“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 6:23

It really is time for followers of Christ to take back Christmas. For us, Christmas is the greatest story ever told – it is the rest of the story.

In my previous blog, we dealt with the hard reality of Hell as the ultimate consequence of our sin. Now we come to the good part of the story –the Gospel (Good News).

Our powerlessness to solve the dilemma of our need for salvation has not left us without hope. On the contrary, the good news is that God has taken upon Himself the remedy for our desperate plight. By the power of His own love and grace alone through His only Son, Jesus Christ, a way has been established for our redemption.

It is good news because it takes the burden off our shoulders to solve an infinite problem with finite means. It is good news because we are accepted, not based on whether our good deeds outweigh our bad deeds, but by grace through faith alone. It is good news because it is a gift freely given that we cannot earn, nor expected to earn.

Surely, if there were ever people on the face of this planet with something for which to be thankful, and who ought to be motivated to spread good cheer, it would us who have received this gift of life – followers of Christ unchained from the curse of sin and death, and set free to live fully, purposefully, and compassionately in a world desperate for good news.

Your grandchildren desperately need this good news gift delivered by one whose life is shaped by the Gospel. Will your life make them want this gift for themselves?

FANNING THE FLAME

If you are fortunate enough to spend Christmas this year with your children and grandchildren, be intentional about celebrating the real story of Christmas. Here are a few suggestions when you gather to help you make it truly a season of joy wrapped in the Good News that Christ has come:

• Sing carols that declare the Good News of Christ’s incarnation
• Read the Christmas story from Luke 2 and talk about why this was such a significant event
• Ask your grandchildren (you do this too) to come to your Christmas family gathering each with a gift for Jesus (read Matthew 2:10-11). It could be something they write out (a poem, a letter, or a good work), a symbol to represent their gratitude and adoration to Jesus for His gift, or a gift in the name of Jesus for someone who is really in need)