Christmas is only a few weeks away. Do you have any heartwarming traditions you enjoy during this festive season? One thing I enjoy is watching a good Christmas movie, especially one that points to the reason for the season which is Jesus Christ. Movies are a powerful way to communicate and foster change. Marshall McLuhan who theorized on various forms of communication once said, “Anyone who tries to make a distinction between education and entertainment doesn’t know the first thing about either.” Frank Capra was a famous American filmmaker, who created classics like the treasured Christmas movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” He said, “I made mistakes in drama. I thought drama was when actors cried. But drama is when the audience cries.” Both of them understood the storytelling impact of film. The best movies and I would even go far as to say the best experiences in your life are ones that cause you to think, question, grow, mature, risk, sacrifice, assist, intervene, and bring about change for the better. Today I’d like you to reflect with me back to the first Christmas when Jesus Christ was born. Let’s briefly look at the change Jesus had on nearby shepherds and consider the implications that has for our lives today.
Love Came as a Baby
Two thousands years ago, Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem, Israel. Although Jesus entered human history as a humble baby, he was no ordinary child. Jesus is God the Son who miraculously became a man, but born as a baby. Wonderfully and mysteriously he is uniquely God and man at the same time (Colossians 1:15; John 1:14; Acts 1:9-11). He came from heaven to save anyone who trusts in him from their wrongdoing so they can live and not die (John 3:16). The first century historian, Luke, records news of Jesus’ birth in the Bible:
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’
“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them” (Luke 2:8-18).
Let Love Change You
Although this passage doesn’t tell us much about the shepherds, we can glean a few lessons which will benefit you if you take them to heart.
- God meets you where you are, but takes those who respond further. The shepherds were busy with everyday responsibilities when God interrupted their routine with life-changing truth. God is always at work saving. Many times he breaks through in your life in unexpected ways. He is seeking you out for much greater things than what you are presently involved in. He has a message for you. Pause and listen. Open up to him. Confess any wrongdoing and receive his forgivenesss. Learn more about Jesus’ mission and message by reading the Bible. Then respond to him teaching you and training you for much the greater things he has for you now and into eternity.
- Faith is active and grows with thanksgiving. The shepherds wisely and gratefully acted on the truth they received and therefore they were one of the first to meet Jesus, the savior of the world. If they had ignored God’s message they would have missed his best for them. Don’t miss what God has for you because you may feel apathetic, skeptical, ungrateful, or lazy. Push your feelings aside for a moment in order to see your condition and circumstances more objectively. Thank God for his many blessings and let him guide you by faith to many more in Jesus.
- Let truth move you to love. After meeting Jesus, the shepherds told others about him and the glorious testimony of the angels. As God reveals to you the amazing truth that he loves you in Jesus, love him back by trusting and obeying him as he enables. Then let his love overflow in you to others so they can come to trust Jesus as their savior also. Although it is difficult at times and involves sacrifice, by loving God and loving others you will experience God’s joy, peace, meaning, and hope that transcends anything this world can offer.
God Can’t Love You Any Deeper
God loves you beyond imagination. He really does. Not only does he act in love; he is love—the very definition, source, and fullness of it (1 John 4:8). He loves you so much that he to seeks you out and meets you where you are, in whatever choices you have made, and in whatever mess this fallen world of broken people has put you in. But he loves you too much to leave you there. He has done everything in Jesus to make it possible for you to experience real life. He wants to redeem your choices, your experiences, your personality, and your talents, as well as, your brokenness and trauma to bring it all together for good. Only he has the power to do that. He promises to do that for those who love him (Romans 8:28). He is calling you to participate in something greater than yourself, which is to draw closer to him by active faith and to help others do the same.
That’s true love—doing everything in your power to save another (John 15:13; Philippians 2:6-11). That’s Christmas. God loves you and sent Jesus to save you from yourself so you can truly live with himself. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6). He wants you be with him, to be like him, and to do what he does so he sacrificed himself to make that possible. That is love. That is life (Romans 5:8). Jesus taught, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done” (Matthew 16:24-27). Don’t lose out on true love because you are focused on loving yourself. Don’t miss Jesus.
Conclusion
Your best experiences are wrapped in love. Your purpose in life is to discover love by glorifying God rather than yourself. It is in making the most of him that you become the most you can be. That’s how love works. You were born out of God’s love for you. You are able to love and meant to love because he first loved you (1 John 4:19). You will only find your fulfillment in embracing his love by faith and then passing it on to others. Frank Capra understood this and tried to capture this truth in his movies. “My films must let every man, woman, and child know that God loves them, that I love them, and that peace and salvation will become a reality only when they all learn to love each other.” This Christmas ask God to show you his love made manifest by Jesus in a fresh, new way. Then like the angels and the shepherds bring God glory by rejoicing in Jesus and his love, by growing in him and his love, and by sharing him and his love with others.