By recognizing Jesus as Lord, we find the true purpose of Christmas: to bring us to a place of adoration, worship, and commitment to the One who gave everything for us.
The confusion of the true spirit of Christmas is engineered by the enemy of our souls. Amid the flashing lights, Black Friday sales, and busyness of the season, it can be challenging for even the most committed among us to focus on the mystery we’re meant to celebrate. And so, if we want to understand what Christmas is really about, it helps to look past the spectacle around us and focus on the profound truth that lies at the heart of it.
So, let’s set aside the holiday buzz for a moment and turn our attention to Philippians 2:5-7, where Paul reveals the heart of Christmas in the humility, servanthood, and exaltation of Christ. Here, Paul offers a perspective on Christmas that reveals not only what happened in Bethlehem but why it matters to us today. Here, we can see God’s humble, sacrificial heart, which turns all our notions of greatness and glory upside down.
At the beginning of this passage, the great apostle encourages us to have the same “mind” that Christ Jesus had (2:5). This seems especially fitting for us as the Christmas season seems to pull out all stops in diverting our attention from Christ. Before diving into what Jesus did, Paul asks us to consider how Jesus thought. This isn’t simply a call to follow his actions but to adopt his attitude. And what kind of mindset did Jesus have? One of humility, selflessness, and surrender.
Paul explains that Christ, although in the form of God, “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (2:6-7). This, perhaps, is the most astounding aspect of the Christmas story: God humbled himself to take on human flesh. In a world obsessed with status and climbing to the top, Jesus shows us the ultimate act of “descending,” surrendering his divine privileges to take on human frailty.
The term “emptied himself” is particularly meaningful. It’s not that Jesus abandoned his divinity, but he willingly set aside the privileges and honors that come with it. He chose a humble birth, not as a king in a palace but as a baby in a manger. It’s a scene that would have been shockingly lowly by human standards, especially for the One who created the universe. Christmas, then, is not about the grandeur we often make it out to be but about humility, surrender, and the willingness of Christ to step down from heaven to be with us.
In addition to the humility of Christmas, we should note the servanthood it entails. Christmas is about God “taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (2:7). This servant language wasn’t just a symbolic gesture; Jesus embodied it in everything he did. From his birth to his ministry and ultimately to the cross, Jesus didn’t come to be served but to serve (Matthew 20:28).
In our culture, Christmas often focuses on what we want, what we receive, and what’s under the tree. We just don’t give gifts; we exchange them. There’s a reciprocity involved in our giving. Yet, Jesus demonstrates a different kind of giving that places others above oneself. Christmas is ultimately about a self-giving love that came into the world to give rather than to receive. It’s a reminder that we are called to embrace servanthood, following in the steps of a Savior who didn’t claim his rights but took on responsibility for us.
In a world obsessed with status and climbing to the top, Jesus shows us the ultimate act of “descending,” surrendering his divine privileges to take on human frailty.
Given that servanthood is at the heart of Christmas, it isn’t surprising to find sacrifice at its core as well. “And being found in human form, he [Jesus] humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (2:8). Christmas marks the beginning of Jesus’s journey toward the ultimate act of love—his sacrifice on the cross. It’s easy to get caught up in the warmth of Christmas lights and the comfort of holiday traditions, but Christmas is about a costly love. Jesus didn’t come to earth merely to live among us; he came to die for us.
The phrase “even death on a cross” is important. Remember, crucifixion was the most humiliating and painful method of death in the ancient world, reserved for the worst criminals. Yet Jesus, the Son of God, endured this fate. His birth in a humble stable was a foretaste of the humility he would show on the cross. This is the depth of God’s love for us: he was willing to suffer and die to bring us back into a right relationship with Him.
At Christmas, we celebrate not just a baby in a manger but a Savior who would go to the cross. We see, even in the incarnation, the shadow of the cross. This is the paradox of Christmas: the gift of life came through a pathway of death.
The story doesn’t end with Jesus in the manger or even on the cross. Paul writes, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (2:9-11). The babe swaddled in rags will return one day as a conquering king in royal robes.
This exaltation reminds us that Christmas is a victory celebration. When we consider that the one who arrived swaddled in rags is exalted as the King of kings, we’re reminded of how astonishing this story really is. And what led to his victory? A lowly birth and a painful death—pictures of humility and sacrifice—led to a glorious resurrection. Christ turns the world’s paradigm upside down as he demonstrates that humility and sacrifice are not signs of weakness but of ultimate strength and authority. Christmas exalts not only Jesus’s first coming, but also celebrates his second coming—not as a humble servant but as a reigning King.
Here is our call to worship. Christmas invites us to bow our hearts, not only before a baby in a manger but before a Savior on a throne. In recognizing Jesus as Lord, we acknowledge the true purpose of Christmas: to bring us to a place of adoration, worship, and commitment to the One who gave everything for us.
By recognizing Jesus as Lord, we find the true purpose of Christmas: to bring us to a place of adoration, worship, and commitment to the One who gave everything for us.
Christmas is not about what we give or receive at the material level. It’s much deeper than the material level, for the truth of Christmas points us to the spiritual. It’s not just about what we give and receive but about what has already been given in Christ. And the gift doesn’t end there. Christmas is about what we can pass along to others. When we gather around our decorated tree, let us remember the One who hung on a “tree” for us. When we offer gifts to those we love, they stand as but a paltry reflection of the ultimate gift of love and grace we have received in Jesus.
May this Christmas be a time not just of celebration but of transformation—a moment when we reflect on the humility, servanthood, sacrifice, and exaltation of Christ and allow these truths to shape how we live, serve, and love.
No spam, stay up to date on new articles, resources and events!
Get notified about new articles from the Institute.
