A Pastor’s Thoughts: Jesus, the Reason for the Season 

By Pastor Wayne Sibrava, Living Water Baptist Church —

December is a time for lights, evergreen trees, decorations, presents, and so much more. The roads are full. The shopping centers are abuzz. Friends and family travel to spend time with loved ones. There is a positivity seen like no other time of the year.

For most people, there is a renewed interest in going to church in order to pursue the spiritual side of one’s being. Then there is Christmas Eve with candlelight services, and finally, Christmas Day arrives with friends and family unwrapping presents and sharing a big meal. Then Christmas is over.  

In the course of the season, it is possible to lose sight of the reason for the season. What, exactly, is the reason for the season?   

The simplest verse of Scripture that teaches us the reason for the season is found in John 3:16. The Bible says: John 3:16 (NLT) 16 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

In all probability, everyone who reads this article will recognize this verse. Yet, in the midst of the glamour and glitz of the season, it’s possible to forget what it’s all about.  

God loves this world. That is, He loves the people of the world. True love expresses itself in giving. God loved us by giving us His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus came to earth and lived 33 perfect years, after which He was crucified, buried, and, after three days, He rose again. The proof is that He was seen by at least 500 people after His resurrection. Jesus is not a created being. He is God the Son who took on flesh for the purpose of offering Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. The application is that if anyone confesses their sin and places their faith in Jesus, they will go to heaven when they die.

The Christmas season involves the giving of gifts to the people whom we love. But the overarching theme is that Jesus came into the world in a Bethlehem manger as an expression of the love of God the Father. May God help us all to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.