Christmas is the fulfillment of God’s purpose in our lives.

God created us to be in relationship with him.

The idea that God created men and women to be in relationship with him was beautifully expressed in St Augustine’s work called Confessions, in which he wrote of God, "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are rest-less till they find their rest in you."

Blaise Pascal, the famous philosopher and mathematician would repeat this idea in his final work called Pensees or “Thoughts” when he wrote:

What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.

What Pascal says is that so much of what humankind pursues: wealth, security, happiness, companionship, joy – is all an effort to fill a void that can only be filled by God.

So many try to fill that void with poor imitations: with work, with social life, with recreation and sports, with relationships and food. But all of those things ultimately fail to satisfy. Why? Because God created us to be in relationship with him and anything less than that will not meet the needs of our heart.

Christmas is also a wonderful time to share the message of the gospel with friends and family. Although it’s tricky, it’s possible if we can remember several principles:

1. Remind them that no one begins the faith journey with complete knowledge or understanding, but they can begin wherever they are.

2. Invite them to reflect on times that God may have expressed care for them. What they might consider “lucky” moments may have actually been examples of God’s provision. Grace appears to us in real life as blessings or benefits that are undeserved.

3. Help them take whatever small steps they can toward understanding more about what God has in store for them.

The offer of salvation may be compared to a special treat that you offer to your kids, and they say they're not interested.

Us: "It’s really good, you’ll like it."

Them: "No, I don’t want it."

Somewhat similar to the response of many to God at Christmas.

Even though there may be apathy or outright disinterest and rejection, let's continue to offer the gift of salvation. It is the only thing that can fill the empty place in empty hearts.