What Does Christ Want for Christmas?

During this Christmas season, I’ve been going through John Piper’s advent devotional entitled “Good News of Great Joy”. Each day begins with a scripture reading, followed by a short devotion walking through the Advent season. (You can download the free ebook here.) The world “Advent” means “coming”, and Piper does a wonderful job of encouraging the soul not only to look forward to Christmas, but also to the ultimate hope found in Christ.

In the beginning of the ebook, Piper has a preface entitled, “What does Jesus want for Christmas?” I’d like to share a few thoughts based off of that chapter. My soul has been edified and inclined to worship our Father through meditating on these truths, and I pray that you will be encouraged and will see this Christmas season in a new light!

Honestly, I’ve never really thought about what Jesus desires for the Christmas season until recently. Across the world, the Christmas story will be read, and discussions of keeping the Christ in Christmas (as cheesy as that sounds), will be had among Christmas.

If Christmas is all about Christ, what does He desire for the Advent season?

• Does He want us to put up nice trees?

• Does He want us to buy presents for one another?

• Does He want us to perform “good” deeds during this season?

• Does He want another Christmas pageant of musical?

The answer to what Jesus wants for Christmas is found in John 17:24.

“Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you have loved me before the foundation of the world.”

Dear One, you were made to see God’s glory. He desires that we might be with Him, because He loves us. His love is rich and deep and stretches the bounds of time and history. Christ is our propitiation, He has satisfied divine wrath, and justified those who place their hope and trust in Him, and as a result….

Christ wants us to experience that for which we were truly made – seeing and savoring His glory!

What exactly does this mean? Beloved, you and I were created not only to see the glory of God, but to savor it, it, delight in it, treasure it, live in it, meditate upon it and love it. Christ’s desire for us at Christmas (and every other season of life) is that we get supreme delight and satisfaction with Him. What greater gift could He have given us than Himself?

Christ is constantly displaying His glory for us to see, but we must delight and find satisfaction in His glory. At good comparison of what this means practically is a marriage relationship. If one lover is consistently pouring out himself daily for his beloved, strategically thinking about ways he can love her better, adoring her, caring for her and seeking her good, but his love is never cherished there is little joy because the acts of love are never delighted in . But when two lovers are completely giving of themselves in every way, seeking to love and delight in one another, (in the marriage context),  it is a representation of Christ and His church, because each party is seeking the best for one another.

• Christ seeks to give of Himself, because He knows that He along is the only thing that will truly satisfy us forever.

• A Christian is enthralled and captivated with Christ, because they know that the Lord is always seeking their ultimate good.

So, what does Christ want for Christmas?

“Christ wants you to see Him with the eyes
of God and savor Him with the heart of God.” – Piper