For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
–Colossians 1:19-20
2000+ years have come and gone, and yet another celebration of the most wonderful event in human history is being observed. And I find myself with a sense of sadness along with all of the joy. I’m saddened because of the fact that Christmas is celebrated by far more people than have any reason to celebrate.
And my heart aches to think that in the midst of competing messages about the “reason for the season,” the true meaning of Christ’s redemption of the lost is the most ignored and least understood message out there. One of the songs of Christmas rings in my mind as I ponder it. A song in which a little four-word phrase summarizes the true meaning of Christmas. The phrase is “God and sinners reconciled.”
Christmas means that although we do not in any way deserve God’s favor, He became one of us to take the punishment we deserve and bring us reconciliation with a Holy God. It was a plan well-pleasing to the Father, because the sacrifice made by Christ on our behalf would be completely sufficient to save us forever.
The Creator of the universe, Who lay on a bed of cattle feed that first Christmas, grew up and lived a perfect, sinless life. “But He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The punishment that (earned our peace with God) was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) Healed of the great physically and spiritually terminal disease of our sin. If you have placed your trust in nothing but Jesus’ sacrificial death in your stead to make things right between you and God, then you have received this great Christmas gift of reconciliation. If you haven’t, then God awaits your decision, so that He can save you from your sins and from the penalties your sins have earned you.
That’s why my heart turns directly to you today. I want to ask you, dear reader, what about you? Have you been reconciled to God through the blood shed by Christ on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins? Or do you remain unreconciled? I’m not asking if you are religious. I’m not asking if you’re good. I’m not asking if you’re sorry for the bad things you’ve done. I’m not asking if Christmas and thoughts of Jesus make you feel warm inside.
I’m asking you if you have received God’s forgiveness of your sins by taking the gift of Jesus’ death as your own road to heaven. It’s the greatest gift. Please don’t mark it “Return to Sender.”
It’s important that you receive salvation, if you have not already. Because if you do not do so, there is no Christmas peace in your future. There is no hope in your future. There is no love in your future. There is no comfort or joy in your future. The only thing that awaits you if you haven’t understood the true meaning of Christmas and received this greatest of gifts is the pain of being eternally separated from God. The pain of being punished forever by His holy wrath is your inescapable destiny. Ten trillion centuries will pass by and the suffering of those who have rejected Christ’s offer of free salvation will not be over, but just begun.
However, heaven will be a wonderful place! I want more than anything in the world for you to be there with me one day. (And God wants that even more. Heaven will be a place where you’ll never hurt again. You’ll never be lonely, bored, angry, frustrated, scared, sick or unfulfilled again. The perfect and perfectly satisfying intimate fellowship with a wonderful God for whom you were created will be yours forever. And you shall never be in want of anything else for all eternity.
Are you sure you’re saved? Are you sure your eternal destination is heaven with God? Be sure. Be very sure. And be sure now You can come to Jesus today, right where you sit in front of your computer, because God will hear you call upon Him, and “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  (Romans 10:13)
Simply turn to Jesus now, and in your heart confess to Him that you have sinned against Him. Tell Him in your own words that you acknowledge you have done things that violated His law and made you unacceptable to God.
Then express to Him that you believe He loves you and that He came and died on the cross, willingly taking the punishment you deserve for sinning against God, and that He rose again from the dead.
Then tell Him that you are receiving the forgiveness of your sins that He promised you, and ask Him to be your Savior, giving you the gift of an everlasting relationship with God.
It’s that simple. No one who comes to Him will be turned away. Don’t delay. Accept God’s loving gift of salvation today. Then pass this message on to others you know need to hear it. (You can even put it in an email that you send to others, so that they, too, can receive the greatest gift this Christmas.)

“These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.”
–Matthew 15:8-9
In the last several weeks, you may have gone to get a flu shot, to vaccinate yourself against getting the flu this season. It’s interesting how they make a flu vaccine, and how it works. You see, the flu vaccine is essentially an altered strand of the previous year’s flu virus.
When this harmless strand is injected into your body, it triggers your immune system, in effect training it to know what to look for, so that when you are exposed to the flu virus this year, your body will recognize and reject it before it infects you. In simplest terms, the flu shot gives you a little bit of something that looks to your body like the flu, in order to keep you from getting the real thing.
But did you know that in this season of the year, there’s another thing people are unwittingly “vaccinated” against? Unfortunately, they’re being vaccinated against an “infection” they need to have in order to live.
Here’s how it happens: They go to church and celebrate Christmas. They take communion and sing carols about the birth of Christ. They watch Christmas plays and listen to messages about the Christ child. They give and receive presents and cards. They pray with great sincerity about “peace on Earth.” They shake hands with people, smiling and wishing them a “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.” They don’t realize they’re injecting themselves with that little bit of something that looks like a relationship with God that keeps them from getting the real thing.
Jesus warned against that kind of worship that people are so prone to at Christmas and Easter. He warned us that God isn’t impressed by lips that sing His praises if they come from a heart He hasn’t been allowed to utterly change.
My friends, you don’t want to get a “God vaccine” this Christmas. Don’t let mere religion immunize you against a relationship with Jesus Christ. Get the real thing, if you haven’t already. Get a relationship with God, that guarantees you eternal life with Him in heaven.
It’s not about going through the motions of religion, at Christmastime or anytime. Following traditions and teachings of mere men is worshiping God in vain, Jesus said. In vain. Worthless. Of no value. Such worship will gain you absolutely nothing for eternity.
The Good News of Christmas, though, is that it doesn’t have to be that way; because “the real thing” is God’s Christmas gift to you. And this gift is not like the “free gifts” the world offers, where you get something for “free, when you buy . . . .” I’m talking about a real gift that is truly free: The gift of salvation from your sins and everlasting joy in heaven. It costs you nothing, because Jesus has already paid for it so that He could give it to you. The blood He shed on the cross is your gift certificate, purchasing your eternal peace with a holy God.
The first “Christmas tree” ever was cut down, and its boards were made into a cross. On it, Jesus, the perfect Son of God, hung and bled and died for only one reason. It wasn’t to set an example for you. It wasn’t to inspire you. It wasn’t to found a religion for you to follow. It was to completely pay the debt you owe God for breaking His perfect laws.
Jesus absorbed all of the punishment you deserve for your sins, and rose again from the dead to give you eternal life. All you must do is believe that, and you will be saved.
Redeem your “gift certificate” from Christ today, right where you are. Tell Jesus you know you have sinned against Him. Tell Him you believe that He died in your place, being punished for your sins. Ask Him for forgiveness of your sins. Tell Him you’re trusting Him to give you now the gift of eternal life in heaven.
If you do that, then you can truly celebrate Christmas, with a new heart, given to you by Christ Himself. You will no longer be vaccinated from the truth that sets you free. You’ll have the real thing. And you’ll wonder how you made it through so many Christmases without it.