The True Meaning of Christmas

It transcends personal opinion, denomination, and religion. The final installment of a five-part series on the Christmas holiday.

The world was in darkness.¹

Light came into the world.²

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.³

That, without qualification, is the true meaning of the holiday we call, Christmas.

It is true whether one identifies as Roman Catholic, Russian or Greek Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Church of Christ, Evangelical Covenant, Sanctified Brethren, AME, Unitarian, non-denominational, agnostic, or even atheist.

It is true whether one is Jewish, or is an adherent of Islam.

A fellow believer⁴ once made the following observation:

The world – our world – has always been dark. It continues to be dark. It hasn’t become any more or less so because of any human event. Governments come and go. Nations rise and fall. Political, religious, and other leaders have always been, and will continue to be exposed as deeply flawed individuals. We are fallen creatures – and have always been sinful – but because of the birth of Jesus, there is hope for every one of us. That hope – genuine, real hope – transcends all, and along with faith and love,⁵ endures until the end of time.

Our world is in darkness, still.

Jesus, the light of life, has come into the world.⁶

The light continues to shine in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

It is this that frees me to enjoy any number of traditions with which we mark the season, and with this firmly in mind, all of them are kept in proper perspective.

Thank you for reading, for your time, and your indulgence.

Merry Christmas, dear reader, to you and yours.

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The carol, “Once In Royal David’s City” is my favourite song of the season, period.
It is almost impossible for me to hear it without being moved to tears, and while I love listening to the BBC’s, “Carols from King’s College” on Christmas Eve where it is performed every year, David Willcocks’ arrangement for The Choir of Trinity College, puts that of The Choir of King's College (both at Cambridge) to shame.

Mannheim Steamroller’s rendition of “Still, Still, Still” is good – very good, in fact – but sounds best when sung a cappella.

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1. https://www.bible.com/bible/111/ISA.9.NIV
“The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.”
– Isaiah 9:2

2. https://www.bible.com/bible/111/jhn.8.12
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
– John 8:12

https://www.bible.com/bible/111/jhn.9.5
“‘While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’”
– John 9:5

3. https://www.bible.com/bible/111/jhn.1.5
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
– John 1:5

4. The observation has been paraphrased by me.

For what it’s worth, aside from our mutually held convictions rooted in our faith, this individual is almost my polar opposite, politically speaking – which hopefully illustrates that our respective politics are but very small parts of our lives. So small, in fact, they barely contribute to that which defines each of us. Speaking for me only, it doesn’t mean that my opinion on any given topic or issue of the day is not informed by my political orientation, but it’s a small contributor.

5. https://www.bible.com/bible/111/1co.13.13
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
– 1 Corinthians 13:13

6. https://www.bible.com/bible/111/jhn.8.12
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
– John 8:12