For many people Christmas is the loneliest time of the year. They face personal crises that make them feel isolated at Christmastime. Perhaps you’re facing such a crisis. You may have a problem with your marriage, your children, your finances, or your job. You may have an addiction to drugs or alcohol. You may be facing illness or the death of a loved one.
Other people feel an emptiness at Christmas, a knowledge that something is missing, but they don’t know what it is. You too may feel that emptiness.
With the problems that you face, you may be asking, “Where is Christ at Christmas?” Where is the one whose birth we celebrate during this thrilling season? Where is Christ, about whom the angel proclaimed, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11)?
Christ is alive and can change your life
Christ the Savior is alive, and the relevance of His birth is the same today as it was centuries ago. God sent His Son as a sign of His love for each of us. His Son died on the cross to make the full payment for our sins. And He rose again! We can know that all of our sins have been forgiven because of what Jesus did on the cross and in His resurrection. And Jesus can be with each one of us personally. The Christmas message goes straight to our searching hearts and tells us that Christ alone can bring us lasting peace…peace with God and peace within our hearts.
The Bible teaches that we are sinners and that the only cure for sin is the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed in His death on the cross. One of the most important aspects of worship in ancient Judaism was the shedding of blood to pay the penalty for sin. An innocent lamb was substituted in place of the sinner. The use of the word blood in the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible mean that life had been given. Jesus Christ became the Lamb sacrificed for the sins of all mankind. He was “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
The cross and the resurrection stand as our only hope. God did for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Through these two momentous events God is saying to sinful people, “I love you, and I can forgive you.” As the Bible puts it, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). That is the good news of Christmas!
You can experience Christ’s life-changing presence
To receive God’s forgiveness and salvation, you must admit your sin and moral failure. That is what Jesus meant when He said, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). Then in faith turn to Jesus Christ as your Savior from eternal death—the ultimate penalty for your sin: “The wages of sin is [eternal] death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord!” (Romans 6:23). “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36).
Only when we change our way of thinking and truly believe that Christ is the only way to find acceptance with God will we experience true peace, joy, and happiness.
God wants His children to live a life of meaning, not of isolation and despair. Those who trust in Christ for eternal life will also find in Him a Friend who will always help them with their present problems: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). As Jesus himself said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
Christ is ready this Christmas to change your life now and forever if you will believe in Him and receive the gift of eternal life!
Adapted from “A Gift That Will Change Your Life Forever,” Decision, December 1997, © 1997 BGEA. Used by permission: All rights reserved.