Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas! Or, should I say, Merry Mary Christmas? No, that doesn't work, either. How about, Merry, Mary, Marry Christmas?

The above dialog seems to be the ramblings of a madman (they are). But in truth, these ramblings hold some sort of value. As Christmas draws closer, I am reminded of how precious the holiday really is. Christmas is the only time of year where people from various backgrounds come together to celebrate the joy that is Christmas. Now, obviously, there are different reasons why people celebrate Christmas. Some celebrate out of tradition, others for Santa Claus. But for us as Christians, we celebrate Christmas because marks the arrival of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In fact, that is what Christmas is all about. Literally. The word 'Christmas' comes from the Middle English Cristes mæsse (Christ-mass) which refers to a "church festival observed annually in memory of the birth of Christ." Whether people like it or not, by even speaking of Christmas, they are referring to the collective worship of Christ Jesus. This worship of Jesus is important because it signifies the arrival of the Savior, Christ the Lord (cf. Luke 2:11).

But still, even a manger and a good old-fashioned Christmas play doesn't fully explain the meaning of Christmas. Not to mention, Jesus' supernatural arrival to earth doesn't make any sense. From the world's eyes, we celebrate an alien deity baby and a delusional Jewish couple who couldn't book a Best Western. Certainly, there has to be more to the story than this, right?

Well, from the garden of Eden onward, yes. 

In the beginning, God created the whole world (cf. Genesis 1:1). God created plants, animals, and humans in the span of six days. The two first humans, Adam and Eve, were there as caretakers and rulers of the earth. Their assignment was the Garden of Eden, and they could eat from any tree there except from a particular tree. But, they were tempted by that serpent of old, Satan, to do just that. Adam and Eve gave into his temptations (cf. Genesis 3), and as a result, caused sin -- the culmination of anything that goes against God's Will -- to enter the world. Death, destruction, and evil now plague us as a result of Adam and Eve's willful disobedience toward God. Even more so, the first couple's sin caused all of the human race to be born into sin. It is as the apostle Paul says: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23, NIV). From birth to death, we are trapped in a cage full of sin. But, thankfully, there is a promise God makes that very day in the Garden of Eden.

When Adam and Eve sinned, God cursed their tempter, Satan. God said to that blasted snake: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" (Genesis 3:15, NIV). This curse to the snake is the beginning of God's promise for us. God promises us that He will deal with the serpent once and for all. And so, for thousands of years after, we waited. Godly men and women waited for the promise of God to come true.  They waited. And waited. And waited. Nations came and went, wars were waged, and the people of Israel continued to wait in faith. Actually, only some of the people of Israel waited in faith. 

Many generations after the Garden of Eden, God established the nation of Israel. This nation was to be the reflection of God's Kingdom on earth. But, as time passed, the people of Israel got tired of God. They lived how they wanted, forgot God's promise, and decided to live their lives merry. Foreign deities and idols were all the rage, and so the people of Israel abandoned God for false gods. Only the faithful few remained with God and anticipated the promise of the Snake-Crusher. These were the prophets and prophetesses, and they chose to hope in God's promise. As a result, these faithful few were merry with excitement over the Promised One, the Messiah. As God through the prophet Micah foretells,

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times...He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth" (Micah 5:2,4, NIV).

And Mary? Oh, Mary, did you know. She played a key part in the promise of the prophesized King and Savior. Isaiah foretold it long ago: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14, NIV). Interestingly, this prophecy, which is quoted by Matthew (cf. Matthew 1:23), is given in the context to King Ahaz's demand for a sign following an invasion from the king of Aram (cf. Isaiah 7:1-13). But, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Matthew is able to understand that Isaiah spoke of something far greater than a sign to a king; rather, it was a sign of a King. Mary was a virgin (perhaps twelve or thirteen years old) pledged to married to Joseph. Now, Mary was nothing special -- she was just an ordinary Jewish girl who lived in an ordinary Jewish town. Suddenly, an angel appeared to her, and she would be the vessel of God:

"In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail"" (Luke 1:26-37, NIV).

For reasons only known by God, Mary was chosen by God to carry Jesus. But, this would mean her entire world was to be turned upside-down. Not only would she be pregnant, but she would be pregnant before marriage (what will the other girls in town think? Worse, what will Joey think?). Joseph, her boyfriend, already had plans for marriage and a baby carriage. But once he found out Mary was pregnant, he began to have second thoughts (cf. Matthew 1:18-19). What a messy situation! It was anything but "calm" or "bright" ("Silent Night"). Yet God chose Mary in Nazareth, Galilee to fulfill His promise. And Mary? Her response to the angel is simple yet profound: "'I am the Lord’s servant,' Mary answered. 'May your word to me be fulfilled'" (Luke 1:38, NIV). It was through Mary's faith that she was given the most important task of all: deliver the Son of God. Mary understood this to be a fulfilment of God's promises in Scripture (cf. Luke 1:46-56, 'Mary's Song') but did not see the full effect of God's promise until 33 years after, when her Son would be crucified on the Cross, pay for the sin of all mankind in full, and rise up victorious over death.

That leads, then, to the ultimate goal of Christ's coming. From the Garden of Eden on, God desired to have an intimate relationship with us. God loves us (cf. John 3:16), and so His plan for us is to rescue us. He did this through His Son Jesus, who walked with creation, just like it was in the beginning (cf. Genesis 3:8). Jesus walked, talked, and grew with friends and family. Jesus experienced all the human emotions, situations, and social pressures of His day. Yet, He stayed the course, determined to complete His mission. His mission? To reconcile humanity with God. Sin created a barrier between us and God. But, by paying the penalty for sin and taking all of our sin on the Cross, Jesus provided a bridge between us and God. So, the barrier was split (cf. Matthew 27:51) and the Bridge was built (cf. John 14:6). As Paul wrote, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV). In fact, in Scripture, the relationship between us as the church and God is described in terms of marriage. Both Old Testament and New Testament repeatedly used marriage as a metaphor for a relationship between God's people. In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was compared to a wife by God (cf. Isaiah 54:5-6). In the New Testament, God's people, the Church, is nicknamed "The New Jerusalem." In the book of Revelation, the New Jerusalem is seen as the Bride of Christ:

"Then I saw 'a new heaven and a new earth,' for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death" or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away'...One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, 'Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.' And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God" (Revelation 21:1-4,9-10 NIV).

Toward the end of Revelation, it is seen that the New Jerusalem and her Husband, Jesus Christ, are brought together as Husband and Wife (cf. Revelation 21:9). This marriage, or sometimes referred to as the consummation, of the Kingdom of God is the ultimate goal of Jesus' arrival. Jesus came, then, to marry the Church.

So, in conclusion, merry, Mary, marry Christmas. Do not forget the real Reason for the Season. Celebrate Christmas with joy, hope, peace, love, and Christ at the center of it all. 

"The angel said to them, 'Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people. For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord'" (Luke 2:10-11, NIV).