The Reason for the Season - A Deeper Look into the Meaning of Christmas

What is the real meaning of Christmas? What is the real meaning of Advent, the weeks preceding Christmas? During this time each year, Christians are know to say, "Remember the reason for the season!" but sometimes, even we forget what is the real meaning for the season (both Advent and Christmas.)

Tom Wright, an Anglican New Testament scholar is working on an Advent Oratorio and has written an article explaining the real meaning of these seasons. One of the things I appreciate most about Tom Wright's scholarship is his constant reminders of the big picture of the biblical narrative which basically goes like this:

• God created this world and called it good.
• Humans sinned and and now sin and death are part of God's good creation.
• God establishes a covenant through Abraham & Israel to rescue creation from sin and death.
• Jesus fulfills this covenant through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension, launching new creation and empowers the church to offer God's healing love.
• Jesus will come again and God's good creation will no longer be subject to sin and death.

When we remember this overarching theme and big picture of the Bible, it helps us to see the manger scene in it's proper context. While there is so much to ponder about the Christmas story itself (notice how our culture loves to celebrate Christmas) we should also remember to see Christmas within the larger story that the scriptures are pointing us; God's desire for there to be new heavens and a new earth when sin and death will be no more.

If you'd like to read a couple of biblical passages that point us to the future hope of new heavens and a new earth, I recommend Isaiah 11 & Romans 8. The Lord's Prayer also speaks of how God's kingdom will one day come on earth as it is in heaven. And of course, the Book of Revelation offers us a beautiful vision of that time in the future when heaven and earth will be united forever.

As we approach the Christmas celebration, I invite us to ponder the nativity in light of this bigger picture of God's desire to rescue the world from sin and death. In fact, this is a good exercise when reading any biblical text. Always keep the bigger picture in mind.