Every winter my heart teeters between two deeply held and guttural convictions: 1. I HATE the cold and 2. I LOVE Christmas! So every year when the weather begins to cool off and the days get shorter, my mood has an edge of sad and grumpy, until I remember the cold means Christmas, and Christmas makes the cold and dark a little more tolerable.
Something similar can happen emotionally during Christmastime, as well. In all the frenzy of friends and family, parties and decorations, and the warmth of the season, a chill can settle in our hearts. For many people, Christmastime is one of the most lonely and depressing seasons of the year. It can be easy to feel lost in the hustle and bustle, and time away from normal routine creates space for the aches in our hearts to rise to the surface of our minds. Questions like, Am I loved? Do I matter? can leave hearts searching for an answer, yearning for relief from the growing winter inside us.
The good news is that the centerpiece of the Christmas story can warm the cold in our hearts. The Gospel of Jesus Christ that we celebrate at Christmas gives an answer to the aching questions that all of us ask at some point.
To help explain how Christmas answers the pressing questions of human hearts, let’s look at Hebrews chapter 2. At the beginning of the chapter, the author quotes the psalms as it asks—“What is man that you are remember him, or the son of man that you care for him?” (Heb 2:6) The psalmist is us voicing the same questions we ask today. Does humanity matter to God? Does God care about us? Do I matter?
To find the answer, the author looks to Jesus—the Son of God who became human. Jesus is the One who was made “lower than the angels” (Heb 2:7,9). In other words, He’s the One who came to where are—here on earth, below the heavens. Not only that, but Jesus took on “flesh and blood” (Heb 2:14). He didn’t just change location, he shared in all it means to be human.
But why? Jesus is the Son of God “the exact expression of his nature” and who is “sustaining all things” (Heb 1:3). Why would he leave the heavens? Why would he take on “flesh and blood” (Heb 2:14)? As Christians, we rehearse this reality over and over, especially at Christmas. We sing songs like “O Come, All Ye Faithful” that declares, “Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.” If we’re not careful, the audacity of this statement can become commonplace to our ears. When we stop and think about it, it’s pretty outrageous that the Son of God became human. Especially when the central focus of human experience is His suffering (Heb 2:10).
What was the compelling reason for the Son of God to leave the heavens, become human and suffer? What was important enough for such a cost? We were. You were.
As Hebrews 2 continues, “since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these” (v. 14). Jesus took on flesh and blood because you and I are made of flesh and blood. In order to save us, He had to become everything that we are. Jesus became everything it means to be human. He took on everything of the humanity you and I are.
And He did it so that “through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death …and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by fear of death” (Heb 2:14-15). He became human to suffer so that through His suffering He might free us from the tyranny of death. He shared in our suffering and death so that we might share in His freedom and life.
This is the story of Christmas. The story of the Son of God who became human. Who was born of the virgin Mary and laid in the manger, who grew up to suffer and die and rise again. So that through His suffering we might share in His resurrected and indestructible life.
This is story of how valuable we are. How do we know that we matter? How do we know that God cares for us? How do we know that we’re loved? Because the Son of God became human for us.
This Christmas if you find your heart wondering, Do I really matter? If you can feel the bitter chill settling into your heart, come be warmed by the light of the gospel. Remember the Christmas story gives God’s resounding “You matter to me!” You matter so much that the Son of God became human because you are human. You matter so much that the Son of God became everything that you are so that you might have all the freedom and life that He is.
ABOUT CHRISTY THORNTON
Christy Thornton desires to help the church mature as Christians grow in clarity of the Gospel and the ability to effectively communicate it to one another and the world. She has served with the International Mission Board in North Africa, and is currently a covenant member at the Summit Church. She has contributed to The Gospel Coalition, Christianity Today, and numerous other publications.
