Years ago, I read a pamphlet called, “Christmas in Three Words.” I was blessed and remember it fondly every Christmas.

Today, I had the privilege of preaching at my high school’s chapel and used the framework to deliver the same glorious message in my own way. Here it is.

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How would you describe Christmas if you had just one word? Difficult, right? There’s too much happening: lights, songs, presents, cheesy Hallmark movies, ugly sweaters, or the tube socks you get every year from a weird aunt. Trying to sum all of that up in a single word feels almost impossible.

So today, instead of using one word, I want to describe Christmas in three, because why give one word when you can give three?

1. Christmas Is Historical

The first word: historical. Christmas didn’t begin as a story or a set of traditions. It began as an event. Something that actually happened, in a real place, in real time, to real people.

We get this mixed up sometimes because of all the legends and characters surrounding the holidays. For example, think about Santa Claus. You may not know, Santa is real, but he later got turned legend. There was a real St. Nicholas, but over time, stories about him grew, changed, and eventually turned into what we now call Santa Claus. Fun? Yes. Historical the way we think of it today? Not exactly.

Jesus birth is different. The birth of Jesus, however, didn’t evolve from myth. In fact, the writings of the Apostles has no evidence of myth, but of historical record. It was recorded by real eyewitnesses. The events it speaks about are confirmed by non-Christian ancient writers. It speaks about real government officials like Quirius, Tiberius, and Herod and real governmental activities like the census. Christmas is real. It’s no legend. The story of Jesus’ birth (and the rest of his life) isn’t folklore. It’s history. Christmas is not “once upon a time.” It’s “At that time…” (Luke 2:1).

So accurate are the historical claims of Scripture that Oxford scholar Sir. Dr. William Ramsey said of Luke’s writing in Luke and Acts:

“Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy, he holds the true historic sense… In short, this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians.”

The other books of the New Testament bear the same historical nature and reliability. These ain’t fairy tales whipped up in religious frenzy. They’re history. They’re real.

And that matters because it shows that Christianity is actually falsifiable. It makes real claims you can test. You can look for evidence. If there’s no evidence, then there’s no truth to it. If the historical events didn’t happen, then the spiritual claims collapse. If the history is real, the message of Jesus is real. But, if Christmas didn’t actually happen, then nothing else in Christianity really matters.

But, if you investigate the history, be careful, because if Christmas is historical, that means that Christ is Lord and you are not.

And that leads us to our next word…

2. Christmas Is Joyful

Our second word is joyful. This probably doesn’t surprise you. We sing, “Joy to the World!” multiple times, every Christmas. Great melody, big energy. But, have you ever asked, “Why joy? What makes Christmas joyful?

Your mind might go straight to the small joys of Christmas: what we experience. Parties, food, gifts, trees, music, break from school, and elves on shelves spying on you for Santa. These things bring a kind of joy, but they’re small joys. Temporary joys.

God Has Come

The real joy of Christmas isn’t in the things we experience, but the news of who has come. The angels announce it clearly:

“Don’t be afraid! I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem!” (Luke 2:10–11)

Great joy comes not from what’s under the tree, but from who came into the world. The prophet Isaiah explains exactly who this Messiah is 700 years earlier:

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child… they will call him Immanuel, which means God is with us.” (Isaiah 7:14)

Think about that: God is with us.

This is important to hear because some of you think of God as distant, detached, and possibly uninterested in what’s happening in the world, let alone your life. There is a reason for this, but it’s not because God moved, but we have.

Who Moved?

There’s an old story about a husband and wife who, back in their early years of dating, would ride in the man’s pickup truck pressed close together on the old bench seat. But over the years, as life got busy and routines settled in, they slowly drifted apart until each sat by their own window with a big space in between.

One day, while they were driving, the wife looked over and said, “Remember when we used to sit right next to each other? What happened to us?”

The husband thought for a moment, smiled softly, and said, “Honey… I’m not the one who moved.”

