Product Description

Hailed by The Economist as the "the most influential pastor in America," and by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, the bestselling author of The Purpose Driven Life expounds on the profound origins of Christmas, describing it as an opportune time to welcome peace into our lives.

In his powerful yet compassionate voice, Pastor Rick Warren sounds the clarion call to "remember the reason for the season," taking readers back in time to the most wonderful story of all -- the birth of the baby Jesus. When he was just a small boy, young Rick asked his parents if they could celebrate Christmas with a birthday party for Jesus -- and the tradition began that the Warrens have upheld for over fifty years. Now through stirring imagery and compelling personal insights, The Purpose of Christmas honors the significance and promise of this cherished holiday.

Pastor Warren encourages readers to identify and confront what drains peace from their lives. Warren explains that the way to respond to these peace-robbers is to learn how to surrender to God's will and not feel defeated or discouraged when life does not go as planned. True peace of mind is found by having an unshakeable faith in God -- knowing that his empowering Spirit will guide his children through life's challenges.

Beautifully written, The Purpose of Christmas will stir readers to honor the true significance of Christmas and to nurture God's gifts of love and peace in this world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #91910 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 132 pages

About the Author
Rick Warren was born in San Jose, California and founded Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA., with one family in 1980. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from California Baptist University, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. Rick and his wife, Kay, live in Trabuco Canyon, California and have three children.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Why is Christmas such a big deal?

It's the largest celebration around the world each year. Other holidays get a single day, but Christmas is emphasized for an entire month, one twelfth of every year. During the Christmas season, billions of people set aside their normal routines to decorate their homes, send out greeting cards, buy gifts, go to Christmas parties, attend church services, sing Christmas songs, watch Christmas TV specials, and travel long distances to be with their families. Christmas sights and sounds fill the air everywhere. There are stores, and even careers, that are exclusively dedicated to preparing for and celebrating this holiday. When Christmas comes, you can't miss it. It's everywhere.

If you stop to think about it, it is astounding that the simple, unassuming birth of a peasant boy born two thousand years ago in the Middle East has caused such commotion -- his birthday even causes traffic jams today in places like New York City, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro.

You may have never realized that every time you check your calendar or refer to a date or write one down, you are using Jesus Christ as your reference point. Because of Jesus, history is divided into BC (before Christ) and AD (anno Domini, in the year of the Lord). Every other event in history and every event on your calendar today is dated by how many days and years it has been since Jesus Christ appeared on earth.

Even your birthday is dated by his birthday.

The night Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, a small group of poor shepherds was quietly tending their flocks of sheep in a nearby field. Looking up at the stars, nothing seemed any different from a thousand other nights. But what was about to happen would transform not only the shepherds' lives but billions of other lives as well. The world would never be the same. Suddenly a bright light lit up the sky, and an angel from God appeared above them and began speaking to them. It seemed unbelievable and scared them.

The Bible gives us the original Christmas story:

There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Luke 2:8-14 niv

The angel said that Christmas would bring "great joy...for all the people." Really? For many people, getting ready for Christmas seems more of a hassle than a source of happiness. It is a source of stress. They feel pressure, not pleasure, when it comes to Christmas. It's a duty, not a delight. They endure Christmas rather than enjoy it.

There are many possible reasons you might feel uneasy or lonely or even depressed during the Christmas season. You may dread spending time with oddball relatives. Maybe relationships are strained and uncomfortable in your family. Maybe you don't have anyone to be with this Christmas. Christmas may remind you of losses or hurts or how things have changed. You may have a religious background that doesn't include Christmas, or you may have no faith at all; watching others celebrate may make you feel uneasy. Maybe you're just exhausted and worn out from all that's happened in your life this past year. This Christmas, God cares deeply about how you feel, and so do I. It's why I have written this book.

Regardless of your background, religion, problems, or circumstances, Christmas really is the best news you could get. Beneath all the visible sights and sounds of Christmas are some simple yet profound truths that can transform your life for the better here on earth and for forever in eternity. Right now there's nothing more important for you to understand than the implications of Christmas for your life.

If you'll slow down for a few minutes, take the time to read this brief book, and pause to consider the purpose of Christmas, you can receive and enjoy the best Christmas gift you'll ever be given. It is God's Christmas gift to you.

God's Christmas gift to you has three qualities that make it unique. First, it is the most expensive gift you'll ever receive. It's priceless. Jesus paid for it with his life. Second, it's the only gift you'll ever receive that will last forever. Finally, it is an extremely practical gift -- one you'll use every day for the rest of your life. Interested?

It is no accident that you are reading this book. God planned your birth, and before you were even born, he knew this moment was coming. In fact, it may be that all your whole life up to this moment has been preparing you to receive God's Christmas gift to you.

On the first Christmas night, the angel announced three purposes for the birth of Jesus:

Christmas is a time for celebration!

Christmas is a time for salvation!

Christmas is a time for reconciliation!

The Purpose of Christmas © 2008 Rick Warren

Christmas is a party. Specifically, it's a birthday party -- for Jesus -- and birthdays are meant to be celebrated. It's why we say "Merry Christmas!"

Ironically, at most Christmas parties the person whose birthday we're supposed to be celebrating is completely ignored. He's never even mentioned. Although Jesus is the reason for the season, he's often overlooked or merely mentioned along with Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus, the Grinch, elves, and a long list of celebrated fictional characters.

