, secured us, freed us, and given us His hope of heaven. Let’s raise His cross high this Christmas, to lead others to His Easter resurrection and love!
Jesus, Lamb of God, help me to see you not only as my Christmas gift but also as my Easter Savior. Thank You for leaving heaven to live here on earth and give Your life for me on the cross. Help me to see Your overwhelming love in Your cross and lift it high in joy to others this season. In Your blessed name, Amen.
Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her blogs are featured on Crossmap.com and AriseDaily. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at NancyCWilliams.com and subscribe at the bottom.
© Copyright 2025 Nancy C. Williams (text and photography). Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. #Messiah #Christmasornaments #Easter #Christmas #cross #PassoverLamb #Christmaslove
