-The Reason For The Season - with Michael Schroeder
If I were to ask you what the meaning of Christmas is, how would you answer ?
More every year, Christmas in the world we live in today becomes a holiday of family gatherings, Christmas trees, shopping, and especially the gifts we will receive, instead of a celebration of the real meaning of Christmas.
While Christmas has become many things to many people, when you strip all of the cultural traditions and commercialism away, the reason for the season is only ever about one thing - and it starts with why we need a Savior.
You see if you asked most people about Jesus, many would say He's a good man.
Some would say a prophet, but that they really don’t need Him.
And the reason many people think they don’t need a Savior is revealed when you ask them
this question, If you died tonight, where would you go?
Most would stumble for words, but ultimately say they would go to heaven. And the reason they would answer this way is because after all they believe, they are a pretty good person - not perfect, but pretty good, with the best of intentions whenever they fall short - showing they don’t understand that God is perfect. God is Holy, and it is our imperfection, our sin that separated us from Him.
We can no longer be in the presence of God who is perfect and holy if we are not.
Not one of us can follow God’s laws perfectly, without sin or ever be good enough to earn our way to heaven. As God says in Romans 8:3-4:
Romans 8:3-4
3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.(NLT)
A shorter way of saying it is in
Romans 3:23: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
But God, knowing we could not save ourselves, made a way to save us,
to reconcile us so we can be with him, as He says John 3:16-17:
John 3:16-17
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.(NIV)
……………….
I’d like to share a Christmas song I wrote with you called “The Reason For The Season”.
I know you’re probably thinking It’s not Christmas today, so why the seasonal song ?
But when you understand the true meaning of Christmas, you’ll realize that it’s Christmas every day. For every year that goes by we focus more on the traditions and gifts we will get, rather than the real meaning of Christmas, and the greatest gift we’ve already been given:
the fact that God loved You so much,
that He sent His Son to live the perfect life in our place, because we couldn’t be perfect.
He sent His Son to die in our place as payment for our sins, because we couldn’t pay them.
Jesus came to save us, the righteous for the unrighteous conquering sin and death for us, so that all who would believe in God’s one and only Son would be saved by grace through faith. Our sins are forgiven and our relationship with God restored, through the greatest gift of love we will ever know -
a Savior in Jesus.
Even when we remember the true meaning of Christmas, this is a gift we should celebrate not just once a year, but every day in our hearts, remembering the good news the Angel gave to us and the world,
10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. -
(Luke 2:10-11 (NKJV))
May God bless you today and every day with the Joy of knowing
your Savior has come!
The Reason For The Season - Music/Video & Free Piano/Chord Charts
Artist info at www.michaelschroeder.com