It might seem odd to be talking about life after death as we draw closer to Christmas, the time when we celebrate new life and birth, but the truth remains for humans that death is the one certain thing about life. We may not know when death will come, but we cannot avoid our mortality, pretending we will never die.
The good news of the gospel is that death does not have to have the last word. Jesus Christ died for our sins, but was raised to life for our justification (Rom 4:25) and the fact that He died as a sacrifice for our sins means all who put their trust in Him can experience everlasting life (John 3:16). We have a hope that goes beyond life on this earth, a hope of life beyond death (see 1 Cor 15:16-20, 35-58).
Christmas is not just about birth. In order to truly appreciate Christmas, we have to look into the purpose of Christ’s advent and see beyond the helpless baby to the Saviour who would die for the sins of the world and be raised to life again on the third day as confirmation of God’s acceptance of this sinless sacrifice. As we look from the cradle to Calvary, we see that there is more to life than birth and more to life than death, though birth and death are inextricably connected to life. For many people, Christmas is a painful reminder of loss and can be extremely difficult to bear, but the Christian gospel offers hope of life after death, life that cannot be extinguished by the mortality of the body. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure (Heb 6:19), sustaining us through the pain of bereavement and all insecurity about the future.