Christmas is a time when people celebrate the birth of Christ. Simple, right? But when you consider a few things, it’s not so simple.

First of all, take the power of God. You know, the power that created light, then set the earth just the right distance from the sun to sustain life. Then it created life. Can you imagine the power it would take to create everything from amoebas to blue whales? That’s the power of God. And just in case we get too distracted to remember, he reminds us every day…just look at a sunrise or a spider web or a flower.  Those things didn’t just happen, it took power to create them and it takes power to sustain them. Awesome, immense, unimaginable power.

Then, that same being of awesome power created a human child. That child grew up here on earth. He lived, he laughed, he cried, he hurt and he loved. He was the same as any human child, except for a few things.  He was born of a virgin. He healed people by simply touching them. He brought people back from the dead. He walked on water. He had power over the weather.  Finally, he died, but the power that created him brought him back to life.

He is now still alive and still has all the power that he ever had. It’s the same power that created the universe and everything in it.

So when we celebrate the birth of the Son of God, it’s not just a nice story about a baby whose mother used a feed trough for a crib. It’s not just a story about shepherds who saw and heard actual angels. It’s not just a story about wise men who traveled for years to see him and brought him expensive gifts. This is all part of it, but Christmas is also about the power of God. 

And even though he is God and he has the power, remember what the angels said when he was born? “Peace on earth, good will toward men.” Jesus was born because of God’s love for us. The same being whose power is more than we can imagine…loves us.

That’s what we celebrate. Merry Christmas.