The Why of Christmas. . .

Much of the beauty of Christmas is found in its sameness. The same traditions. The same food. The same hymns. The same biblical account of the Baby Jesus in Bethlehem with shepherds and angels. Yet each Christmas is a little different. Sometimes that difference is dramatic. Sometimes it is subtle – delicate and quite and kept in our hearts to reflect on in times of peaceful silence.

This Christmas, I invite you to look at Christmas from a new vantage point. We’re all another year older and, hopefully, wiser and more mature in God’s Word. This year I want you to look past the story set in Bethlehem. Past the idea of the baby in a manger to the reason that God came to earth as that infant boy. Sure it was to ultimately suffer a grotesque yet passionate death on a rugged cross, but beyond that… Why did He have to die? Where did it all begin? I invite you to start at the beginning. Yes. The beginning. The Book of Genesis.

Genesis 3 is our point of origin. It is arguably the most important chapter in the entire Bible because it explains why the rest of the Bible was written. The entire Bible tells the story of redemption -- of salvation -- of deliverance from sin. Genesis 3 explains why the world needs this redemption.

It is impossible – and ridiculous to even try -- to understand the world. We’ve got people trying and supposedly coming up with solutions; but it is in fact impossible for humans to understand the cosmos, the ordered world of creation. It is impossible to understand the disintegration of matter. It is impossible to understand the collapsing world and universe and it is impossible to understand man’s behavior if you do not understand that everything that exists in the world today is a product of sin and that that sin is a result of what happened in the Garden of Eden.

The impact of the Adam and Eve’s sin – man’s fall -- has touched every part of the universe. It is accurate to say that absolutely everything wrong in our world is because of sin. When God made things he said, “…it was good.” (Genesis 1:31) But because of sin everything is very bad: from world wars, terrorism, mass murders, serial killings, plane crashes, auto accidents, fires, crippling and maiming of people because of accidents, nuclear reactor disasters, radiation poisoning pollution, cancer, heart disease, all illnesses, broken relationships, divorce, orphaned children, drugs, crime, dereliction in all forms, confusion, conflict, struggle, disappointments, anxiety, fear, guilt, depression, sorrow, failure, remorse, lust, selfishness, pride, hatred, covetousness, rebellion, murder, stealing, sexual immorality., irresponsibility, disobedience to parents and authority and gossip.

Now…why did Jesus come as a precious infant boy? Sure, it was to die on a cross. But why did He have to die?

- Pastor Mark