Finding Christmas by Finding Christ

I was scrolling through movie options recently and one of the movies which was available was entitled, “Finding Mr. Christmas.” Other similar movies I also found included “Finding John Christmas,” “Finding Father Christmas,” and also, “Finding Christmas.” We might ask, “Is Christmas lost?” I guess the answer to that question depends on what someone means by ‘Christmas.’

I will speak plainly. The holiday, the season, is called “CHRISTmas.” Christmas centers around Christ, around the promised Messiah, the Son of God, the son of Mary. However, sometimes people have had trouble finding Jesus. Sometimes people have had trouble finding the Christ.

Consider the Gospel lesson for last Sunday, Luke 7:18-36. John the Baptist was in prison. Luke tells us John sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" (Luke 7:19) Perhaps John himself wondered if Jesus was the promised One. After all, if Jesus was the Christ, so why was John in prison? Or, perhaps John simply wanted his disciples to learn of Jesus. Perhaps John wanted the disciples to turn from him to the one who really was and is the promised Savior. Scripture does not say why John sent these 2 men. But John’s disciples did go to Jesus and ask the question.

Jesus had an answer for John and his disciples. "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." (Luke 7:22-23) Jesus was healing, and preaching, and bringing good news. Jesus was fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. The answer to John’s question should have been obvious.

Yet, please think of the irony, the contradiction in John’s question. John and his disciples were looking for the Messiah. Luke 3:5 tells us all the people were in expectation for the coming of the Messiah. However, Jesus was already right there in front of them, doing God’s work, proclaiming God’s word, and they were missing Him. Was that spiritual blindness, or simply distraction?

But we shouldn’t be surprised. Remember those movies. “Finding Mr. Christmas,” “Finding Christmas,” and the others. People are looking for the love and peace and joy of Christmas, and not finding it. That is sort of like John looking for “the One who was to come” when Jesus was already there. People forget, at times we forget, that Jesus has come. Christmas is about His birth. Remember what the angel told Joseph. “22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” (Matt. 1:22-23) People may be looking for Christmas. But Christ has been born and God is with us.

In His birth Jesus brings the love of our Heavenly Father for a lost world. In His suffering and death, Jesus brings peace which only comes through His forgiveness. In Jesus’ resurrection, He brings joy which the trials of life cannot steal. If people are looking for the love, the peace, and the joy of Christmas, well Jesus is already right here. He was born. He is God with us.

Are you missing the Christmas Spirit? Are you like people in those movies, looking for Christmas this year? The wonderful message of Christmas is that “Christ is Here.” When we find Jesus, we have Christmas. We don’t need to look any further.