“For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.” — Colossians 1:13-14

Why do these two verses from the book of Colossians call to mind several lines from aged Christmas hymns? They’re definitely not your traditional Christmas/Advent verses, yet something about them draws me to the time of Jesus’ birth. “Come thou long-expected Savior,” and “the weary world rejoices” are the lyrics that come to mind. When the angel appeared to Zechariah in the Temple to announce the impending birth of the forerunner of the Messiah, it was the first message from God to His people in roughly 400 years. Imagine 400 years of silence from God. I cannot fathom it.

After all these years of silence, the angel, Gabriel, became busy. After Zechariah, Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her she had found favor with God, and, she, the virgin would conceive and give birth to the Messiah, the Son of God. The worldly kingdom at the time of Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension was one of darkness. Light broke into the darkness with the birth of Jesus. The people of God longed to be rescued from the rule of the Roman Empire. Yet when Jesus came, He offered so much more.

The kingdom of darkness consists of hearts that are hardened and darkened to the truth, spiritually dead, and morally corrupt. Jesus entered into history in a specific time and place ordained to Him by the Father. Sin and brokenness was rampant. People felt desperate for hope. For rescue. For the voice of God. And Jesus came to rescue His people, for all of time, from the kingdom of darkness.

The world around us is not so different from the world into which Jesus was born 2000 years ago. People are searching for truth, for identity, for belonging, and for rescue, yet humanity seems to be completely unaware that they are searching. The world is dark and broken. Just like the Bethlehem into which Jesus was born, Jesus is still the Light that enters into the darkness. Even today. Even when all hope seems lost.

The Christmas story is not kept in a vacuum, isolated from the greater story. Jesus’ birth was the beginning of the end of the story. From the fall in the Garden of Eden, God always planned a path to redemption for mankind. Because God has loved us, His creation, from the very beginning. God is such a relational God. He craves intimacy and relationship with us. He is not some far off God in the skies, completely detached from His creation. No, He has been making a way from the beginning for His people to be with Him.

Jesus, the perfect baby boy born in Bethlehem, grew into a man who came to fulfill His Father’s plan of redemption for us. Jesus did not back away from what was before Him, though it quite literally cost Him everything. Jesus came to seek, to save, to rescue the lost. He came to restore us unto Himself. The Christmas story cannot be cut off from the Crucifixion and Resurrection story. All are interwoven into God’s beautiful masterpiece of redemption, forgiveness, grace, and restoration. Yet Jesus had to die for our sins in order for us to be restored to God. Without the shedding of Jesus’ blood, there is no remission of our sins. That is the miracle and the grace of the Christmas story. Jesus was the perfect, spotless, Lamb of God.

Our culture is a society weary and desperate for hope. If we have Jesus, we should long for others to experience the forgiveness, grace, peace, hope, and purpose we have found in Him. Jesus, through His blood, purchased our freedom. He has forgiven our sins…all the ones past, present, and still to come. His blood covers us.

Christmas is THE story of rescue and freedom. It is not enough to celebrate the birth of Jesus. For to do so, we are missing the rest of the story, the story that offers us freedom, hope, and restoration. Jesus came to restore us to God. I was listening to a podcast today, and the guest on the podcast referenced how a Bible teacher she heard years ago impacted her because, through her teaching, it was evident that this woman knew the God of the universe. Because of Jesus, every single one of us has the opportunity to know the very Creator of the world. It’s one thing to have a knowledge of the Bible and what Christmas is supposed to be. Yet it is an entirely different thing to have a personal knowledge of and intimate relationship with the Author of the story and the Savior of the world.

My heart stirs within me at the truth that God loves me so much that He sacrificed His beloved Son so that I could know Him personally and intimately. He wants to commune with me and talk with me. He delights in me. In fact, in Luke 12:32, Jesus Himself said that it delights the Father to give His children the kingdom. The kingdom referenced in Colossians 1:13–“For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.” It delights the Father to give His children the inheritance of Jesus.

Now, when I read that, I not only reflect on the Christmas story, but my heart also bows in worship for the rescue that Jesus’ birth brought to me–rescue from my sins and transferred into the Kingdom of Christ. How great a love! How great a cost! As we enter the Christmas season, may each of our hearts be uplifted by the hope that Jesus brought to us. May we celebrate the restoration we have in Jesus Christ. And may we share it with others!