In this week’s Message About Purpose and Strategy, I’ll answer a question that may be on your mind: Why Christmas? Whenever we ask “why,” the answer can either explain the motive for an event or what results from it. The Bible clearly addresses both what led to Christmas and what it leads to. The answer reminds us of what matters most. I could turn to a variety of familiar passages in the Bible for a succinct explanation of what this holiday means. But I think I’ll direct your attention to a verse you may not commonly think of as a Christmas text. It is 1 John 4:9, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”

Why Christmas? God showed his love for us by sending his Son so we could live life as it was meant to be lived. This verse clearly addresses both what led to Christmas and what it leads to. Here’s the answer: Love led to Christmas. And Christmas leads to life! The same thing is taught in John 3:16. Christmas means that God loved us so much that he send his Son to give us life. Christmas is a message which transcends time and is stronger than the toughest of circumstances. It is good news of a great joy.