This reflection concludes our Advent series on Jesus Christ, the Source of Life.
You may have to review the previous articles in this series:
Let us first refresh our memories on the reason why the Church decided to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
You should know that even though the birth of Jesus should always be a celebration, as depicted in Matthew and Luke, the early Church never celebrated it as we do it today.
The first recorded celebration of Christmas, the birth of Jesus, was in the fourth century in Rome. But, it would become a major Christian festival in the 9th century.
Even though there is no clear reason why the celebration falls on December 25, but the widespread explanation is that the point was to Christianize one of the popular holidays in the Roman Empire.
The goal for the Church to do so was to draw people away from idolatry, which consisted of celebrating the rebirth of the sun.
The Church wanted to shift the celebration from the rebirth of the sun to the birth of the Son of God.
Not all Christians believe that we should celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ. The reason is that the choice the early Church made in the fourth century did not distinguish us from pagan beliefs and practices.
For the sake of this reflection, I won’t go into depth to discuss the biblical legitimacy of whether we should celebrate the birth of Jesus or not. That’s something to study perhaps at another time.
The celebration of Jesus’ birth, whether done in December or any other time during the year, is biblical.
If you go back to the stories in Matthew and Luke, you can tell that the birth of Jesus was the greatest news ever for humankind and heavenly beings.
Read John 3:16-17,
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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
The above scripture tells us why all Christians should celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Whether you do it on Christmas or not, the coming of Jesus in this world, through a virgin birth, is worth celebrating!
John lays it out so well in our scripture above.
Christmas reminds us of God’s Love for all humankind
[bctt tweet=”God’s love is that all humans believe in Jesus Christ, the Savior and Lord, and God, our Father. ” username=”emmanuelnaweji”]
He, himself, said it to the disciples using these words,
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. John 14:1.
Choosing to believe in God the Father isn’t enough on its own. We also need to believe in Jesus Christ.
The coming of Jesus into this world was to show us the way back to God, our Father.
Jesus is the “only” way to the Father. We can’t get to Him if Jesus doesn’t take us there.
He also said it in John 14:6,
I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
When Philip asked Jesus to show him and the other disciples the Father, Jesus’ response was:
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.
Christmas reminds us that Jesus Christ came to us as the visible and tangible demonstration of God’s love!
[bctt tweet=”The visible demonstration of God’s love is that all do not perish, but have eternal life through Jesus Christ, the baby Jesus we celebrate on Christmas. ” username=”emmanuelnaweji”]
When the angel asked Joseph and Mary to name the baby Jesus, it was clear that this new baby has only one mission: to save humankind.
His death and resurrection were the reason why Jesus came into the world. It was also why the angels brought the good news to Mary and Joseph, and the angels. It was the reason why the wise men had come from afar.
The birth of the Messiah wasn’t just a promise God had made to the Jews. It was a global event catching the attention of all the visible and invisible worlds!
Christmas reminds us to share God’s Love
We only share what we have.
[bctt tweet=”If we don’t have any idea of what God’s love is, or haven’t experienced it yet on a personal level, how would we share it with others? ” username=”emmanuelnaweji”]
When you read the gospels, the first four books in the New Testament, you discover how Jesus embodied God’s love. Here’s what that means now for you and me to also do the same.
Be a good neighbor
Jesus coming into this world was to show us how we can be good neighbors to each other.
Take a look at the story in Luke 10:25-37, where Jesus explains what it means to be a good neighbor through the story of the Good Samaritan.
Being a good neighbor comes out of the two greatest commandments:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Luke 10:27).
God’s love empowers us to share it with others
To experience God’s love, we have to choose to believe in God. To believe in God requires us to believe and receive Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior.
By doing so, we let God’s love become real in us. We know it. We experience it. We now can witness to it.
Bringing it together
Christmas is not about you, but a God who has already demonstrated that He loves you so much. Christmas is about God’s love that calls you into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the reason we celebrate Christmas.
God wants you to share the same love, you’ve experienced from Him, with people in your family, Church, and community. Cover the gifts you’ve already purchased with God’s love so that all those who receive them may also experience God’s Love revealed to us through Jesus.
