"The Lord had said to Abram, 'Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'" (Genesis 12:3)
Most people choose the opening chapters of Matthew or Luke when discussing Christmas. However, I decided to choose a different verse which proves that God had Christmas planned even during Old Testament times. Roughly 2,000 years before Jesus was born, God picked a wealthy, cosmopolitan man named Abram from the Babylonian city of Ur to be the ancestor of His chosen nation, Israel. Little did Abram (who was renamed Abraham) know that one of his descendants would be God's greatest gift to mankind: Jesus Christ.
At Christmas, we give gifts to each other and bless those whom we love. However, we are only able to do that because God first loved us. God is love, and we are only able to love each other because He gave us that ability. He loved us so much that He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we could have eternal life. This is what He meant when He told Abraham that He was going to bless all of the nations on earth through Him. He was going to use Israel as the vehicle for bringing Christ into the world. On top of that, He used Israel to preserve monotheism and to give us His Word, the Bible. No one has the Christmas Spirit more than Christ Himself. Even the myth of Santa comes from a devout Christian named Saint Nicholas.
So during this time of the year, open your presents. Spend time with your family. Reconnect with your friends and make new ones. However, most of all, reflect upon all the gifts that God has given you, including the greatest gift of all: Jesus Christ.
Merry Christmas!
