As we approach Christmas, our thoughts as Christians must go beyond all the trappings of the festive season. It is so easy for us to get lost in all the celebrations whilst losing sight of the true meaning of Christmas – the divine birth of Jesus.

In our society, a new addition to any family is cause for celebration. The new bundle of life becomes the centre of attention and there is usually a lot of effort that has gone into preparing for the new arrival before the big day.

This was not so with Jesus. He was born in a manger, surrounded by the smells and filth of cattle. There was no well-prepared bed, no children’s clothes, no toys. God literally took on the form of a baby, limited His power and presence to a human frame, became vulnerable enough to share in our circumstances and then later died on a cross to redeem us from the consequence of our sins.

While the world finds it easy to focus on the arrival of a small cuddly baby, we must recognise that this baby was in fact the all-powerful King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the Ruler of the ends of the earth who will one day judge the living and the dead.

Jesus is now crowned in majesty and is seated at the right hand of God. He was born in the flesh to share in our human experience, so He could invite us to be born in the Spirit and to share His heavenly existence.

So the significance of Christmas is not just about the birth of a child, as wonderful as that is. But it is about the fact that we also can be born into God’s family through the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

This Christmas, take comfort in knowing that, because of Jesus, we can now be part of God’s family, where His perfect love is available to each and every one of us.