“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’” -John 20:21
The presents are unwrapped, radio stations have stopped playing Christmas music, and the decorations will be put away soon.
Another Christmas has come and gone, and people are returning to post-holiday normalcy. But if the spirited celebration of Christmas ends on December 25, then believers have missed the point of Christmas.
In the pilot episode of “The Chosen,” a group of shepherds receives a surprise visit from heavenly hosts. As soon as the visitors leave, the shepherds run. They run until they come upon a stable, where a young man and woman are holding a newborn baby.
The shepherds excitedly tell the couple what they saw that night as they marvel at the sight of the baby. As one shepherd takes the infant in his arms, his companions leave, saying they must tell someone. The shepherd hands the baby back to the parents, and simply says, “People must know.”
“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” -Luke 2:17-18
The celebration of Christmas was not meant to end on Christmas Day. The promised Messiah has come into the world to save the lost through His sacrifice. He paid the penalty of sin so that all who believe in Him can be restored to the Father.
People must know.
Billions of people around the world did not celebrate Christmas this year because they don’t know what happened in the town of Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago.
If the shepherds had not told others what had happened that night, people may not have known. In the same way, people will not know what Jesus did for them unless the news is shared with them.
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” -Romans 10:14-15
Christmas Day may be over, but the message of Christmas must still be told. Jesus commissioned His followers to tell the nations about His story: His birth, His death, and His resurrection.
Though the world may be ready to move on from Christmas, believers should be ready to tell the world about the “good news that will cause great joy (Luke 2:10).”
“Christmas is about receiving and giving. Give the gift of the true Christmas story—that God gave His Son so that mankind would receive Him. Let’s focus not on our own joys but making others joyful. The greatest gift we can give others is to tell them about the most wonderful Gift God has bestowed on the whole world.” -Billy Graham