This is the time of year when our minds are focused on the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. But it is easy to get caught up in all the trappings – to try and picture the manger and the animals, to try and hear the angels’ announcement, or to wonder what Joseph and Mary were thinking. The problem is when we think of Jesus’ Advent as an end in itself, as if somehow the mere appearance of Jesus is enough to bring about a state of generic “niceness” in the world. We have to remember that Jesus came for a purpose: to save sinners and to defeat the one who had the power of death, the devil. At just the right time, the Bible tells us, Jesus came into the world, sent by the Father to redeem for Himself a people. When we think of Christmas, we cannot forget the cross. For it is because of the cross that Jesus was born a man, born under the law. We rejoice at Christmas because “God Sent His Son” (Galatians 4:4-7).