I think that story illustrates what many of us have experienced or even are experiencing now. Dryness, distance, and separation from God. But, who is the one who’s moved? We were the ones who walked away from God. We were the ones who created the distance. God created us to know him, love him, and enjoy him forever and we said, “Pass, how about I do things my own way.”

Realizing this, some of you might be thinking, “I’ve messed up. I’ve moved. I’m cooked. God wouldn’t want me.” But this text has good news if that’s you. God didn’t send a text saying, “Find your way back.” He didn’t hand us a list to fix ourselves. He didn’t shout directions from far away. We created a gap and at Christmas, God came to close it. Take joy. God has come.

Like the song says: “Joy to the world, the Savior’s come—let earth receive her King!”

It is joyful news that God has come in history. But, why has God come? That leads to our last word.

3. Christmas Is Needed

Sometimes we answer this question with half-answers: “He came to help your self-esteem,” “He came to tell you He loves you,” “He came to make you happy.” Those things sound nice, and there’s some truth in them, but they’re not enough. They only deal with symptoms, not the real sickness that causes them.

The full answer for why Christmas is needed is this: He came to rescue you from your sin.

“And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Talking about sin doesn’t always sit well during Christmas. It’s a season filled with twinkly lights and peppermint mochas, why harsh the buzz? For some, it’s confusing. You ask, “How does talking about sin fit with a holiday about joy? But the truth is: Christmas joy makes no sense without understanding the problem. The good news of Christmas only makes sense when we understand the bad news of our sin.

Taking God’s Role

Our problem with sin is illustrated well by a story I once heard about a little boy in a school Christmas play. He desperately wanted to play Joseph, but instead he got assigned the role of the Innkeeper. He was not thrilled. But, he came up with a plan.

When the big moment arrived and Mary and Joseph knocked on the door, Joseph asked the famous question: “Is there any room in the inn?” With a huge grin, the boy threw his arms open and yelled, “Absolutely! Tons of space! Come on in!” And just like that, the entire play fell apart. Total chaos.

We’re a lot like that boy. God created the world and wrote the script. Our role is clear: to know Him, love Him, trust Him, obey Him, and enjoy Him. But we weren’t satisfied with that part. We wanted a more important role, His role.

So we tore up His script, climbed into the director’s chair, and tried to run the story our own way. That’s what sin is: pushing God aside and taking His place. Replacing His commands with our preferences. Erasing His truth and writing in our own. Taking the throne as if we are the king of our own lives.

And what happens? Chaos. When we try to take God’s place, everything falls apart: confusion, sorrow, brokenness, and ultimately death. As Scripture says, “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). This is the bad news.

The Gift We Really Need

And this is the good news that makes Christmas truly amazing: God has given us a gift. Not a therapist, a coach, or a self-help wizard, but a savior who will, “save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). One pastor said it this way:

“If God had perceived that our greatest need was economic, he would have sent an economist. If he had perceived that our greatest need was entertainment, he would have sent us a comedian or an artist. If God had perceived that our greatest need was political stability, he would have sent us a politician. If he had perceived that our greatest need was health, he would have sent us a doctor. But he perceived that our greatest need involved our sin, our alienation from him, our profound rebellion, our death; and he sent us a Savior.” D.A. Carson

This is why Christmas is needed: Jesus came to save sinners by living and dying in the place of sinners. Jesus is not a therapist, coach, or self-help guru. He is the Savior of sinners. Christmas isn’t just something that happened before you. It’s something that happened for you. He came not to merely give you what you want, but what you need.

So Christmas in three words? God came to us in history. God is with us for our joy. God offer needed salvation from sin us through his son.

Give & Receive This Christmas

This Christmas, I hope you give gifts. That reflects God’s generosity. But, infinitely more than that, I hope you receive His gift: the historical gift of joy that he offers you in Jesus, the Savior of sinners. If you receive that gift and trust in Christ as the Born and Risen Savior, you’ll finally be able to sing with absolute sincerity, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her king!”