Joy to the world, the Lord is come."
Christmas a time to celebrate God’s Peace
Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. Christmas is the beginning of a classic true story with all the right ingredient- words like “love, joy, Peace and Goodwill” are familiar to anyone who knows the Christmas story, “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth among men with whom God is well-pleased.” (Luke 2:14) With these words a multitude of angels praised God at the time of the miraculous birth of Jesus and it still rings true today. The true meaning of Christmas is about God loving man. It is about God giving the most amazing and spectacular gift to reconcile the world. Nothing can capture us the mystery and the beauty of Christmas better than the carols we sing. They have the power to recreate in our imagination the scenes of the first Christmas. One of our familiar Christmas hymn says, "Joy to the world, the Lord is come, Let earth receive her King;” Let every heart prepare him room, And heaven and nature sing. This is one of the most joyous and loved Christmas carols during the Christmas celebration, because it makes so real what Christ’s birth means to all mankind. Bible says “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Romans 5:1)
Christmas a time to celebrate God’s love
Historically, Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. Theologically, Christmas is the celebration of the incarnation of God in human form for the reconciliation of humanity to God. The heart of Christmas is God showing His great love for humanity. 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." (John 3:16)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 and celebrate: “But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”(Luke 2:10) The good news of Christmas is worth celebrating for three reasons. It is personal news: "I bring YOU." It is positive news: "GOOD news of great joy." And it is universal news: "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. God loves you! Romans 5:8 says “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Christmas a time to acknowledge God’s presence
The angel brought us news we can celebrate. It's the best news in the world: God loves you! Not only God loves you but God is with you! and God is for you! So His birth brought great joy to the world. Shepherds, wise men, and angels all shared in the excitement of knowing about this great event. They knew this was not an ordinary baby. The prophets had told of His coming hundreds of years before. The star stopped over Bethlehem just to mark the way for those who were looking for this special child. The Angel Gabriel announced His arrival. The Angelic host sang a wonderful chorus for Him. The brightest star marked His presence. The Wise men came to worship Him. The Shepherds came to honor Him. The Priests knew from the Scripture that He was coming. Jerusalem and Herod the king was troubled at His coming. Jesus birth was the incarnation of God on earth, opening the door to new hope and eternal life. His mission was to redeem the earth and save mankind from the fatal results of Adams fall. He stayed long enough to finish the work of redemption. However, His coming into the world was not the beginning of Jesus. Gospel of John says He was the word that was in the beginning. He came from eternity. He always was and is eternal God. He temporarily laid aside His glory and took a body, through the Virgin Mary, to live in long enough to die for the sins of the world.
Christmas a time to accept God’s salvation
In Luke gospel chapter 2: verse 11 The Angel said to shepherds “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” At the very utterance of the name Saviour, every heart rejoice with a delight otherwise unknown. It is very pleasant to hear good tidings for all the rest of the world; but it is pleasanter to know that we have a personal share in the benefits of which those tidings tell. What a message from heaven to a world weary of life and sick with sin — "Unto you is born a Savior!"Whoever you are, whatever are your sins there is salvation for you. The Bible says that all have sinned. We are all born with a sin nature. We do things that do not please God. Through the sins of Adam and Eve, we have all inherited that sin nature. We need to have that removed. The only way is through Jesus. Jesus is the center of Christmas and He is the reason for the season. C. S. Lewis said it well “The Son of God became a man that men might become sons of God." Now that is true meaning of Christmas and something worth celebrating. Jesus came so He could die on the cross for ALL of our sins. Jesus was born so one day the price could be paid for the things we have done that are wrong. If we believe that Jesus died for our sins, we can ask Him to come into our hearts and forgive us. Then, we are clean and made whole. We can know that heaven is a place where we can go to when this life is over.
Christmas a time to express our gratitude for God’s grace
Titus 2:11 says “For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.” Christmas is a time to appreciate what God has done for us in Christ, time for thanksgiving and remembering God’s grace, kindness, love, mercy and goodness. In 2 Corinthians 9:15 Paul said rightly “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” When our hopes crush, & dreams collapse, the Christmas is designed to relieve and to bring happiness and glorious hope to us. The true spirit of Christmas is Christ-spirit must take its birth within our heart. That is the real Christmas when we accept Christ as our personal savior and Lord and committed to serve those in need, to giving hope to those in despair, and to spreading hope, Peace, joy and love in the world. That is the real Christmas, when the Divine constituent begins to express itself in the heart of the man. From then onward, light begins to shine where darkness was before. Ignorance gives place to the beginning of wisdom. Impurity is replaced by purity. Hatred ceases and love begins to blossom forth. It means to invite Christ, God incarnate, into our lives and our hearts. Let us celebrate this Christmas praying and doing all we can to promote love, peace and goodwill among all people on earth. Christmas began in the heart of God. It is only complete when it reaches the heart of man. Merry Christmas
