The Lord Jesus Christ, the Centre of Christmas
- Hien Nguyen
- Dec 30, 2025
- 4 min read
We thank God indeed for guiding us and helping us to meditate on the excellent knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ for more than one and a half years. Today, we shall meditate on Jesus Christ, the Centre of Christmas. What does it mean? Is the Lord Jesus Christ the Centre of our hearts, lives, worship, and ministries?
This week, when I picked up a Bible Dictionary from my bookshelf, I saw a book and also a gift to me a few years ago, titled Reforming Pastoral Ministry – Challenges from Ministry in Postmodern Times. I read the burb (a publisher’s brief description of the book on the back cover), and I was very glad that we have the same mind as other reformed pastors, who want to magnify and preach Christ alone. The description is as follows:
“The focus of the Bible is not successful living. It’s not successful churches. It’s not family or co-dependency or self-esteem. It is Christ.
And yet Sunday after Sunday, millions of Americans sit and listen to “therapeutic” or market-driven preaching.
They hear sermons aimed at resolving emotional needs or attracting the seeker. They walk away inspired to solve their problems or to consult their Bibles a little more often, perhaps, but they never see Christ. They miss the Christ whose life, death, and resurrection affect every aspect of their existence. They need the King of glory – and preaching centered solely on Christ that recaptures the wonder of His holiness.” (John H. Armstrong, editor of Reforming Pastoral Ministry – Challenges for Ministry in Postmodern Times, Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 2001).
The Bible does not tell us that the Lord Jesus was born in December, but His first Advent or Incarnation is true. The Lord Jesus came to fulfil all the prophecies and promises concerning Him in the Bible. While many focus on the Christmas holiday, Christmas decoration, Christmas Carols, Christmas presents, Christmas parties, and so on, but they may not have the Lord Jesus Christ Himself as the Centre of Christmas, and above all, the Centre of their hearts, lives, worship and ministries. What about us? Let us search the Bible to find the Lord Jesus Christ there.
1. Jesus Christ is the Centre of God the Father’s heart and mind when He planned His great salvation for sinful and condemned humans from the beginning through “the seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15) and then gave the world “His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). After Jesus’ redemptive death and resurrection, the Father has exalted Jesus to be Lord, Christ, King and Saviour (Acts 2:36; 5:31). What about us?
2. Jesus Christ is the Centre of the Holy Spirit’s ministry to inspired His holy men to write the Holy Bible, focusing on the Lord Jesus Christ to fulfil all the prophecies about Him and God’s great salvation for humans (2 Peter 1:21). The Holy Spirit testifies of Christ and glorifies Christ alone (John 15:26; 16:14). What about us? If we are controlled by the Holy Spirit, Christ must increase, but we must decrease (John 3:30).
3. Jesus Christ is the Centre of the Holy Bible as it testifies of the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24:44; John 5:39). Do we search the Holy Bible with a humble, teachable, receptive and submissive heart to find Christ from there?
4. Jesus Christ is the Centre of Gabriel’s message to Mary, announcing the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ (Luke 1:30-33). Do we believe and tell the Virgin Birth of Christ, the Son of God, and the coming King, to others?
5. Jesus Christ is the Centre of Mary’s heart and mind when she believed the message and accepted God’s plan for her life with a humble and submissive heart full of thanks and praise to God (Luke 1:46-49). What about us?
6. Jesus Christ is the Centre of Joseph’s heart and mind when he believed the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit and took care of Mary and the baby Jesus Christ, the Emmanuel, after the angel had appeared to him and told him (Matthew 1:20-25). Do we obey God to do our roles?
7. Jesus Christ is the Centre of the angel’s message to the shepherds, announcing the good tidings of great joy, even the newly-born Jesus Christ, the Saviour and the Lord (Luke 2:10-11). What about us?
8. Jesus Christ is the Centre of the shepherds’ hearts and minds when they came with haste to find the baby Jesus Christ in a manger and shared with others the angel’s word about Christ (Luke 2:16-17). What about us?
9. Jesus Christ is the Centre of wise men’s hearts and minds when they did not mind the long distance and uncomfortable journeys to find Jesus Christ with a sole purpose to “worship” Him alone, even the King, and not Mary, with their gifts, although they would not hear His preaching or see His miracles (Matthew 2:1-11). They did not seek the Lord’s material blessings because the Lord Himself was their greatest Blessing. What about us?
10. Jesus Christ is the Centre of Simeon’s heart and mind when he could recognise the baby Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, took Jesus in his arms and praised God for His salvation (Luke 2:27-32), whereas the priests, the scribes, and many others in Jerusalem and in the temple could not recognise Jesus Christ! What about us?
11. Jesus Christ is the Centre of Anne’s heart and mind when she could recognise Him by the Holy Spirit, gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to those who looked for God’s redemption in Jerusalem (Luke 2:38).
12. What about us? Without Christ, our hearts and lives will be empty! May the Lord graciously help us know and appreciate the most precious gift of God, even the Lord Jesus Christ, and then receive and exalt Jesus as our Lord,Christ, King, and Saviour (John 1:12-13; Acts 2:36; 5:31). May the Holy Spirit take control of us and use us to
testify of Jesus Christ and glorify Him alone. May the Lord Jesus Christ be the Centre of our hearts, lives, worship and ministries. May the Lord bless us all with a meaningful Christmas and a blessed New Year. Amen. HN.
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