Christmas. It is my favorite time of the year. I love everything about this season…the excitement, the fun, experiencing new and old family traditions, watching Christmas shows/movies, eating all kinds of delicious foods…not ordinarily consumed during the year, and the joy of celebrating my Savior’s birth, death and resurrection.

No, I am not combining Christmas and Easter. I think Christmas is the perfect time to celebrate what Jesus was, is and is to come. We are all, myself included, consumed with the story of Christ’s birth…for good reason. It is an AMAZING testimony of God’s faithfulness. It will always be one of my favorite events to read of in the Bible.

This year as we read about a young virgin girl named Mary who gave birth to God’s son and we sing songs of wise men traveling afar…let us not forget that this sweet little baby’s birth we are celebrating, is a baby who – was born to die, born to conqueror, and born to reign.

The sweet little baby Jesus we see lying in the manger, is the same baby who will grow up to bear ALL the weight and ugliness of sin. Our sin. That means my sin. That means your sin too. No matter how “good” you/we are, you/we have sin. This Christmas, I want to thank God for making the unthinkable sacrifice of giving the world His perfect Son, His precious little baby, born in a stable. The world that would beat, torture, mock, and, ultimately, kill His Son. A sacrifice…for me; for you.

This Christmas, I want to celebrate the baby that was born to conqueror. That sin of mine, that is too shameful to bear, is no longer mine to carry. The sweet little baby would grow up and pay the price for my sin. He came to not only carry that sin with him on the cross, but to fight it in His death. Jesus, conquered sin and shame. What an amazing thing to celebrate this Christmas.

Finally, I want to celebrate the sweet little baby Jesus that grew up to reign. He reigns in my heart and in my soul. One day soon, he will come back for His bride and reign over all. What a wonderfully amazing day that will be.

This Christmas, I urge you to truly celebrate Jesus. There is so much more to celebrate about the birth of Jesus than that one night in a lowly stable.