Faith at Christmas in a World Full of Doubt
In a world full of doubt, many question the truth of the Christmas story. How will you respond to the true account of Christmas?
Each Christmas we seem to be bombarded with scepticism about the Church, faith, and the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. Christian-themed Christmas carols and nativity scenes are often rejected, too, especially by people taking offence on behalf of those who are not even offended. People of faith are sometimes uncertain as to how to defend their beliefs amidst such angst, though this does not make those beliefs indefensible.
We actually don’t have sufficient evidence on which to build a watertight case either for or against belief in God, but faith is not baseless. The Christmas story reminds us that we have the right to respond to God’s initial move toward us two thousand years ago. The birth of Jesus, as God’s perfect son, was so that he could die in our place for our shortcomings to therefore bridge us to God. Being human but also divine, he qualified to be our substitute and to therefore save us from eternal death. That death is simply the just penalty for our sins, no matter how small they might seem, and it inevitably separates us from God.
Of course, the story of faith and of God’s plan for our redemption comes in a biblical package that many will spurn with minimal interest in its detail. Many biblical texts have actually been verified by archaeological findings and by their capacity to change people’s lives. But while the Bible offers evidence for faith beyond reasonable doubt, it cannot provide evidence beyond all doubt. The importance of the Christmas story, and of the Bible that contains it, needs acceptance by faith, a faith that is believable.
This Christmas, Christians the world over will have many opportunities to proudly assert that faith. Will you be one of them? The centring of our lives on Jesus who came to bring unconditional love, perfect justice, and hope for the future, also offers a changed heart, strength to impact our world, and an eternal purpose on which to build our lives. We can accept that message or choose to reject it but, in the short life we get to live, our response to the Jesus of Christmas will determine which of those outcomes will be ours.
Merry Christmas and a blessed and fruitful 2025.
Reverend Dr. Rob Nyhuis is National Chair and State Executive Officer of Churches of Christ in Australia
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Image courtesy of Unsplash.
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