So here it is. The Christmas season. After waiting an entire year, the moment has finally come for parties and presents. After all, that’s what the season is about, right?

Nativity

Photo by midiman.

Just saying “the Christmas season” brings up many images to my mind, some good and some bad. Let’s see – there is shopping, Jingle Bells, snow, Christmas trees, family get-togethers, presents, and Santa Claus, just to name a few. Does that sounds like a fairly comprehensive list to you? No? Oh, right! I forgot that little kid in the barn – what’s his name – Jesus, wasn’t it? There’s a manger scene downtown that has him at the center of it, but I always thought it was kind of weird. I mean what can be so special about a little baby? It’s not like he is a big, powerful man, or an amazing leader or anything. He was just…a baby.

Do those comments make you sad? I know they make me sad, and it’s not only because of the fact that the person speaking has no idea why Jesus came to earth. They make me sad because all that person knows of Jesus Christ is Him lying in a manger, a helpless baby being watched over and protected by his mother and father. For all he knows, the Christian faith is centered around a weak, helpless child. Why would he ever consider joining such a religion?

The problem with Christmas today is that the only image people (even Christians) see of Jesus during the season is Him lying in a manger as a baby. There is no trace of the strong, powerful man that we as Christians follow every day, and no trace of the God of the universe, the creator of all things, whom we worship and adore. Somehow over the span of two thousand years we have gone from looking up to the terrible God whom we fear to smiling down on the little, cuddly baby in the hay.

Now I’m not saying that Christians don’t fear God because they have a manger scene in their house. All I’m trying to do is make the point that we are too focused on Christ’s birth, rather than his reign. Yes, he did enter this world as a tiny baby, but didn’t George Washington? Wasn’t Abraham Lincoln a baby once? So why, when we celebrate the birthdays of these great men, don’t we see them as little babies being cradled in their mother’s arms? Why don’t we see little Abe crawling around in a diaper? Because that’s ridiculous! When we think of the births of these great men, images of their heroic acts pop into our minds. Yet somehow, when we think of Christmas and Christ’s birth, images of stables, mangers, and little children come to us. Interesting, isn’t it?

This Christmas, instead of focusing so much on the birth of Christ, let’s strive to remember not only the manner in which he came to earth, but also the amazing acts he did while he was on earth and the great work he is doing inside of each and every one of his followers to this day. Let’s try to spread this knowledge to the unsaved around us, so that Christ the King will take the place of Christ the helpless baby, in their minds and hearts.