MY DEAR FRIENDS, I greet you at this season of hope, goodwill and peace as we join with Christians all over the world in the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Sometime ago I received, among several Christmas cards, one from an elderly gentleman that I read several times.
I was and am very appreciative of what he wrote with his pen rather than what was printed; however after reading the entire printed card several times it struck me that there was no mention of the name Christ or anything to suggest that the card was about Christ.
On examination of the cover there was nothing of the usual Christmas symbols of a baby, shepherds or angels but rather a girl of about five-to six-years-old. It was clear that there was a deliberate effort to exclude all references to Christ and this is not unusual. It may not be a bad idea if we were to examine the cards bought or received in order to ascertain if there are any direct or indirect references to Christ and his birth.
There are those who have forgotten that Christmas is a religious celebration in acknowledgement of the birth of Christ, or have convinced themselves that this is not a religious celebration but an occasion of jollity, festivity and pleasure, and therefore will not venture to participate in any of the religious activities surrounding the celebration or to include any of the traditional references to Christ.
This however does not detract from the reality that this is a Christian celebration, a religious festival, when Christians all over the world gather for worship to celebrate God’s coming into our world in human flesh to share God’s life with us so that we may share our life with others.
The central message of the Christmas story is about the day when the Almighty, Creator of all, came among us as a helpless baby – born in a lowly stable. That day changed the course of human history. The world has never been the same and human beings will never be the same.
That was the day when God’s love for the world became visible as Jesus Christ took on human flesh. That was the day when some persons received the gift that God offered to the world; the gift of his only begotten son. That was the day when persons discovered and accepted life in all its fullness.
The celebration therefore is about “the Word that was made flesh”. In other words, the second person of the Trinity was made flesh and appeared as man. He entered the human arena and dwelled with us. He has tabernacled in our midst “the dwelling of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his people and God himself will be with them”. (Rev 21:3)
