I love Christmas. I love the chilly weather outside, the lights strung throughout the trees in the park, and the sounds of Christmas music everywhere. I love the warm feeling that accompanies giving gifts to loved ones, and I even love facing the crowds to get those last minute gifts. Christmas, for these reasons and more, is arguably my favorite time of the year.

This year, however, I’ve noticed a new characteristic to the holiday season: humility. In the last few weeks, I’ve been struck by God’s grace in my life as he provides for me and blesses me beyond what I deserve. I look at my life and wonder at why God would be so good to me. I feel like I know myself pretty well, and I can assure you that I don’t deserve the good that God has shown me. Yet still he gives.

Last week, I mentioned John 3:16 in passing, but I want to bring it to mind again. Jesus said,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

I wrote last week about our great need for salvation that was perfectly met in Jesus Christ. Last night, as I was thinking about today’s post, I couldn’t get past this truth. Part of why God’s grace has so humbled me lately is because I know that I haven’t done anything to earn it.

I can remember Christmases years ago when I felt entitled to the presents I received. I thought I deserved the good things I was given. Now I clearly see that I don’t deserve anything of the sort. As I wrote last week, we are hopeless in our sin. We deserve wrath, not love. We deserve condemnation, not Christmas. So when I look around at the ways God has been gracious to me, I can’t claim any right or entitlement. I simply have to worship God for who he is and for what he has done.

This Christmas, let this be our response. We are far more blessed than we deserve, through Christ especially, and we have so many reasons for worship. Let this Christmas be a time of thanksgiving. Let this Christmas be a time of humility. And let us proclaim God’s glorious grace to a world so desperate for hope, singing with the angels,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Luke 2:14