I love Christmas as much as the next person. But we must remember that the true meaning of Christmas is found in the word rescue more than holiday. When the angel appeared to Joseph and told him not to be anxious about marrying Mary, because the child she was carrying was conceived by the Holy Spirit, the angel then instructed Joseph that the child’s name should be Jesus “because He will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

I will never forget the first time the true meaning of Christmas profoundly struck me. It was Christmas Eve 2006 and I was traveling from Thailand to Vietnam only passing through Cambodia. My bus had problems and we were not going to make the Vietnamese border before it closed, and so I had to spend Christmas in the capital city of Phnom Penh. The next morning, not really knowing what to do, I simply asked a taxi driver to take me to the number one tourist spot in the city. That happened to be a place called Tuol Sleng Museum. I thought I was going to see great art. Big mistake. I had no idea that it was the former torture center that was run by the brutal Khmer Rouge that tortured and killed thousands of men, women and children.

Survivors said it was like the gates of hell had opened up and swallowed humanity. After about an hour of walking through the center, seeing bloodstained tiles and documented pictures of unspeakable torture and death, I broke down in tears on the steps outside. I remember being angry at God. These were my thoughts, “God, this is Christmas! Why am I here? I deserve to be happy on Christmas. It’s a holiday. Instead, I am seeing the worst humans can do to other humans. I wanted to be happy on this day, not sad. I wanted carols and cookies not crying.”

Then, in that still small voice, God spoke to me. “ My son, Matt, you are witnessing Christmas behind the scenes, behind the veil. I did not look down upon the earth and see carols and cookies. I saw what you now see. I saw that the Khmer Rouge lives in the heart of all people—even yours. You are seeing the reason there had to be a first Christmas— my Son dispatched to earth on a mission to save people from their actual sins and potential sinfulness. I saw that my world did not need another holiday, it needed rescue.”

Take a moment to OFFEND yourself in order to gratefully find YOURSELF in the eternal words: “… His name shall be Jesus because He shall save His people from their sins.” Blessings and Shalom ❤️