Frederickson Blog

Each December, we all hear the familiar saying, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” If I’m honest, I’ve said it more often as a platitude rather than as a genuine reminder that there is a deeper meaning to the Christmas season. It wasn’t until I had kids of my own that the beauty of the incarnation started to take root. One night, while rocking my infant daughter to sleep in the light of the Christmas tree, I was struck by her tenderness and vulnerability. Picturing our Savior in that same state drove home for me the outrageously sweet gift that is the incarnation of Christ. The Almighty Creator of heaven and earth, the Great I Am—God, through Jesus Christ, took on the weakness and frailty of humanity. His arrival, a startling act of love, was His response to our sin, pain, and suffering.

Our theme for December, coming from Ephesians 3:17–19 (NIV), is Called to be Rooted and Established. Within those verses, Paul writes, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

The love of Christ was demonstrated by His willingness not only to be born into fragile humanity, but also to live a life in perfect obedience. He took on the punishment that we deserved. He conquered the powers of sin and death. This love does, indeed, “surpass knowledge,” and yet we can know and experience it through the gift of grace. How would our homes, workplaces, and communities be transformed if we moved into this month living truly rooted and established in that awesome and powerful love of Christ? Is there anything better for us to be “rooted and established” in?

As His followers, our celebration of Christmas is not the abstract celebration of a birth—it is the celebration of the reality of God’s love. He heard the cries and desperation of His people in need; He responded in an unbelievable act of self-sacrificing love; and, moreover, He will return one day and bring us home to heaven with Him.

May you be in awe of the truth of God’s Word, of His amazing love, and His saving grace. May that love extend into your home, office, school, and community as you share the good news. May you be ever more rooted and established in the broad, high, and deep love of Christ.