As I was writing this little book, I decided to take a survey of Christmas shoppers. I asked, "What are you celebrating this Christmas?" Most answers had nothing to do with Jesus:

"I'm celebrating that I made it through another year."

"I'm celebrating being home with my family."

"I got a Christmas bonus."

"My son is home from Iraq."

"The candidate I voted for got elected."

"I'm celebrating that I've finished all my shopping."

"I'm not celebrating anything. I'm just trying to survive."

Preparing for Christmas can be a lot of work, especially for moms. With the pressure of buying gifts, sending greeting cards, decorating our homes, putting up lights, cooking, attending parties, and cleaning up afterward, we have little time to actually enjoy the meaning of Christmas.

The first purpose of Christmas is celebration! We learn this from the angel's opening statement to the shepherds of Bethlehem. God had wonderful news for us that would cause us all to rejoice, celebrate, and throw a party:

"I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people."

Luke 2:10 niv

The good news of Christmas is worth celebrating for three reasons. It is personal: "I bring YOU." It is positive: "GOOD news of great joy." And it is universal: "for ALL the people." It doesn't matter who you are, what you've done, where you've been, or where you're headed -- this news is for you.

A national magazine used to carry a feature called "News You Can Use." I always read that section first. The angel brought us news we can use. It's the best news in the world:

God loves you!

God is with you!

God is for you!

Christmas is a time to celebrate that God loves you!

The most famous statement in the Bible is Jesus' explanation of why God sent him to earth: "God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

The entire reason for Christmas is the love of God. God loves you so much that he came to earth as a human so you could get to know him and learn to trust him and love him back. Theologians call this the Incarnation. God became one of us, a human being, so we could understand what he is really like.

God has given us, as human beings, the capacity to know him in ways animals can't. He created us in his image, which includes the ability to enjoy a personal relationship with him. Then he took the initiative to send Jesus so we could understand his love and our need for him.

Of course, we know a little about God by simply observing his creation. For instance, by looking at nature we know that our Creator loves variety: he created an incredibly diverse universe. Think of the limitless array of plants, animals, rock formations, snowflakes, and people. No two human beings, even twins, are exactly alike. God doesn't make clones or copies. Every one of us is an original. After you were born, God broke the mold.

By surveying natural phenomena, we also know that God is powerful and organized, and that he loves beauty. We all know that God must enjoy watching us enjoy what he's created. Otherwise, why would he give us so many ways to enjoy it? He gave us taste buds, then filled the world with incredible flavors like chocolate and cinnamon and all the other spices. He gave us eyes to perceive color and then filled the world with a rainbow of shades. He gave us sensitive ears and then filled the world with rhythms and music. Your capacity for enjoyment is evidence of God's love for you. He could have made the world tasteless, colorless, and silent. The Bible says that God "richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." He didn't have to do it, but he did, because he loves us.

Still, until Jesus arrived, our understanding of God's love was limited. So God invaded earth! It was the greatest invasion in history, and nothing has been the same since. God could have chosen thousands of ways to communicate with us, but since he designed us, he knew the best way to communicate with us would be face-to-face.

If God had w...

Customer Reviews

What a blessing and encouragement at a much needed time
Christian's firmly believe that they KNOW the purpose of Christmas, that they believe they celebrate the birth of Jesus and that they are just "fine". In this personal letter to all readers, Pastor Rick Warren reminded me that although I know the purpose of Christmas and I believe that I celebrate it, I have/had truly forgotten the childlike wonder and was not rejoicing in the celebration of the greatest mircle of all. My heart has been blessed by the message that this book carries. I hope to celebrate Christmas differently this year with a better attitude and an improved outlook, despite the impending gloom of our economy and position as a country.

Thank you Pastor Rick for the opportunity to share this message with my children. We will be reading this book at bedtime together and each night celebrating The Purpose of Christmas.

A Friend changed my life when he gave me this book
Like most people, I've "done" Christmas every year since I was a baby, but honestly, I had never really thought about it much personally. Of course I knew it was the birth of Jesus, but didn't figure that had any relevance to me. It was just an historical event. Then, a week ago, a good friend of mine gave me a copy of this book. It was short, so I thought I'd read it. WOW.... I mean seriously... I had no idea! How did I miss this all these years? Warren explains why Christmas is such a "big deal" around the world, but more important is how he clearly lays out the implications and benefits to your personal life. I did what he said and I will never be the same person anymore. I'm free! I still don't know enough to explain it so I just ordered 9 copies to give to my friends.
This will be the best Christmas because now I get it. JONATHAN FARADAY (Robert is my brother)

Another Great Book from Rick
Thanks for reminding me of the meaning of Christmas!! In today's world we have gotten so caught up in the 'work' involved with celebrating Christmas - decorating the house, shopping, cooking, attending parties, etc that we forget the real meaning of Christmas.

I have been looking for something different and yet meaningful to give to friends and family this year for Christmas and I think this is just the right gift. With the state of the economy and things going on in the world around us I think that it's a great time to be reminded of the meaning of Christmas and at the same time give the gift of eternal life.

Thanks for writing a simple book that brings people back to God and those that have never known Him a book that they can relate to and begin a walk with Christ.