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A sure sign of the approaching Christmas season is the appearance of festive wreaths that trim our neighborhood doors. These warmly decorated reminders prepare us once more to commemorate the wondrous birth of Christ our Savior.

Christmas, after all, should be a time of warmth and celebration. A blazing fireplace, the smell of pine, a brightly lighted tree with gifts spilling out in every direction, the sense of families drawing closer, the shining smiles of eager youngsters—these and a myriad of other personal touches and traditions make this a most special time of the year.

Christmas: A Bittersweet Experience
But ironically, this joyous season becomes a time of stress and dread for many. Endless traffic and irritating crowds. Financial tensions. Anxiety in the choice and cost of gifts for others. Fractured families who shuttle children back and forth and spend more time awkwardly carving up a schedule than they do the turkey. Rolaids and ruined toys. Traffic deaths and body counts. Loneliness, alienation, depression, fatigue.

Such is the bittersweet nature of Christmas. And yet these very feelings of lostness and despair are what Christmas is really all about. Because Jesus Christ has come to identify with fallen humanity, the celebration of Christmas flows out of divine consolation. He shared our pain—He gives us hope.

Christ was “a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering” (Isaiah 53:3). As a young man He experienced the death of Joseph, His human stepfather. As the eldest son He knew backbreaking labor and the weight of responsibility to provide for His household. His ministry and mission were misunderstood by His loved ones. He faced the humiliating accusation of illegitimacy all His life. And He accepted His betrayal by a friend. He patiently bore the hostility and taunts of His enemies and the injustice of being wrongly accused. He humbly submitted to arrest, torture, and the cruelest of deaths. He died of a broken heart.

Christmas: A Celebration of Life
“Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4). “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus understands. He lived as we live. He died and rose again that we might really live. “I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

Why can we celebrate each year with the Christmas wreath? Because Christ wore one—a crown of thorns. His suffering has brought freedom and hope to us all. “Christ died for sins
once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Have you embraced the hope that Christ offers?
Jimmy Williams

If you have never given your life to Christ, Christmas is a wonderful time to do that. Just ask God’s forgiveness for your sins and believe Jesus died and rose again to forgive them. A prayer is a great way to seal your commitment.

Dear Lord, I admit I am a sinner and am lost without You. I know I can never do enough good things to earn Your favor. I now accept Jesus Christ’s death on the cross as all I need to cover my sins, and I believe He rose again to give me the priceless gift of eternal life. Amen.