Today is Christmas and many throughout the world are choosing to stay home. They could have chosen to assemble with the saints and worship Jesus but the allure of gifts was too much for them. Instead of going to church and worshiping Jesus Christ they allow their reverence for Jesus to cause them to stay home.

Isn’t that an odd statement? I love you so I will stay away from you! How in the world does that work? Where else would faithful Christians want to be on Christmas day? Where else would faithful Christians want to be on the Lord’s Day? I honestly don’t understand how we say things like “Let’s keep Christ in Christmas” and “Jesus is the reason for the season” and then refuse to go to church.

What if Jesus had told us about his great love for us but refused to do anything for us? What if Jesus didn’t come and die on a cruel cross for our sins? Would you really believe that he loves you?

Honestly, I don’t get it. How does staying home and indulging a desire to give or receive gifts honor Jesus? How does choosing gifts over Him prove your love and devotion to Him?

We live in a country that has set December 25 aside as the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is supposed to be a day for remembering His birth. Yet, I think we have allowed our Christmas traditions to override our common sense when it comes to Christmas.

Where else would a Christian rather be than with Jesus, worshipping and praising him? Jesus loved you enough to leave his home. He loved you enough to give up a part of himself (a part of what it meant to be God) to become that little baby Jesus that was born and laid in a manger. Jesus lived for you, went to a cruel cross, and died for you. He was buried in a borrowed tomb and on the third day he arose. That is real love and that is the gospel of Jesus.

Let’s make sure that we truly honor and worship Jesus for who he is and what he has done for us. Being born is great and I am grateful for it. Without the birth, we would not have a life and without a life he could not pay the ultimate price for your sins.  A baby Jesus in a manger is a glorious event (even the host of heaven praised God, Luke 2:13-14) but a baby in a manger cannot save you.

For Jesus to be our Savior he had to grow up. He had to live a life that honored God and face a death that was in keeping with God’s plan for our redemption. That is something to celebrate! That is something to be remembered. We honor him and remember his sacrifice for our sins every Lord’s day as we take communion.

Jesus was born but he also died, was buried, and arose on the third day proving to us all that he is God in the flesh, our redeemer.