Born to die

“But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed!” Isaiah 53:5
Not really the most traditional Christmas verse in the Bible, I’ll admit. But Christmas is about more than just the nativity story. Because Jesus was born with one single purpose. He was born to die. He was born to take the punishment that we deserved.
This is the gift most worth celebrating at Christmas. Next to this, it suddenly doesn’t matter if we get that new iPod or DVD boxset. The Son of God was born so that we no more may die, born so that we may have second birth. He was born to die in our place, and that should be central to all our Christmas celebrations.
Often at Christmas we get distracted from the true meaning of it all. Often we get so caught up in TV specials and hoping for snow (and I don’t know about you, but I’ve enjoyed waking up these past few days and seeing a fresh sprinkling of snow winterifying my garden. {Yes, I did just make up a word there, deal with it!}) that we miss the fact that Jesus came to offer us salvation. And not just us, but the whole world, whoever believes in Him. And we spend our Christmas eating turkey, pulling crackers and listening to cheesy pop songs about reindeer killing grandma, while all around us our friends and family are oblivious to the fact that Jesus was born to die for them.
So this Christmas, my suggestion would be that you make an effort to tell at least one person that the reason for it all is because Jesus was born to die for them. Yeah presents and tinsel and all that are cool. Yes everyone likes a good party and a bit of mulled wine. Sure catching up with family is important. But there is something greater than all that, the birth of Jesus to die on a cross at Calvary, there taking the blame for all the wrong things we have done. The ultimate gift of love that came on that first Christmas night.
And over the 2000 years or so since then we have added so much extra ‘baggage’ to Christmas, and romanticized the nativity story so much that we can easily forget that the baby at the centre of it all was born with the specific purpose of dying in agony on a cross in just over 30 years time. And that through that death salvation was made available to the world. So join with the angels proclaiming good news this Christmas, and let your friends and family know that Jesus was born to die for them.