Not-So-White Christmas

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. I've always loved this time of the year as pretty lights go up on houses, Christmas music plays on the radio, and people wear festive colors and exchange gifts and baked goodies to each other. On the whole, Christmas sort of looked like this in my mind:

However, this year, I found myself not feeling any of this at all. I turn on the radio, and the music just feels overly festive and annoying. And I'm thinking, come on, there is NO such thing as a White Christmas in southern California. Who's ever ridden on a one-horse open sleigh anyway? How do we even know it's supposed to be fun and not freezing cold?! And what the heck are chestnuts anyway?? Christmas is just a dumb holiday that nostalgically cherishes traditions of the Eastern part of the US that have no connections with me whatsoever, and today it's just turned into a big materialistic day of gift-giving.

I know, I know, I need to watch Elf again. "The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear," says this guy:

Instead, I was reminded on Sunday service that Christmas is NOT about any of this at all. Of  course I knew all this already. Christmas is about Jesus's birth. But in my head I still thought, what's so great about his birth anyway? His birth was not glamorous and pretty as nativity scenes often portray it; in reality Jesus was born in a smelly, dark shed for animals, because people at the inn wouldn't even make room for a pregnant woman. And we're pretty sure he was not born on December 25. Besides Christ's death is more important and central than his humble birth anyway, so what's the big deal then about Christmas?  I'd forgotten that the birth of the promised Messiah is an amazing sign of God's faithfulness. Christ's birth fulfills all the promises God had made to Israel in these passages and more in the Old Testament-- Gen 22:18, Gen 21:12, Gen 49:10, Isa 11:1, Jer 23:5, Isa 7:14, Micah 5:2, Jer 31:15, and more! And this amazing promise is that God loves us so much that he sent a Savior would come take our away our sins. What God has promised, he will fulfill. What are some promises that he has for believers? 

And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6

And this is the promise that He made to us-- eternal life. 1 John 2:25

The birth of Christ fulfills God's great promise. How much greater a hope can we have in what God has promised us?