Have you ever forgotten Christmas? I mean, just totally spaced the holiday altogether? I’m sure the answer to that is a big fat NO!
How could you? It’s impossible to miss with all the lights, Christmas trees, events, and traffic. You would literally have to be living under a rock or dead to forget it’s Christmas.
Even though you might not have forgotten it’s Christmas, there are a couple of things that might have slipped your mind, something that you should never forget.
Here’s what you shouldn’t forget this Christmas.
Don’t forget that God favors you.
If you have siblings, I’m sure at some point you felt your parents played favorites during Christmas. It didn’t even have to be true; you just felt that way. Or maybe you were the favorite, and everyone resented you for it.
Either way, you should know that you are God’s favorite, despite what your parents might say.
We see this in the life of a young teenage girl named Mary, who was told that she would give birth to the savior of the world, talk about life-changing.
Announcing this shocking news, “The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.” (Luke 1:28-30)
The good news is that God doesn’t just favor Mary. You have his favor, too!
The angels sang this same tune to the shepherds in the field the night Jesus was born. They sang, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14)
That’s you! You are who the angels sang about!
Now maybe you don’t feel like you have God’s favor. Life just isn’t going the way you planned. Well guess what? That’s precisely how Mary felt.
Her whole world was turned upside down. Her life plans were drastically altered the night the angel visited her. You better believe that she didn’t feel like she had God’s favor. That’s why she wondered at the greeting.
But guess what? God’s favor had nothing to do with her feelings and it has nothing to do with yours. But it has everything to do with Jesus.
That’s why the second thing we shouldn’t forget this Christmas is so important.
Don’t forget that Jesus came to save sinners.
I’m sure Joseph, Mary’s fiancé, didn’t feel too favored by God when he found out she was pregnant before they were even married. His world was turned upside down as well. The whole situation was family drama to the tenth degree.
Right when Joseph reaches his breaking point, God sends his angel to let Joseph know that he’s found favor too. But not in the way Joseph anticipated.
The angels said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)
In other words, God wanted Joseph and Mary to see the bigger picture. God was about to rain down his unmerited favor on the world through the person of Jesus Christ. And he was going to do this by saving people from their sins.
That was Jesus’ whole mission in life and the reason he came. To save the people he loves by showing his favor through the cross.
So, the next time you forget the importance of Christmas. Just remember, Joseph and Mary were favored by God simply because Jesus was involved in their life. God favors you for the exact same reason.
