"Dating" of a calendar and "dating" of one's life...
Universally all the Nations irrespective of their stand on religion adopt a calendar, which uses the Christ’s birth as a base. Yes, the World history is split into 2 not on the basis of the birth of great conquerors like Alexander the great or Julius Caesar nor is it divided on the basis of great thinkers like Socrates or Aristotle, rather it is split into two on the basis of birth of a Man, who conquered not the lands but the hearts of the people for God, whose life-transforming message was so simple that a even a simpleton could understand (I Cor 1:20-31).
Now importance of dating of the World calendars on the basis of Christ’s birth pales into insignificance, in the light of ‘new birth experience’ Christ offered to all those who trusted Him (John 1:12,13), so much so Bible declares in II Cor 5:17 that all Christians (who have trusted Him for salvation) ‘are a new creation’. Now dear friends, I want to pose a straight question, ‘Do we have the BC and AD experience ourselves’? Can we echo the sentiments of apostle Paul in II Cor 5:17 and say that ‘BC, my life was muddled in a mire and AD, my life is totally new’. With the II Advent around the corner, we better do!
Zacchueus in Luke 19:8, in essence could say, ‘before Christ came into my life, I was an avaricious tax collector but after Christ came, I am a different man’. It is that life-transforming power - Christ’s birth brought in its wake - which makes Christmas ‘special’ filling us with delight, even as this amazing truth takes root in our hearts.
Oh, yes, Merry Christmas to all of us!