All Things Christmas

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

Colossians 1:15-23; 2:9-10

As another December rolls by, how are we feeling about all things Christmas? The season can feel like a jumbled mess of awe and anxiety, faith and festivities, God and gifts, merriment and madness, stables and sleighs. With this swirling concoction of all things Christmas, how do we find and hold onto the center of it all? The Apostle Paul gives us the answer in Colossians 1, interestingly, in the same words that seem to be the problem. When we are overwhelmed by all things Christmas, we need to see how Jesus relates to all things at Christmas.

If we asked, “How do you feel about all things Christmas?” Paul would provide a very different answer. He would rejoice in the celebration of the season because his focus would be crystal clear. This holiday (holy day) has a singular focus: Jesus, “the image of the invisible God.” Of all the beautiful sights of the season, nothing rivals the One who came, the Word made flesh, True God and True Man in one Person. Why is He uniquely worthy to be the centerpiece? “For by Him ALL THINGS were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.” The child who gazed into Mary’s eyes and babbled baby talk was the very God who said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. “ALL THINGS were created through Him and for Him.” Jesus was the only child who could go outside and see a blade of grass or a tree or a pond (or a person!) and say, “This was created through Me and for Me.” “And He is before ALL THINGS, and in Him ALL THINGS hold together.” The One who came over 2,000 years ago was before all things. He was before anything else was. And as soon as anything else was, He was holding it together by the word of His power. “For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” All the glorious things that make God…God…were pleased to dwell in Jesus Christ. And through Jesus Christ, God was pleased “to reconcile to Himself ALL THINGS, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.” At the center of God’s plan to redeem His beloved people and renew His broken world was a Son, a Savior, a Substitute, a Sacrifice. Jesus would die, nailed to a tree that He made, to pay the price His people should have paid. Christ was torn apart to bring about God’s “plan for the fullness of time, to unite ALL THINGS in Christ” (Ephesians 1:10).

It’s an altogether different “all things Christmas” when we see that Jesus is all things Christmas. He is the radiance of the glory of God, the Creator of all things, the Sustainer of all things, and the Redeemer of all things. Paul tells us that Jesus is all of these things so “that in everything (ALL THINGS!) He might be preeminent.” So if we’re drawn to the lists of Christmas, Jesus is at the top. If we’re drawn to the lights of Christmas, Jesus outshines them all. If we’re drawn to the gifts of Christmas, who can out-give God? If we’re drawn to the love of Christmas, Jesus is Love come down for us. If we’re overwhelmed with all things Christmas this year, may God give us grace to see Jesus at the center of ALL THINGS. When we yield to all things Christmas, the season runs us over and leaves us feeling empty. But when we yield to our Lord Jesus, preeminent in all things, the Savior runs with us and fills our hearts with His love, joy, and peace. “For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in Him.” This Christmas, do we believe that we have ALL THINGS in Him?