The Christmas season has officially begun, and you can tell it the moment you step into our home. The mantle is lined with greenery, the tree stands tall in front of the French doors, and the living room has been rearranged to make space for the decorations we’ve gathered over the years. Room has been made for Christmas once again. And every time we do this, I’m reminded that the deeper wonder of Christmas isn’t just meant to fill our homes, but our hearts.
Christmas is far more than the celebration of a birth. It is the story of the eternal Son stepping into time. The more I read Scripture, the more convinced I become that if we focus only on the manger, we miss the majesty behind it. The Christmas story doesn’t begin in Bethlehem. It begins before creation itself.
John tells the story this way:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” — John 1:1 (NIV)
With one sentence, he lifts our eyes beyond the stable and into eternity. The Child in the manger is the eternal Son who has always existed with the Father.
John doesn’t soften the mystery. The Son was with God and yet was God. We may never fully understand that, but Scripture doesn’t ask us to solve it. It invites us to worship. Both truths stand together in the eternal nature of Christ, revealing the breathtaking wonder of the God who came near at Christmas.
And long before Bethlehem, the Son was already moving in the story of God’s people. He walked in Eden (Genesis 3), spoke with Abraham (Genesis 18), wrestled with Jacob (Genesis 32), and stood in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3). The One Mary held in her arms is the same eternal Son who “holds all things together” (Colossians 1:17). Christmas is not the beginning of His story. It is the moment His story entered ours.
John captures that moment with unforgettable simplicity:
“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” — John 1:14 (NIV)
The eternal became human. The invisible became visible. The Creator stepped into His creation to rescue it. The manger leads to the cross. The cradle prepares the way for the crown.
This is why thinking biblically about Christmas matters so much. A true Biblical Theology of Christmas keeps us from reducing the season to mere sentiment. It roots our celebration in the truth of who Christ has always been and who He became for us. Before the cradle was ever filled, Jesus reigned over all. He was, He is, and He will forever be the Christ. That means Christmas is far more than nostalgia. It is divine revelation. It is God drawing near.
And that is the message our world still desperately needs. The God who rules over eternity chose to come close. He chose to put on flesh. He chose to step into our brokenness to redeem us. Christmas declares with unmistakable clarity that we are not forgotten and we are never alone.
As you walk through this season, take time to reflect on the wonder that the eternal Son became flesh for you. Pause at the manger, but let your heart be drawn beyond it. Read John 1. Invite your family into the story. Let the truth of who Jesus is shape how you worship and how you celebrate.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I thank You for the gift of Your eternal Son who stepped into this world to bring all of humanity the hope and forgiveness we desperately needed. Help me today to see even more clearly. May I recognize Jesus as more than a baby lying in a manger. May I see Him as the eternal Word who was became human for me. Stir my heart with wonder. Fill my home with peace. And give me joy this year, as I celebrate the miracle of Christ’s coming. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.