That question may seem a bit strange. You may be thinking “I would understand if you asked “What is the meaning of Christmas?” But the purpose? Well, I’m asking about the purpose of Christmas.
Was it established to support the fir tree industry? Or maybe its purpose is to give us a reason to decorate our houses and hang lights up outside. Better yet, perhaps its entire purpose was to create “Black Friday” early morning shopping frenzies. Actually, none of those are the purpose of Christmas.
I guess the same question could be ask about the 4th of July, or Memorial Day, and so on. What all of these holidays have in common with Christmas is their purpose is to commemorate, which is defined as “to recall and respect something.” The 4th of July, and this may come as a surprise to some, is not about hot dogs and fireworks. It’s about recalling and respecting the founding of this nation. In a similar way, the purpose of Christmas is to recall and respect something – an event – a person. The purpose of Christmas is to commemorate and celebrate the birth of the Messiah, promised for generations, the Savior of the world, Jesus.
So, with that said, I hope that you will be mindful of the purpose of Christmas as you celebrate with family and friends the birth of the one who changed the very fabric of history.
Merry Christmas!!