I woke up on Christmas morning and turned on the radio. I was greeted with the familiar words…

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘Til He appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
Except one line was changed… sin was completely removed. I think instead of “sin and error” it was “fear and sorrow”.

Of course there was fear and sorrow in the world – then again, some people were (according to their own opinion) doing just fine, thank you very much.

So what were people waiting for? And what was the promise of the new Messiah?

Apparently the modern translation of Christmas is that it is all about love and peace. Oddly enough, love isn’t explicitly mentioned by the Gospel writers when they speak of Jesus’ birth.

Of course peace is in the message of the angels – “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14)

It also shows up in the prophecy about John the Baptist – he would guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:79).

But it doesn’t seem like this peace is an absence of war on earth, but peace with God. A solution to the problem – not just a problem of fear and sorrow, but of sin.

Sometimes we get the impression that the people of Palestine were simply waiting for deliverance – deliverance from the Romans, of course. But even if that were true, it’s also the case that many people believed that Israel was being punished – for her sins.

Back to the prophecy of John’s birth. The angel said that he would “turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God” (Luke 1:16), a metaphor for repentance. He would also turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, averting God’s judgement (see Malachi 4:5-6, the last verse in the Old Testament).

John’s father did prophecy a deliverance, but listen to what else he said:

…that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

(Luke 1:74-79)

By God’s mercy His people would be delivered from their sins to live in holiness and righteousness. In fact, according to Malachi, to walk in peace goes hand in hand with turning other people from their sin (Malachi 2:6). The “way of peace” is contrasted in Isaiah with sinful living and injustice (Isaiah 59:7-9).

In fact, the baby was named Jesus because he would “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Jesus (translated from the Hebrew in the Old Testament as “Joshua”) means “Yahweh Saves”.

The shepherds were told that Jesus was a Saviour (Luke 2:11). Simeon confirmed that Jesus was God’s “salvation” (Luke 2:30).

Even the Gospel of John, where the author speaks of the Word who enters the world from eternity, speaks of Jesus bringing life and light to a dead, dark world. In the same chapter, John the Baptist explains that Jesus “takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

If Christmas was only a hope for peace, we’ve missed the point. If the birth of Jesus only demonstrated that God has some generally good feelings toward humans, we really have missed Christmas.

And the world is being told, even by “Christians”, that everything is fine. Jesus has come, and everything is going to be ok for everyone.

But what John says is something different. Some indeed receive the Christ and become children of God – they are born again. But those who do not receive Him can expect only wrath (John 1:12-13; John 3:36)

For the repentant, God through Jesus removes the barrier of sin, teaching us to walk in holiness and righteousness without fear (Luke 1:74-79; Titus 2:11-14).

A world suffering from violence and fear and sorrow is being conned – without knowing the problem, they never find the solution. They missed Christmas.

And now Christmas is passed, and we’re in the new year. Are we thankful for the forgiveness of sins? Are we learning to walk in holiness? Are we turning people from their sin? If so, we really can live in the light of the birth of the Christ all year long.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions,
and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
waiting for our blessed hope,
the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness
and to purify for himself a people for his own possession
who are zealous for good works.

(Titus 2:11-14)