The meaning of Christmas

Here is a letter I sent to the North County Times in December. There was as you know a "war on Christmas", and Christians were working to put the "Christ" back in "Christmas" and tried to get people to say the words, "Merry Christmas" instead of "happy holidays" at stores.

But the words themselves are meaningless without the message behind the words, the Gospel, the good news message of Jesus Christ. So, here's my letter:

The true meaning of Christmas is often forgotten in the Christmas rush. Christmas is the celebration of the day Jesus was born. We do not know the exact season or date Jesus came into this world, but we do know that in Bethlehem, the King of kings was born in a miserable stable and laid in an animal feeding trough. He could have come in all the wealth and influence of Rome, yet He came into the family of a poor carpenter in Judea.

Jesus, the Son of God, came with a message of love and good news for the world. The human race is fallen in sin, and we justly deserve the penalty of hell, but “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:16-17)Jesus said, “He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life.” (John 5:24) Whoever believes Christ’s death and resurrection and trusts in Him alone for forgiveness has assurance of heaven with God; this is the marvelous meaning of Christmas.