“It’s Christmas Eve, it’s the one night of the year where we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more … for a couple of hours out of the whole year we are the people that we always hoped we would be.” —Scrooged (1988)

The “prophet” Bill Murray delivers the line with elan, with a feverish and infectious excitement, but there is an appropriate HINT of desperation in his voice… he sounds like a man hanging on by his fingernails to a ledge called Christmas, dangling over a precipice called “real life” which, even he admits, will kick in after the ball drops and we kiss in the New Year.

Baby Jesus grew up, lived a sinless and perfect life, and claimed to be God. An angel reminded his father Joseph of messianic prophecy in his dream, revealing that his son would not only be the fulfillment of God’s promises, but God incarnate, the Word of God made flesh.

At Christmas, we can lose sight of what’s central by musing on a serene nativity when, in truth, the image of perfect peace is not a sleeping baby but a bleeding savior, a perfect child growing into his prime and dying a death he did NOT deserve so that we could be redeemed for our sins.

While some people seek connections to something beyond their usual routine, Christians are connected to something that IS our usual routine. Christians are warmed by the knowledge that Christmas will ultimately be an eternal event that never ends.

Listen to the message here by clicking the image above, or download it by right-clicking HERE. Choose from other options by visiting the Mars Hill Media Library.