Two women who were having lunch in an elegant hotel were approached by a mutual friend who asked the occasion for the meal. One lady replied, "We are celebrating the birth of my baby boy." "But where is he?" inquired the friend. "Oh," said the mother, "you didn't think I'd bring him, did you?" What a picture of the way the world treats Jesus at Christmas.
We have come a long way since the first Christmas day more than 2,000 years ago when Jesus Christ was born. Presently, it seems that we have removed him out of the whole Christmas picture and replaced with many other things such as Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and many others. We are caught up with finding the best gift for the people we love though I am not totally against it altogether but what is our purpose in doing so? If we are just going with the flow of things, then we’ve forgotten the real meaning of Christmas and John 3:16 would be a great reminder as it states, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (NIV)
Lest we lose its meaning and purpose, we need to go back in time and refresh ourselves with it. Celebrating Christmas is our way of remembering the promised Ruler to be born in Bethlehem to fulfill God’s plan of salvation for humanity. Micah 5:2 states, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." (NIV)
There were many characters involved in this event, there was Mary, a young virgin woman conceived though the Holy Spirit as the angel Gabriel said but already bethrothed to Joseph; Herod the king who met the wise men from the East looking for the King prophesied to be born; the priests who knew where the birthplace of the Messiah but did not bother to go and the shepherds who’ve heard the news direct from heaven as reported by the choir of angels. These are not ordinary events but they were planned in heaven manifested exactly as desired by its Chief Architect for our benefit. What a great day to celebrate and remember indeed!
In his book, Science Speaks, Peter Stoner applies the modern science of probability to just eight prophecies regarding Christ. He says, "The chance that any man might have ...fulfilled all eight prophecies is one in 10 to the 17th. That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000." (one hundred quadrillion)
Yet the prophecies concerning the coming of Christ are more than eight prophecies. For example, God spoke to the serpent after Adam and Eve committed the first sin in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head,and you will strike his heel." (NIV)
The birth of Christ on Christmas day was the culmination of this prophecy and the beginning of the implementation of God’s plan for humanity. The process of transformation for the Son of God to become part of humanity beginning from the womb of Mary was one of the many sacrifice to be done for humanity’s sake.
That’s why, to forget and leave out Jesus Christ in Christmas would be a great insult and grave sin. We will not have Christmas without Jesus Christ! He must be the foremost reason for the season or else we will just have another holiday to celebrate.
Somebody said, “If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.” Therefore, let us have a real “Merry Christmas” because Jesus Christ is in it!
Let’s talk again!
