Jesus is the Reason for the Season More Than Ever!

Let us not forget why we celebrate Christmas. Yes, Jesus is the reason for the season and I am quite sure there are other cliches as well. But why Jesus? 

This Christmas will be an extremely painful holiday for too many families in Newtown, Connecticut as a man wielding three guns walked into an elementary school and murdered almost 30 children and adults. This was after he killed his own mother in her home. The carnage ended with the killer taking his own life. 

I only watched about an hour of news on television that day but what I heard will not answer the why of such an evil act. TV commentators were saying mental health and access to mental health providers should be increased. No, this does not answer the why of such an atrocity. The reason for the evil is sin. Man is sinful by nature. Scripture is quite clear about that. 

 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Gen. 6:5

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me. Ps. 51:5

“None is righteous, no, not one;
¹¹     no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.” Rom. 3:11, 12

This is why Jesus is the reason for the season! Without Him, there is no cure for sinful man!

Jesus came to unite our flesh with our most holy God. He is a redeemer meaning He is buying us back from the slavery of sin. Rom. 6:20-23. He came into our world, a world where murder abounds, to save us from such evil. But first we must all recognize that it is we who are all guilty. No one is sinless. Hell, God's divine punishment for sinners, is just as good for you and me. But God desires to give us life and life abundantly. Death abounds because we deserve it. Life abounds because of God's mercy! 

This Christmas season let us live out the cliches but this time truly understand that what happened in Newtown, CT is the reason we need Christ to redeem us from sin! By acknowledging our own sins and our helplessness in helping ourselves, we open the door for Jesus to come in and change our hearts thereby being freed from our sinful nature and free to serve God in holiness and righteousness.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
⁷⁷ to give knowledge of salvation to his people
    in the forgiveness of their sins,
⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God,
    whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
⁷⁹ to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:76-79