The historic record of the birth of Christ can be found in Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:1-20.
Unlike any other baby, the one born that night in Bethlehem was unique in all of history. He was not created by a human father and mother. He had a heavenly pre-existence (John 1:1-3, 14). He is God, the Son—Creator of the universe (Philippians 2:5-11). This is why Christmas is called the incarnation, a word which means “in the flesh.” In the birth of Jesus, the eternal, all-powerful and all-knowing Creator came to earth in the flesh.
The Bible says…
“This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10).
“…the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
“To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).
Christ
Meaning: anointed, the Greek translation of the Hebrew word translated “Messiah”
Christ is the official title of our Lord, occurring 1,514 in the New Testament. It denotes that he was anointed or consecrated to his great redemptive work as Prophet, Priest, and King of his people. He is Jesus the Christ (Acts 17:3; 18:5; Matt. 22:42), the Anointed One. He is thus spoken of by Isaiah (61:1), and by Daniel9:24-26), who describes him as “Messiah the Prince.” (
The Messiah is the same person as “the seed of the woman” (Gen. 3:15), "the seed of Abraham" (Gen. 22:18), the "Prophet like unto Moses" (Deut. 18:15), "the priest after the order of Melchizedek" (Ps. 110:4), "the rod out of the stem of Jesse" (Isa. 11:1, 10), the “Immanuel,” the virgin's son (Isa. 7:14), "the branch of Jehovah" (Isa. 4:2), and “the messenger of the covenant” (Mal. 3:1).
This is he “of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write.” The Old Testament Scripture is full of prophetic declarations regarding the Great Deliverer and the work he was to accomplish. Jesus the Christ is Jesus the Great Deliverer, the Anointed One, the Savior of men. This name denotes that Jesus was divinely appointed, commissioned, and accredited as the Savior of men (Hebrews 5:4; Isa. 11:2-4; 49:6; John 5:37; Acts 2:22).
To believe that “Jesus is the Christ” is to believe that he is the Anointed, the Messiah of the prophets, the Savior sent of God, that he was, in a word, what he claimed to be. This is to believe the gospel, by the faith of which alone men can be brought unto God. That Jesus is the Christ is the testimony of God, and the faith of this constitutes a Christian (1 Cor. 12:3; 1 John 5:1).
meaning of Christmas…
meaning of Christmas…
- The Star: A heavenly sign of prophecy fulfilled long, long ago- The shining hope of mankind.
- The Color Red: The first color of Christmas, symbolizing that Savior's sacrifice for all.
- The Fir Tree: Evergreen- the second color of Christmas shows everlasting light and life. The needles point up to heaven.
- The Bell: Rings out to guide lost sheep back to the fold, signifying that all are precious in His eyes.
- The Candle: A mirror of starlight, reflecting our thanks for the star of Bethlehem.
- The Gift Bow: Tied as we should all be tied together in bonds of goodwill forever.
- The Candy Cane: Represents the shape of the shepherd's crook, used to bring lost lambs back to the fold.
- The Wreath: A symbol of the never ending eternal value of love… having no end.
Sinterklaas or Saint Nicholas, considered by many to be the original Santa Claus.
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century. The Christmas tree is traditionally brought into the home and decorated with Christmas lights (originally candles), ornaments, garlands, tinsel, and candy canes during the days around Christmas. An angel or star is placed at the top of the tree, representing the host of angels or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity.
