The month December which is supposed to usher in the joys of Christmas. But what is Christmas really about? It is the celebration of the birthday of the most significant person in human history – Jesus Christ. No one knows the exact date of this birth but it is observed on December 25.
This year, 2020, the Christmas spirit might be dampened because of the Coronavirus pandemic which has affected our lives in so many different ways across the world. In the United States millions of people have been infected by the virus, tens of thousands have died and thousands have overwhelmed the hospital systems. Health care personnel are exhausted.
For many people, this Christmas will be a time of sorrow. They don’t have the extra money to buy presents for their children, family, and friends. Many are saddened when they think of their loved ones who will not be able to come home because of various reasons. Special dinners may be only a wish and not a reality for too many.
In addition, businesses have been closed forever. Millions of people have joined the unemployment numbers. Food lines are growing longer daily. Children are going without meals. The situation seems to be worsening. As a nation we are in mourning but we have hope and we can still celebrate in the right way to experience the promises that Jesus Christ fulfilled.
It’s exactly in times like these that the true Christmas story takes on relevance. In the midst of the oppression and suffering of the Jewish nation and people under the Roman Government, the angel appeared with the message of hope and joy.
We borrow the words of the angel to share the same message with you. We proclaim to you and to the world, “Do not be afraid. We bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2: 10).
Christmas is more than lights twinkling almost from house to house. It’s more than decorated Christmas trees everywhere you look, more than gifts under the Christmas trees, more than the greeting cards sent and received, more than food, fellowship and football. It is even more than the annual economic boost that businesses get from customers who take on unnecessary debts to satisfy their egos and the culture. Christmas has been secularized and the true meaning has been minimized.
Christmas is one of the most important Christian holy days of the year? It’s the commemoration of the fulfillment of prophecies which were recorded hundreds of years before by people who were inspired by God.
It’s is a special time of spiritual reflection on the foundations of the Christian faith and of our life. It’s also a joyous celebration. It’s when Christians celebrate God’s love for the world through the birth of Jesus Christ.
If we meditate on and contemplate the meaning of Christmas we will find that we fail to measure up to the standard that God has for us. We realize that we fall short of expectations and cannot help ourselves. God knows our weaknesses and so God took the initiative to come and help us in our hopeless situation, in our sin.
Christians believe that God came in the form of a little baby in Jesus Christ, grew up like us and always pleased God. He was able to bring us back into an intimate relationship with God.
Jesus brought the unfathomable, eternal love of God into our human situation. He came to share the truth that will set us free, to give us hope that is unshakeable, joy that is indescribable, peace that is beyond human understanding, and to help us to live a spiritually positive, purposeful and fulfilled life on earth and receive the gift of eternal life.
Be joyous at Christmas! No matter what may be happening, we can know that we are God’s children. We are sons and daughters of God because we have responded to and accepted God’s love in our hearts. The joy and peace you will experience will last forever.
Jesus is the Reason for the Season! Rejoice and be glad! Have a blessed Christmas season!