IN CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS

Another yuletide is here with us again. The wind of Christmas is blowing everywhere now. A lovely thing about Christmas is that it is compulsory like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together. Christmas is a season to show love, care and gift to people, especially those at the lower ladder of life.

One must not forget that the reason we celebrate Christmas is because “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.” This is the good news that we were given some thousand years ago, for all people, and still holds true up to.

Giving Christmas presents is a tradition this time of the year. Kids usually get toys from “Santa” on Christmas, but it is also customary to give gifts to others you love. Presents do not have to be big or expensive; it must not be to the ones you know, your friends or loved ones alone but to those who cannot pay back. We must not steal, kill or kidnap in order to celebrate Christmas.

Christians the world over celebrate Christmas in honor of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Various Christmas traditions have been associated with the celebration of Christmas, and different cultures celebrate different ways. The unifying factor is the historical fact that Jesus was born. The angel who appeared to the shepherds the night of Jesus’ birth said, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people”.

In the town of David a Savior has been born to us; He is the Messiah, the Lord”. We celebrate Christmas because, as the angel said, the birth of Jesus Christ is “good news.” Good news is meant to be celebrated. In fact, the angel said the news of Jesus’ birth would cause “great joy” and would be “for all the people”—the joyful celebration would be universal. People around the globe would be glad for this occasion.

We celebrate Christmas because, as the angel said, “A Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.” The three titles the angel applies to Jesus are important. Jesus is

the Savior who delivers us from sin and death. He is the human Messiah (or Christ) who fulfills the Law and the Prophets, showing that God is faithful. And He is the divine Lord who has entered our world: the Almighty has taken on human flesh; God and man have been fused together in an indivisible, eternal bond; God is truly with us.

In celebrating Christmas, we celebrate the Savior, because we need deliverance. We celebrate the Christ in whom all of God’s promises are “Yes” and “Amen”. We celebrate the Lord who in humility took on “the very nature of a servant” for our sakes.

We celebrate Christmas with gift-giving because of the “indescribable gift” that God gave to us. We celebrate Christmas by stringing lights because the Light of the world has come to us. We celebrate Christmas with carols and choirs because they are expressive of joy and follow the examples of Mary, Zacharias and Simeon and the angels, all of whom extolled the Lord in poetry. We celebrate Christmas by decorating evergreen trees with stars and angels and tinsel because of the eternal life Jesus brings and stars and angels and beauty were all associated with Jesus’ birth.

In celebrating Christmas, we celebrate the love and condescension of God. Some years ago in Texas, a toddler, Jessica, fell into an eight-inch well casing. She became stuck twenty-two feet below ground. Once people discovered that “Baby Jessica” was in the well, they took immediate action. They went down to where she was and got her. They did whatever it took. Rescuers worked nonstop for fifty-eight hours to free her.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve fell, dragging all humanity with them into the darkness and death of sin. And what did God do? He did not tell us to find our own way out of the mess we were in. No, He came down to where we were and got us. That’s what Christmas is all about—God’s coming down to rescue us, to do whatever it took to deliver us from sure death.

When even one person is in a life-threatening situation, we understand what has to be done. When God looked down at our sinful planet, He saw the world in mortal danger. We celebrate Christmas because it was at Christmastime that the Rescuer of all mankind came to save us from the hopeless situation we were in. God did not stay in heaven; He came down to where we are.

Written by DR TIMOTHY IFEDIORAMMA