By Michael J. Coppersmith
This is why I say to you that Jesus Christ was born not out in a barn but in the heart of a home. That's a Real World Christmas! God sent His son not into a Christmas card to be a source of sentimentality but into a real world to be a source of light and hope for people.
What does this mean for us today? There are three things that a Real World Christmas tells us. First of all a Real World Christmas means that Jesus Christ is a personal God. When God chose to take on the body of a little baby and be born upon this earth, God chose not to be born outside in a barn but right in the middle of a home -- a family. Jesus Christ chose to be born not outside away from people but inside with people like you and me.
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The point is that Jesus Christ wants to be right in the middle of your life as a personal God. He wants you to have a close and intimate relationship with Him. He wants your heart to be His home.
Jesus Christ was so committed to making your heart His home that He came to this world to die on a cross. He carried all of our sins on the cross so that we could be forgiven, our guilt could be lifted, our condemnation could be taken away and our hearts could be cleansed so that He could live inside of us!
Jesus Christ is a personal God, so take Him. Take Him as your Savior. Invite Him into your heart and life. Let your heart be His home. In the words of the Christmas hymn: "Joy to the world! the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King. Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room, and heav'n and nature sing..."
As Jesus Himself said: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with Me" (
Rev. 3:20).
How do you take Jesus Christ? You take Him when you acknowledge that your moral failures have separated you from God and that you need a Savior. Then you put your trust in Jesus Christ and the price He paid for your sins on the cross. When you accept Him into your heart and life this way, you come to know Him as a personal God.
This is the meaning of a Real World Christmas. Have you taken Jesus this way? He does not want you just to come to a Christmas service and leave it there. He does not want you just to sing a few Christmas carols and smile a sentimental smile. He wants you to give Him your heart. He invites you to say: "Jesus Christ come into my heart. Cleanse me of my sin. I make room for you." A Real World Christmas says Jesus Christ is a personal God. So take Him!
A Real World Christmas tells us something else. It tells us that Jesus Christ is not only a personal God, Jesus Christ is a providing God. God did not leave Joseph and Mary outside. He provided a home for them. God is a providing God. This is the essence of Christmas! As the scriptures say: "And my God will meet all of your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (
Phil. 4:19).