A Christmas To Remember...

A Christmas to Remember
Don't let busyness steal the real meaning of the day
By Charles F. Stanley

The first Christmas I really remember, I was three years old. My father had passed away two years earlier, so my granddad and some of my uncles and aunts came up to Danville to see me. I remember them opening the trunk of their car, and the whole thing was filled with toys for me. When we finally got them all into the house, an entire room was full. That was the most toys I ever got for Christmas. (I don’t know whether I was bad thereafter or what the deal was, but somehow I never got that many again.)

Probably some of the happiest times of our lives have been at Christmas—even the ones when we didn’t get what we wanted. I remember the year I wanted a .22 rifle more than anything else but my mother wouldn’t allow me to have one. So I made a big mistake.

My girlfriend gave me a beautiful sweater for Christmas, and I knew where she got it—she bought it at a sporting goods store. Not being very sensitive, I went back to the store and swapped the sweater for a rifle. It cost me about six or seven dollars’ difference. Then I had two problems: I had a gun my mother didn’t want me to have, and I didn’t have a sweater my girlfriend wanted me to have. In the end, I lost my girlfriend but kept my mother.

Another year I spent an entire day searching for the perfect tree during a snowstorm in the North Carolina mountains. I could just picture all the blue, red, green, yellow, and orange lights covering it. But as we hauled the tree home, my wife told me that she had decided to spray-paint it pink! (And despite my skepticism, it was beautiful.)

The First Christmas

While these particular stories are unique to my life, most of us have wonderful Christmas memories. And I imagine that has been true since the beginning. Sometimes I like to think about the people who were there at the first Christmas and what they must have remembered throughout their lives.

First of all, Joseph. He probably did not live very long, because according to the Scripture, he’s not on the scene when Jesus is crucified. But I can imagine that as the years went by, Joseph thought a lot about the day he traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem under the decree of Augustus Caesar. He must have been anxious; Mary was going to have a baby and the journey was hard. Then they arrived in Bethlehem that night and were turned away from every inn in the village. He must have been sensitive to her needs and very disappointed to see his wife give birth in a stable. I’m sure Joseph thought about that Christmas many times—about all the things he would like to have done differently if he could. And yet, what really happened the first time he looked upon his son, God’s Son, isn’t recorded in the Bible.

Then I think about the memories Mary must have had—for Mary would never forget what the angel said to her: “And behold, you will conceive . . . and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus” (Luke 1:31). The Bible says she kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. As the years went by, she must have thought back on that remarkable night when she gave birth to the Son of God and what she felt when she looked into the face of her little baby. If what the angel said was really true, she was looking into the face of God, who had just come from her womb. How could she ever forget the memories of her first Christmas?

And there are the shepherds. Some of them would have been around throughout Jesus’ life and might even have seen Him crucified, as Mary did. As the years went by, how often did they say, “Let me tell you the greatest thing that ever happened in my life”? I imagine them recounting how everything was quiet out in the fields, when all of a sudden an angel appeared and made a declaration that had been prophesied for over 400 years. Of all the people to whom that announcement could have been made, it was a group of shepherds who first heard the news. Luke 2:8-11 says they were in the fields keeping watch over their flock when the angel appeared and proclaimed, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” The promised Messiah! Lodged in their memory forever were the excitement, the anticipation, the fear, the questions, and the doubts. How could they ever forget that night in Bethlehem when they finally found Mary and Joseph and the baby?

And then, I think about someone else on that first Christmas. He learned about the Christ child from traveling wise men. They were, more than likely, descendants of people who had been influenced by Daniel the prophet, from whom they had learned the Scriptures. (The prophecy of Daniel 9:24-25 gives the time of Jesus’ birth.) These wise men of the East had been following a star when they arrived in Jerusalem.

On that particular night, according to the Bible, they were searching for the newborn King of Kings. Their queries about His birth led them to a private audience with Herod the Great. He told them to report back after finding the king so he, too, could go and worship the child (Matt. 2:8).

They left the jealous king anxiously awaiting their return, and followed the star to Bethlehem. There, they found their Lord in a stable and presented Him with precious gifts. Before they left, God warned the men not to go back to see Herod. The Bible says they went home a different way (v. 12). They would never forget that.

Herod the Great didn’t know anything about what was going on until these wise men reported that they had been following a star which indicated that a king has been born in the land. A sudden fear gripped him because he was obsessed with power and could not tolerate the thought of anyone in the kingdom who was not subject to him.

Herod must have remembered vividly how he felt when he realized the wise men were not going to return. Overcome by anger, he sent his soldiers to Bethlehem with orders to kill every single baby under the age of two. Of all of the people in the story so far, King Herod is the only one who never saw Jesus. He died before Jesus grew up—and he went to eternal damnation. That’s where he is today, still remembering the first Christmas.

Everyone else had wonderful memories of Christ’s birth. But Herod, the greatest of them all, will always remember how he tried to destroy the Son of God on that day. What are your memories of Christmas? Can you honestly say that it is a celebration of the birth of your Savior, the Lord of your life?

The True Meaning of Christmas

I have the wonderful privilege of remembering many happy times at Christmas, but paramount above all is this: there came a day when I received Christ as my personal Savior and Lord. From that moment on, I have been living in the light, hope, and joy of everlasting life. That day is the most important moment of my life.

Christmas is a celebration of a priceless gift that was given to all of humanity 2,000 years ago and offers us new life today. God came in the flesh to give us hope, peace, and eternal salvation.

Herod couldn’t kill Him, and no other king, dictator, or world ruler can either. He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, forever our God. Those who’ve been wise enough to accept Him have a hope that no experience will ever be able to remove. Our names have been written in the Lamb’s book of life, and we are heaven-bound, eternal sons and daughters of the King of Kings.

I have a lot of wonderful memories of Christmas. It is my prayer that if you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, this year you will have the best memory: knowing Jesus and what Christmas is all about. You can discover Him today, for He has already discovered you. He is willing to forgive you of all of your sins.

If, for some reason, you choose to deny Him and you die without Christ, you’re going to have some troubling memories of all the times people talked to you about Jesus and offered you the opportunity to receive Him. Luke 16:27-31 tells of a man in torment asking Abraham to warn his family about hell: “I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.” Abraham answered, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.” But the man pleaded, “No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!” However, Abraham said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.”

Someday soon, each of us will stand before the Lord and face our eternal destiny. We can spend eternity with Jesus Christ, enjoying some great memories. Or we can spend it separated from Him and haunted by the consequences of our poor decision. The night Christ was born, that choice became ours.

The Christmas season is the busiest time of the year. People hurry here and there to buy gifts and plan parties and visit relatives. Sometimes Christmas day comes and goes, and there is little time to think about what it really means. Wherever you are—with friends or alone, at home or at work—and whoever you are—rich or poor, well-known or obscure—you can have an absolutely unforgettable Christmas this year. If you know Jesus, praise Him and spend this time growing closer to Him. That will be the greatest gift you receive. If you don’t know Him yet, pray to receive Him into your heart, and join Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, the wise men, and millions of other people who are His beloved followers. Your life will never be the same!


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