Dear fellow redeemed: When we turn to the Epistles, the letters that God inspired through His apostles who then sent the letters to the churches, we get another view of Christmas. While the gospels tell the story, the epistles tell us what it means in our lives and in our times.
What we believe has everything to do with how we live. This is true also of Christmas. If we believe the reality that God entered into our flesh through Mary to face sorrow, suffering, temptation and death to save us, then this is a most holy festival, and casts its light into all our lives all the months of the year. If someone rejects the reality, then it is of no more consequence than any arbitrary tradition. Unbelief treats this festival as of no greater importance than the turning of a calendar page at the end of the year.
Because the message of Christmas is true, it tells you the truth about your whole life. Maybe you think your life is miserable. The truth is, your life is so important that God Himself entered into such a life as yours to save you from the misery and pain. Maybe things are great in your life today; perhaps you are experiencing the joys of life that God tells us are his witnesses He has set loose in the world. The joys of this life are but a hint of their corresponding joy in heaven, where we will live in fellowship with the giver of every good and perfect gift.
We are told that those who received the letter to the Hebrews were on the edge of forsaking “The Way,” the path of faith in Christ. To follow Christ had cost some their families, their livelihood, and even turned them into wanderers away from their homes. This letter calls them and us to Christ, whatever the cost. For to lose all and have Christ is better by far than to lose Christ and have even the whole world.