Christmas Is About Jesus: Rediscovering the True Meaning of Christmas

Ashland Watson
Dec 17
7 min read

Every December, the world gets busy. Shopping carts overflow, calendars fill up, and somewhere between the gift wrap and holiday parties, we can lose sight of the most extraordinary truth: Christmas is about Jesus.

Not about perfect decorations. Not about finding the ideal present. Not even about family traditions (though those are beautiful too).

Christmas is about God stepping into our broken world in the humblest way imaginable, as a baby, changing everything forever.

The Christmas Story: When Heaven Met Earth

Around 2,000 years ago, in a small town called Bethlehem, Jesus was born in the most unlikely circumstances imaginable. Mary, a young woman engaged to Joseph, received an impossible message from an angel: she would carry God's only son. Not through any human means, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus Christ entered the world, there was no royal palace, no sterile hospital, no comfortable nursery. Instead, the King of Kings arrived in a stable, surrounded by animals, with a feeding trough serving as His first bed. The Creator of the universe made His entrance among shepherds and simple people, not the powerful or privileged.

Luke's Gospel tells us that angels announced His birth to shepherds watching their flocks at night: "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord" (Luke 2:11).

This is the Jesus birth that changed everything. God didn't send a distant message or a powerful army. He sent Himself, wrapped in human flesh, willing to experience hunger, cold, rejection, and ultimately death, all so we could know Him.

From Ancient Celebration to Modern Tradition

While Jesus was born in the first century, the formal celebration of Christmas as we know it developed over time. Historical records show that by the fourth century, the church had established December 25th as the date to celebrate Christmas and honor Christ's birth. The exact date isn't what matters, the reality of the incarnation is.

Over centuries, different cultures have added their own beautiful traditions to Christmas celebrations. Some are deeply meaningful, connecting us to the story of Christ's birth. Others have become more about commercial activity than spiritual reflection.

The challenge isn't to reject all traditions or cultural expressions of Christmas. The challenge is to keep the main thing the main thing: Christmas is about Jesus, and everything else should flow from that truth.

The True Meaning of Christmas: More Than Nostalgia

When we talk about the true meaning of Christmas, we're not just being nostalgic for simpler times or criticizing cultural expressions of the holiday. We're pointing to something far more profound.

The true meaning of Christmas is that God loved us so much He couldn't stay distant. John 3:16 says it perfectly: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Christmas is about:

Redemption - God entering our mess to rescue us from sin and death. The baby in the manger was always headed toward the cross and the empty tomb.

Relationship - God doesn't want to be a distant deity we fear. He wants to be Emmanuel, "God with us," present in our daily lives, our struggles, our celebrations, and our sorrows.

Reversal - God chose the humble, the overlooked, the ordinary. He was born in a stable, announced to shepherds, raised by a carpenter. The Christmas story declares that God's kingdom operates by different values than worldly power and prestige.

Hope - Into a world marked by oppression, poverty, injustice, and death, Jesus came as the Light. Not to offer temporary comfort, but lasting transformation.

When we truly understand that Christmas is about Jesus, everything shifts. It's not about getting Christmas "right" according to some cultural checklist. It's about encountering the living God who loved us enough to become one of us.

Living the Christmas Story Today

Here's where the Christmas story gets personal.

If Jesus Christ came to earth to bring redemption, relationship, and hope, and if we claim to follow Him, then Christmas should shape how we live all year long. Not just our religious activities, but our everyday choices about how we use our time, resources, and energy.

At Mosaic International, we see the spirit of Christmas lived out every day through ordinary people choosing to love their neighbors. In Tanzania, the Philippines, Rwanda, and beyond, local pastors and church leaders are being the hands and feet of Jesus to their own communities. They're feeding the hungry, caring for widows, discipling new believers, and responding to crisis, not because they have abundance, but because they've experienced the love of Christ and can't help but share it.

This is what happens when people take seriously that Christmas is about Jesus: they become ambassadors of His love year-round.

Consider the shepherds who first heard the angels' announcement. They didn't keep the news to themselves. Luke tells us they "spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child" (Luke 2:17). They became the first evangelists of the gospel, running to tell everyone what they'd witnessed.

