Among all the festivals and holidays of the Christian Church year, Christmas remains the most observed and most popular. Of course, much of that popularity, is due to the commercial promotion of the holiday. Still, the Christmas story captures the heart in a way that transcends all the commercial hype. Especially for the young, the story of Christmas with all the images of angels and a young mother, of shepherds and a stable, of wise men and royal intrigue make the season captivating.

Historically, Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth to a young maiden from Galilee. Theologically, Christmas is the celebration of the incarnation of God in Jesus the Christ, the self-revelation of God to the world in human form for the reconciliation of humanity to Himself.

While we most often think about Christmas as a single day, it is actually a season of the year. Contrary to advertising campaigns, the actual Christmas Season in most churchs begins at sunset on Christmas Eve, December 24, and lasts through January 5. Since this time includes 12 days, the season of Christmas is known in many places as the Twelve Days of Christmas, the time before Christmas is a special season called Advent, comprising the four Sundays before Christmas Day.

The origins of the celebrations of Christmas and Epiphany, as well as the dates on which they are observed, are rooted deeply in the history of the early church. There has been much scholarly debate concerning the exact time of the year when Jesus was born, and even in what year he was born. Actually, we simply do not know either. The Christmas celebration is not an observance of a historical date, but a commemoration of the event in terms of worship.

The traditions surrounding the celebration of this season are almost as numerous as the people who celebrate it. Through the years, the holiday has been adapted to local customs, culture, and history and so has produced an amazing variety of Christmas traditions around the world.

What is the true meaning of Christmas? It is not about the "spirit of giving" or the quest for global peace, or the importance of family, or the beauty of a snow-decorated "silent night." How does, or how should, the meaning of Christmas impact our lives on a daily basis as the people of God? Perhaps for an answer, we need to return to the biblical narratives.

At the heart of the nativity narratives in both Matthew and Luke, is a simple fact: amid the struggle of a people who had longed for 500 years for God to act in the world in new ways, God came to be with them in a way that totally identified himself with us, as human beings. Amid the most unlikely of circumstances, to the most unlikely of people, God became man for the salvation of all people.

It is this same God who has promised to be with us, with his people, with the church and with us individually, as we live as his people in the world.