What if it never happened? What if there was no Christmas?
If there was no Christmas, there would be nothing to look forward to as the days get shorter and the temperature drops; no family gathering, no holiday traditions, no turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie. If there was no Christmas there would be no tree, no lights and no decorations. There would no presents under the tree, no stockings hung by the chimney with care and no chestnuts roasting on an open fire--no Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls or dreaming of a White Christmas; no Santa Claus, no Rudolph, Frosty or the Grinch. If there had never been a Christmas, all of these rich traditions would be missing.
If there had been no Christmas, the wonder and beauty of that night in Bethlehem would never have been captured. There would be no Little Town of Bethlehem, no Away in a Manger; no shepherds abiding in the fields nearby, no angelic choir and no wise men from the east.
What if Christ never came? What if there had been no virgin birth; no angelic messenger proclaiming a Savior has been born (Luke 2:11), none of the teachings of Jesus, no miracles, no healings, no unexplainable manifestations of God’s power and grace? What if there was no cross, no death, burial or resurrection; no ascension, no one interceding to the Father and no promised return?
The implications are staggering but the bottom line would be that man would still be lost in his / her sin. There would be no forgiveness, no reconciling grace and no hope of heaven.
The Christmas Story changed everything! It is the story of God, who so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
It did happen! This is what we celebrate this day!
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)