Christmas is our annual reminder that God chose enter this world as a marginalized person on behalf of marginalized people everywhere.

Jesus was born poor--to a scandalized teenage mom and a blue collar stepdad. His people were living under oppressive occupation and he was from a town no one liked (“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”). First recognized as Messiah by social outcasts and pagan magicians, Jesus spent his early years as a refugee on the run from a violent government.

In one of his earliest public speeches, Jesus claimed he’d been sent by God “to proclaim good news to the poor,” “freedom for the prisoners,” “recovery of sight for the blind,” “to set the oppressed free,” and “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Jesus spent the rest of his life doing just that, all while challenging oppressive systems, breaking religious rules, and defying social norms to support those on the margins. Eventually, he was executed as a political dissident by the occupying Roman government.

But it didn’t end there. Jesus overcame death with life by rising from the grave, demonstrating once and for all that there is nothing more powerful than the love of God. He now offers forgiveness, freedom, and flourishing to anyone and everyone who wants it.

If you really want to “keep Christ in Christmas,” worry less about people saying Xmas or Happy Holidays and more about sharing this story—the story of Jesus.

(🖼️ Tent City Nativity by Kelly Latimore)