Howdy!  If you have been around our church at all recently you probably have heard that we are close to celebrating Christmas.  If you don’t know what Christmas is, it is the season and day when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ whom we recognize as our Lord and Savior.  Now, a lot of people have a lot of things to say about Christmas, and I am here to add some stuff into the mix.  Before we get there though, in your heads, I want you to think about why it is important to celebrate Christmas.  To you, what is Christmas all about?  If I had to guess, most people’s answers would be something like the following:

• Christmas is about Jesus being born.
• Christmas is about the savior of the world.
• Christmas is about loving each other and giving presents.
• Christmas is about God sending His son.

If you thought any of this, I wouldn’t challenge you, because all those things are pieces of the puzzle.  So, as you continue to consider why Christmas is important, I want you to read some scripture.

First, Luke 2:4-7.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Next, Luke 2:40.

⁴⁰And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

Great, now let’s jump a few verses to Luke 2:52

⁵²And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Alright, now Matthew 4:2

² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

Now, John 4:7.

⁷ When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”

Alright, John 11:35.

³⁵Jesus wept.

Ok, Hebrews 2:18?

¹⁸ Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Finally, Luke 23:46

⁴⁶Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”  When he had said this, he breathed his last. 

         Do you understand the story I am trying to tell here?  From the verses we just read we know that Jesus was born, that he grew up and learned things, that he got hungry and thirsty and required sustenance, that he got sad, that he was tempted, and that ultimately, he died.  Jesus was a man.  Jesus was a man who lived and died.  Jesus was a baby who needed his mother’s care.  Jesus was a boy who grew and learned things.  Jesus had friends, just like you and I, who he loved.  Jesus ate and drank with those friends.  Jesus could stub his toe or trip on a rock.  Jesus had a job and used his wages to survive.  Jesus knows what it is like to be human because he was a human.  That isn’t the end of the story though, let me flip the coin over for a moment.

If you are familiar with this story, the story of Jesus, then you also know that Jesus was not just a man he was so much more than that.  In John Chapter One we learn that Jesus was there at the creation of everything, the whole universe.  Further, not only was Jesus with God during creation, but Jesus was also God.  Jesus was not just present but a part of creating the universe.  We learn a chapter later in that same book that Jesus showed the world that He was God by turning water into wine.  I don’t know about y’all but I can’t turn water into anything but ice.  Jesus also healed the blind and the lame, he fed thousands with a handful of fish and a few loaves of bread.  Jesus raised his friend from the dead.  Jesus even, after dying on the cross, walked out of the grave with holes still in his hands and completely alive.  The New Testament is full of examples of Jesus showing that he is God, they are not hard to find!

So, let’s gather our thoughts.  Jesus was a man who lived and breathed, like us.  Jesus was not just a man though; Jesus was also God.  The same man who got hungry and thirsty turned water to wine and fed thousands with no resources.  The same man who cried over losing a friend brought that same friend back from death to life.  The same man who died nailed to a tree walked out of the grave three days later and then ascended into Heaven.  The technical term for what I am describing is the “hypostatic union.”  Or the fact that Christ was both fully man AND fully God.  I don’t have time today to talk about all the reasons why this is important theologically for us, but I do have time to tell you what all this has to do with Christmas and why I think it is important to remember during this season.

You see, Christmas is where this stuff I am describing all starts.  Christmas is when God puts on flesh and becomes man.  The hypostatic union is complete when Jesus is born.  Of course, God had his eyes on the cross when He sent his son, but Jesus lived a full life before he died.  Because of Christmas, God knows what it is like to be human.  That means there was a time when the Creator of the universe was so vulnerable, he couldn’t survive without his mother, just like us when we are born.  That means that every time we are tempted to sin, God knows what that is like because he was a man and was tempted too.  Every time we are hurt, hungry, happy, tired, frustrated, sad, joyful, thirsty, WHATEVER, Jesus knows what it is like because he put on flesh and experienced it too while he walked the earth with his disciples.  Whatever is going on in your life, Jesus intimately understands because he put on flesh and lived.  I think that is unique and beautiful about our savior, y’all.

Let me put what I am trying to say plainly for you: Tanner’s reason that Christmas is important is because the Creator, Savior, and Redeemer of the whole universe knows what it is like to be human.  Is Christmas about Jesus?  Of course, it is, but it is not just about Jesus being our savior, but also about Jesus putting on flesh and knowing what it is like to be human.

Tanner.

P.S. The theological term for what I am describing is the “Hypostatic Union.”  If this is something you want to learn about, feel free to reach out!