The True Meaning of Christmas: A Time of Divine Completion

The True Meaning of Christmas: A Time of Divine Completion
Every year, as December rolls around, we find ourselves caught up in the whirlwind of Christmas preparations. Shopping lists grow longer, decorations go up, and our calendars fill with parties and gatherings. Yet somewhere in the midst of all this activity, a question emerges that demands our attention: What is Christmas really about?
The story of Julianne Holland, 13, an eighth grader in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, wanted to do her part for Jesus at Christmas. Without informing her parents, she addressed a letter to Jesus in care of the local post office. It landed on the desk of Presbyterian Donald L. Orner, 62, director of customer services at the postal center in Harrisburg.
“Dear friend,” wrote Julianne, “I am 13 years old. And you must think I’m weird for writing a letter to Jesus when everyone knows it wouldn’t get anywhere. But I wanted to give you a message.
“Every Christmas all people think about is getting presents. But that’s not the reason at all. I think Christmas means getting all your friends together and having a good time because Jesus is born, and that’s just the beginning of all the beautiful things he did for us. By being born he let love into the world.”
Replied Orner:
“We have no mail route to heaven, but I am sure that (Jesus) is aware of what you wrote. He knows our thoughts, our feelings, in every line of your beautiful letter flowed out across all the miles that no mailman could ever travel and touched his heart.
“You said your letter wouldn’t get anywhere—it touched my heart, and be assured, Julianne, he knows. May you have a happy Christmas, and God bless you.”

It's like throwing a birthday party where everyone brings gifts for each other, but nothing for the birthday person. Absurd, isn't it? Yet this is precisely what we often do at Christmas.

When the Time Was Right
The apostle Paul gives us one of the most concise yet profound explanations of Christmas in Galatians 4:4-5: "When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons."
This phrase "when the time came to completion" reveals something extraordinary about God's nature: He has a plan. Jesus didn't arrive by accident or on a whim. This wasn't a divine committee meeting where God and the angels debated the best timing. No, this was the culmination of centuries of preparation.
The prophets had spoken of this moment. Isaiah proclaimed, "For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us" (Isaiah 9:6). Micah pinpointed the location: "Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah. One will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me" (Micah 5:2). Even in Genesis 3:15, immediately after sin entered the world, God promised that the seed of a woman would crush the serpent's head.
Everything had to align perfectly. Jerusalem needed to be rebuilt, fulfilling Daniel's prophecy of 483 years. The Roman road system had to be in place, making rapid travel possible. Greek needed to become the common trade language, enabling the gospel to spread quickly across cultures. The Mosaic law had to complete its educational work, showing humanity that even the most blessed nation on earth—Israel—was utterly depraved without God's grace.
The law doesn't save us, but it shows us we need saving.
When everything was ready—not a moment too soon, not a moment too late—God acted.

A Sending God
"God sent his Son." These four words reveal another aspect of God's character: He is a sending God. From the very beginning, God has been sending messengers, prophets, and ultimately Himself to reach humanity.
When Joseph discovered his fiancée Mary was pregnant and considered divorcing her quietly, God sent an angel with a message. When the world reached its darkest hour, drowning in sin and hopelessness, God sent His Son—the greatest messenger of hope and peace the world has ever known.
And here's the remarkable truth: God is still a sending God today. He sends ordinary people like you and me to be carriers of His light. It might not be overseas—it could be 100 feet across the street to your neighbor. It could be your workplace, your school, or that person everyone else avoids.
God doesn't save people to sit on the sidelines. There are no benchwarmers in His kingdom.

Born of a Woman
The phrase "born of a woman" carries profound theological weight. This speaks to the incarnation—God becoming fully human while remaining fully divine. This wasn't just a spiritual appearance or a temporary disguise. Jesus took on human flesh, was born as a baby, grew tired, felt hunger, experienced pain, and faced every temptation we face.
Hebrews 2:14 explains it this way: "Since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devil."
Jesus couldn't die unless He became human. And He couldn't truly understand our struggles unless He walked in our shoes. No other religion makes this claim. No other god has done this. Only Christianity proclaims a God who loved us enough to enter our world, experience our pain, and face our temptations—yet without sin.
When you're exhausted and your body aches, Jesus understands. When you're tempted and the pull feels overwhelming, Jesus knows that struggle. When you feel alone and misunderstood, Jesus has been there.

Born Under the Law
Jesus was also "born under the law." He came into a legal system that demanded perfection but offered only condemnation. Yet He didn't come to abolish the law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). He lived the perfect life we couldn't live and then took the curse of the law upon Himself.
Galatians 3:13 declares, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.'"
Jesus broke the power of the law by satisfying its demands completely. Now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The legal system that once held us captive has been fulfilled, and we've been ushered into a realm of grace.

Adopted as Sons
But why? Why did God orchestrate this elaborate rescue mission?
"To redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons."
This is the heart of Christmas. God didn't just save us to make us servants—He adopted us as adult sons with full rights and inheritance. We're not slaves serving out of fear; we're children who respond out of love. We can cry out "Abba, Father"—an intimate term of endearment and trust.
The difference is staggering. A servant has no future and no inheritance. But a son? A son has everything. A son belongs. A son is loved. A son is an heir.

The Real Gift
So what does this mean for how we celebrate Christmas? That thirteen-year-old girl was right to be concerned. When we focus solely on getting and giving presents to each other while ignoring the birthday person, we've missed the point entirely.
This Christmas, what if we asked ourselves: What can I give Jesus? Not just material things, but ourselves. Our time. Our attention. Our obedience. Our love.
What if we remembered that God's timing is perfect—never late, never early? That the God who orchestrated the birth of Christ at precisely the right moment in history can handle the chaos in our lives?
What if we embraced our identity as adopted sons and daughters, living not in fear but in the freedom of being fully loved?
The meaning of Christmas isn't found in the gifts under the tree or the decorations on the walls. It's found in understanding that when the time was right, God sent Himself to redeem us, to adopt us, and to give us an inheritance that can never fade.
That's a gift worth celebrating—today and every day.