I’ve heard it said that Christmas is for kids.  Maybe you have too?  I certainly understand the sentiment.  Who is least burdened with pre-Christmas responsibilities?  Children.  Who is most excited for the “magic” and wonder of Christmas?  Who is most eager to discover the contents of stockings and wrapped presents under the tree?  Kids, of course!

The older we get, the more jaded we can become about the holidays; the more hassles and the less luster Christmas seems to hold.  So the perception that Christmas is primarily for little ones seems to make sense. 

But it’s simply not accurate.

Christmas, at least the real reason for Christmas, is for everyone!  God’s first and greatest Christmas Gift happens to be a Gift for all people.  Every single person desperately needs a Savior … the One who earned forgiveness for the countless wrongs they commit against the holy God and their fellow humans.

Transgressions don’t miraculously get transferred into the ether.   They can’t be secretly stashed away and hidden in a remote corner of the earth.  They can’t be disposed of in drastic or creative fashion.  Every indiscretion demands the proper penalty be paid.  That payment was beyond every flawed human.  But it wasn’t beyond the Son of God.

Which is why Jesus entered our world.  Why he was born, why he lived, why he died, and why he rose back to life.  Yes, it was for children.  It was also for teenagers and adults!  It was also for you and me and everyone. 

We all need redemption; we all need to be ransomed; we all need to be wrested from the wages of sin, the doom of spiritual and eternal death, and the dire control of the devil.  And only God himself could provide the sufficient cost to secure our freedom. 

So Christmas – Christ’s birth as a prelude to his atoning death – is definitely for everyone!

Christmas is for the guilt-ridden who despair of God’s pardon – because Christ secures it.

Christmas is for the physically, emotionally and mentally hurting (and even broken!) – because Christ is the path to perfect healing, if not in this world then the next. 

Christmas is for the disconsolate and depressed who long and look for help and hope – because Christ provides it.

Christmas is for the sorrowful – because Christ produces a joy that surpasses any circumstances.

Christmas is for the ones who mourn a loved believer who is no longer with them – because Christ prepared a special room just for them in heaven.

Christmas is for the weary, burdened and dying – because Christ brings rest, relief and life.

Christmas is for the poor and disenfranchised – because Christ makes all who love him spiritually wealthy and heirs of salvation.

Christmas is for the proud and privileged – because Christ, the almighty God-made-man, demonstrates a humility that speaks to all.

Christmas is for the young, strong and beautiful – because they will learn soon enough that everything is fleeting except for Christ’s faithfulness.

Christmas is for the lonely and unloved – because Christ proves his love by his advent and promises his eternal presence to those who know him.

Christmas is for the imprisoned and persecuted – because Christ brings freedom and relief, sometimes now but ultimately forever.

Christmas is for the educated and uneducated – because Christ provides a Truth that can be learned and treasured by anyone.

Christmas is for people of all nations and all languages – because Christ’s eternal Kingdom includes some from every continent and country regardless of skin color or speech, bringing them to the place where all present speak the same heavenly, holy language.

And yes, Christmas is for kids – because Christ is the single best Gift they will ever receive.

The list could go on and on.  But you perceive the point.  The Christ of Christmas really is a Gift for everyone!

That’s exactly what the Holy Spirit stated through the prophet Isaiah; Jesus offers something to all.  “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given … And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

It’s also what the band of angels shared with the shepherds the night Jesus was born:  “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14).

There is no one Christmas is not for – because we all need the peace that Christ brings in some aspect of our lives.  Usually in many aspects!  So no matter your age, be a kid at heart again this Christmas!