When Christmas Began

Standing behind the small wooden fence, I gazed straight into the pit of the active volcano. Instantly, I felt incredibly small.  I could see the walls were blackened by years of burning fire and eruptions.  And there was the constant smoke rising from the center – massive, powerful, destructive.  This volcano know as Masaya, is only 1 of 19 active volcanoes in Nicaragua.  A reminder to me that nature is strong, and this world is huge.

I realize to most people, there is not an instant connection between a volcano and Christmas, but to me, thinking about this incredible structure, I am reminded of when Christmas began.  Listen to the first words of the gospel of John.  The words that share the story of the life of Jesus.  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being (John 1:1-3 NASB).”

When it comes to Christmas, it is easy to think that it began that night in Bethlehem when Jesus was laid in a manger or when the angel announced His birth to the young Mary. But the truth is, Jesus was in the beginning. Before anything existed – He was.  Everything that was made was made through Him.  Everything!  From the massive volcano to the smallest insect, to the intricate design of the human body.

The story Christmas did not begin at the manger, it began before all time.  So, when John opens His gospel, He is reminding us of the power of who Jesus is.  He is not just another man.  He is the God who created all things.  Because He existed before everything, He is not bound by the things that limit us.

The beauty of Christmas is not that another child was born.  It was that God, the Creator, the one who existed before all creation took on the form of a baby boy.  If Jesus was not present for creation, if He did not speak the entire world into being, His birth would have no power.

This year, as you celebrate Christmas, don’t miss the beginning of the story.  As Jesus spoke the sun into existence, as the first flower blossomed, when the first man took his breath, the story of Christmas was being told. Look around you. See the vastness of creation, rejoice in the Creator, and stand in awe of the fact the One who made everything took on human form to reach us.

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being.
John 1:1-3 NASB

In these last days [God] has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.  When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Hebrews 1:2-3 NASB

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together.
Colossians 1:15-17 NASB