While many people say they believe in God, some feel God is absent from their lives. Sometimes life’s circumstances and difficulties isolate us and strain our faith. Some even ask, “Where is God?” Others blame God for life’s conditions. However, Christmas reminds us that God is always present. The gift of Christmas that lasts a lifetime is Emmanuel—God with us, providing comfort and strength for the journey.
At Christmas our attention is focused on a baby in a manger. We celebrate the birth of the promised One. We recognize God’s redemptive act of incarnation. But we also need to recognize the ”rebirth” that the message offers to each of us. When the baby Jesus grow into manhood, he said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” To “be born again” means to realign our will and purposes with those of God’s desires for all humanity – to live life based on the principles lived out in Jesus’ life and teachings. To be born again is a faith experience that causes us to claim Christ-like love as the foundation of faith and the goal of our striving.
The story is told of a group of church school children who provided a Christmas program for their parents. The program included readings and singing, and concluded with a powerful reminder. Thirteen children were given poster board each with a single letter. At the end of the program, each child held up their letter so that together they could reveal the message: CHRISTMAS LOVE. However, as they displayed the message, one child mistakenly had his M letter upside down so that the message read CHRIST WAS LOVE. Rather than seeing a mistake, the parents were given the true meaning of Christmas. Christ was and still is love at work in the lives of believers.
Although Christmas Day has come and gone, God’s love message for the world through Christ continues to provide hope and assurance. If Christmas is love, it is not simply a day or season, but anytime love is expressed. Christmas is cause for celebration every day!
No comments:
Post a Comment