Christmas in the Air!

It is the month of December already and eager anticipation of Christmas and the celebrations abound. Like you can smell the Spring season in the air, with its flowers and scents and the chirping birds, one can feel the excitement about Christmas. It is in the very air!

Programmes after programmes in the churches, musicals and skits by Sunday School students and the choir, cantata, Christmas carols, galore. Not to say the least about the preparations of plum cakes, Christmas puddings, sweets, rose-cookies, mince pies and fritters. Yes, it is the time to celebrate, a time of sharing and rejoicing, for Christ was born that day.  

But what is the significance of Christmas celebration? What are we really celebrating? It is just cakes and wine or is there something more?

Bible tells us that Jesus was born on that day, which we today celebrate as Christmas, may be around 3 BC. Some 2000 and odd years of traditions have become built around that event. At this point of time we are not too sure about the exact date or month or the season or the year of his birth. But we do know that a child was born in Bethlehem in a manger to Mary and Joseph.

Bible also tells us that the child that was being born will ‘save His people from their sins.’ Matthew 1:21. That seems to be the purpose of the birth. The child was born of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God fashioned the child as a human zygote and implanted it in the womb of the virgin Mary, betrothed to Joseph the carpenter. It developed into the embryo and the baby was born in the normal manner.

That was the First Advent – the first coming of Jesus, the Son of God coming as a boy child in to the world. Jews anticipated eagerly the birth of a Messiah, to save them, save them from foreign rule and oppression, including that of Roman’s. They missed the birth of Jesus completely, because he was born not to save them from foreign rule, but to save them from their sins! Of course, he was not born in a palace to a King, but to a carpenter in a manger.

During his life time on earth, the Jews tried to make him a king but he refused and avoided such a role. That angered them. They couldn’t accept Jesus, a mere carpenter as their Messiah. It was blasphemy to them, when Jesus called himself Son of Man and addressed God as his Father, who, he claimed, sent him to earth to fulfill a mission.

When he claimed to be a king, and Son of God and the Messiah, but refused to lift his little finger to fight against the Roman rule, the Jews finished him off on the cross.

While celebrating the birth of Jesus the baby, one’s mind is drawn inevitably to the cross, where Jesus the man died. Without the cross, there is no great significance to the manger. It was on the cross that the price was paid for the sin of mankind.

Jesus was the faultless lamb, lamb without blemish, offered as a sacrifice to ward off the judgement of God. Mankind’s rebellion against God, his life lived independent of God, his disobedience to God’s commandments, deserved penalty, the penalty of death, eternal separation from the goodness of God.

Jesus paid the penalty on the cross with his own life. He effected eternal rapprochement between God and man and restored the broken relationship between them. That was and is the real significance of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Well, it didn’t stop there, did it? The death on the cross was followed by the incredible resurrection, Jesus rose again! That gives hope to all mankind for now we know that we will also rise again after death in our spiritual bodies, and see each other.

This is a great hope that other religions do not offer. Mainly because of the absence of such a hope of being reunited with the loved ones after death, in future, people cling to life in this world. They do not let go of their old mothers and fathers. They are scared. They may not see them again at all!

Who knows in what shape and size and category they will be born in the next incarnation? For a Hindu, it will depend entirely on their Karma! That is scary. No wonder they do not want to let go of them. For an atheist, there is no life after death. That is all there is to it.  

To a believer, a Christian, there are no such fears. He or she will definitely moan the loss of a life, that of a father or mother or any other dear one, but has this great hope that one day we will see each other and meet them all in bodily form in the resurrection. What a great hope for mankind!

Greater hope and joy is that the resurrected Jesus will come back one day, this time in power and glory, to put down His enemies and rule the world in righteousness and justice. That will be the Second Advent. When we celebrate the First Advent, we cannot but be reminded of about the Second Advent, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ! Wow!

We are living in exciting times. First Advent is over and we are still celebrating it. And now it is almost time for the Second Advent to happen and the slain, but resurrected Jesus Christ to come back as the Lord and the true King of this world. What wonderful and adventurous times! 

Are you happy? Glad? Yes, Christmas cake and parties bring in excitement, but look beyond it to the resurrected Jesus, our Lord and Savior coming again and our own resurrection and meeting all our loved ones, who died and went ahead of us.

Are you ready for that great event? All set? Have you anchored your faith in Christ Jesus? Or are you still in doubt and debating? Decide fast for the day is almost done and the event is fast approaching.

Do not delay your decision for Jesus any longer. It might be too late. Cast the vote now and live.

Merry Christmas to all of you my dear friends and a very happy New Year.

God’s blessings be on all of you.