I tire easily of religious fads and popular religious catch words and phrases. I confess that I have even grown tired of hearing people say, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” The phrase was inspiring when I first heard it years ago, but now it is said without thought or reflection on what it really means.
I’m not saying that the statement is false; I just cringe when it is said by rote, on cue, and without thought. I feel the same way about the religious catch phrase, “God is good all the time.” Of course God is good all the time, but simply saying it does not qualify you as a disciple. You can’t just tip your hat to Jesus, you must bow.
When we go a bit deeper into the meaning of this sacred season, we must not bypass the fact that God loved us so much that God designed a plan of salvation for us. Jesus, God incarnate, is the manifestation of God’s determined love for us.
Yes, I am grateful for Jesus’ obedience and sacrifice; without which, we would have been totally and eternally disconnected from God. The enemy tried to do to Jesus exactly what was done to Adam in the garden, but fortunately Jesus overcame the temptations of this world. For this, I will live my life in a state of eternal gratitude.
The reason for this season however, does not begin in a stable. It begins with the creation of humanity. It continues through the voices of the Old Testaments prophets, who were compelled to remind humanity of God’s desire to be in a right relationship.
The reason for this season is salvation. Through Christ, we have been saved from being eternally disconnected from God. We have been saved from hopelessness. We have been saved from the finality of death. We have been saved to live abundantly; we have been saved to experience the freedom of God’s love and divine protection. We have been saved to love our neighbors and our enemies. We have been saved to worship and glorify God through lives of surrender and service.
Salvation is the real reason for this season, but of course this phrase does not rhyme.
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