Or Mary, who "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19), allowing the wonder of God's work to transform her from the inside out.

Or the magi who traveled far to worship the newborn King, bringing their most valuable gifts as an act of devotion.

These responses to the Jesus birth show us different ways the true meaning of Christmas moves from head knowledge to lived reality: proclamation, reflection, and sacrificial giving.

Cultivating Change Through Christmas Generosity

As we reflect on how Christmas is about Jesus, we're reminded that the incarnation was the ultimate act of generosity. God gave His only son not because we deserved it, but because of His unfailing love.

This December, as we celebrate Christmas, we have the opportunity to respond to God's extravagant gift by cultivating change in the lives of people around the world.

Through our Cultivate Change campaign, we're inviting you to sow into the mission work God is doing through Mosaic International. Just as farmers prepare soil, plant seeds, and nurture growth, your generosity plants seeds of hope that will bear fruit for years to come.

The true meaning of Christmas, God's love made tangible, continues through ordinary people choosing to love their neighbors. Your year-end gift allows local church leaders to:

Respond quickly to families affected by natural disasters
Provide discipleship training that strengthens churches
Support community development projects that create lasting change
Reach villages with the good news that Jesus came for them too

As we remember that Jesus was born to bring hope to the world, we can participate in that hope-bringing mission. Not because we're saviors, there's only one Savior, but because we're His ambassadors, extending His love in practical, tangible ways.

Throughout December, we're tracking our progress toward two goals: $25,000 in one-time gifts and 50 new monthly partners. You can watch the Cultivate Change Tracker grow on our website, seeing your impact multiply across nations.

Donate Here

Holding Fast to What Matters Most

In a season that can feel overwhelming with activity, let's come back to the simple, profound truth: Christmas is about Jesus.

Not about doing Christmas perfectly. Not about impressing anyone with gifts or decorations. Christmas is about receiving the gift of Jesus Christ, God making Himself known, God making Himself accessible, God making Himself vulnerable out of love for us.

When we keep Christmas is about Jesus at the center, everything else finds its proper place. Traditions become meaningful rather than obligatory. Giving becomes joyful rather than stressful. Even the busy moments can be infused with purpose when we remember why we celebrate at all.

The Christmas story isn't just history. It's an invitation. Jesus didn't come to earth as a baby in Bethlehem only to remain distant from us today. He came to be with us, to transform us, to give us life abundant.

This Christmas, as you gather with family, exchange gifts, and celebrate traditions old and new, may you experience afresh the wonder of the Jesus birth. May you know deeply that Christmas is about Jesus, His love for you, His presence with you, and His invitation to join Him in bringing hope to the world.

Because when we truly grasp the true meaning of Christmas, we can't help but be changed. And when we're changed by Jesus, we become agents of change for others.

That's what Mosaic International is all about: ordinary people transformed by Jesus, working side by side with local leaders to bring His hope to communities around the world. Not imposing solutions, but walking together in relationship, just as Jesus walked with us.

Frequently Asked Questions About the True Meaning of Christmas

What is the real meaning of Christmas?

The real meaning of Christmas is that God loved humanity so much that He sent His only son, Jesus Christ, to earth as a human baby. Christmas celebrates the incarnation, God becoming flesh and dwelling among us, to offer salvation, redemption, and eternal life to everyone who believes in Him.

Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25th?

While the exact date of Jesus's birth isn't recorded in Scripture, by the fourth century, the church established December 25th as the official date to celebrate Christmas and honor Christ's birth. The specific date is less important than the reality of what we celebrate: God entering human history.

How can I focus more on Jesus during Christmas?

Start by reading the Christmas story in the Gospels (Luke 2 and Matthew 1-2). Throughout the season, pause to reflect on God's love demonstrated through the incarnation. Consider how you can extend that love to others through generosity, service, and relationship. Let Christmas traditions point you back to Christ rather than becoming ends in themselves.

What does it mean that Jesus is God's only son?

When we say Jesus is God's only son, we're expressing the unique relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ. Jesus isn't just a prophet or good teacher, He is God Himself in human form, the second person of the Trinity. This makes Christmas even more extraordinary: the Creator of the universe chose to enter His creation as a vulnerable baby.