Joy of Christmas

joy of Christmas

Christmas is a festival observed by the followers for Jesus Christ all over the world. Christmas is fall 25th of December every year. Since my childhood I have been observing this festival with great joy and enthusiastic. Christmas has started one month ahead from 25^th of November.  Since that day we are started to make a blue print what we have to do in Christmas. It is about month long planning. Kids are keeping asking their mother when they will buy the new clothing. Children are very possessive about their new Christmas clothing. Ladies having different plan they are more interested to by some clothing for door screen, bed sheet or to buy  some articles for the home,  whom they  will invited and what they  having preparing for the Christmas . Gents are planning how to manage all this money for the Christmas celebration. So everyone has been busy with their own world. It is very common picture in every Christmas family. I feel it is not bad, Christmas give us mood of celebration, and some kind of celebration must taken place in every family during the Christmas. Christmas is a celebration of joy and happiness and Joy of Christmas should flow from every individual heart. It is a universal celebration time. Unfortunately, today Christmas celebration has lost its flavors with over enthusiasm. Some time I feel we have lost its meaning, the overly joy have stolen the flavor of Christmas.

Today Christian world celebrated Christmas with Cakes, cookies, sweet, Christmas card, Christmas gifts, new clothing, decoration, lighting, color papers, Christmas tree or red wine, party, travelling trips! Theses all may make our  Christmas memorable or entertaining you but it never says  that we are all about enjoy the best Christmas in our lives. Why Christmas and why we celebrated Christmas?  We are celebrating Christmas in the remembrance of Lord Jesus Christ’s birth, who was born about 2000 years ago in Bethlehem of Israel. He was born as a savior of the world and still He is the savior of the world. 

Bible is rooted and grounded around God’s horrendous plan of salvation for mankind. Bible has been very loud about men’s sin and about salvation. From the very beginning Bible is keenly pin point towards the salvation of mankind and necessity of a savior. Bible  very plainly speaking about Jesus’ birth in the letter of Galatians 4:4: “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,” It means God was so careful to sent His  son on this earth with a very  explicit purpose and under his strict plan. Jewish Prophets Isaiah was prophesized about 500 years before “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” Isaiah 7:14. “Immanuel” means “God with us”. The whole universe was waiting for a man who will save the mankind from sin. The stage was fully prepared to receive the Lord Jesus.

The whole universe waiting for a savior and unfortunately some people are still struggling and searching for a savior. Who is eligible to save the world from the sin? A sinless person only God have the authority save the sinners. “Who committed  no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth” I pet 2;22  “ For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” Heb 4;15 . “You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin” I John 3:5. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” II Cor5:21. Jesus was born perfectly sinless to take away the sins of the universe. He is Messiah, savoir of the world. Bible says, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” Acts 4:12.  

His birth was the biggest miraculous and wonderful event happened on this earth.  Bible said He was born from a virgin. Some time people are questioning how and why. Bible says “For with God nothing shall be impossible” Lu: 1:37. The necessity of virgin birth is very much significant for the work of salvation. The whole earth was infected by the sin of Adam and Eve. We may define the sin this way, “Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude or nature”. It was man, who sinned, and it was angels who sinned and in both case they did so willful, voluntary choice. God’s work is perfect; for all his ways are justice. “A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is he” Deut 32:4. Abraham asks with truth and force in his words, “shall not the Judge of all the earth do right”Gen18:25.Elihu rightly says “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to do wrong” Job 34:10. “God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one” James 1:13.  God “accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will” Eph 1:11, the God of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What are you doing” Dan 4:35.  With respect to the human race, the first sin was that of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden Gen 3:1-19. God said that Adam and Eve would died if they are from the tree Gen 2:17, the serpent said, “You will not die” Gen 3:4. Eve decided to doubt the authenticity of God’s word and conduct and experiment to see whether God spoke truthfully. God has said that it was morally right for Adam and Eve not to eat from the fruit of that one tree Gen 2:17.But the serpent suggested if they will eat they become “like God” Gen3:5. Eve trusted her won evaluation of what was right and wrong. She “saw that the tree was good for food, and therefore she “took of its fruit and ate” Gen3:6. And they were tempted to “be like God” Gen3:5. , thus attempting to put themselves in the place of God. That it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,” New Testament author affirm that “sin came into the world through one man”Rom 5:12 and insist that “the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation” Rom 5:16 and “the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning” 2Cor 11:3; cf I Tim 2:14. “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” I Jn3:4. We are counted guilty because of Adam’s sin. “Therefore ………sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men  because all men sinned” Rom 5:12. “All man sinned”.  Adam and eve disobeyed God and fallen into sin and the whole human race become infected by our first parents. “Then as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all ,men, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous” Rom 5:18-19. We have a sinful nature because of Adam’s sin. Because of Adam’s sin, we also inherit a sinful nature because of Adam’s sin. The inherited sinful nature is sometimes simple call “original sin”. David said, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me” Ps 51:5.  “For the wages of sin is death” Rom 6:23. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Rom 3:23

The Universal sinfulness of mankind. “They have all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt; there is none that does good, no, not one”Ps14:3. David says, “No man living is righteous before you” Ps 143:2. And Solomon says, “there is no man who does not sin” I King 8:46 cf Prov 20: 9. Palu   says, “all men, both Jews and Greeks ,are under the power of sin, as it is written: None is righteous , no ,not one” Rom 3: 23. Brother of Lord’s James admits “we all make many mistakes” James 3:2.

 Virgin birth. When we speak of the humanity of Christ it is appropriate to begin with a consideration of the virgin birth of Christ. Scripture clearly asserts that Jesus was conceived in the womb of his mother Mary by miraculous work of the HS and without human father. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way .when his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found  to be   with child of the  Holy Spirit “ Mat 1:18. Shortly after that an angel of the Lord said to Joseph ,who was engaged to Mary , “Joseph ,son of David , do not fear to take  Mary your wife,for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit” Mt 1;20.Then we read that Joseph “did as the angle of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife ,but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus”Mat 1:24-25.  The same fact is affirmed in Luke’s gospel, where we     rea d about the appearance of the angel Gabriel t Mary. After the angel had told her that she  whould bear a son, Mary said , “How shall this be ,since I have no husband?” the angel answered “The holy Spirit will come upon you,nad the power of the Most High will overshadow you; the Son of God.” Luke 1:35; cf 3:23. The doctrinal importance of the virgin birth is seen in at least three areas.  I. it shows that salvation ultimately must     come from the Lord. Just as God had promised that the “Seed of the woman Gen 3:15 would ultimately destroy the serpent, so brought it about by his own power, not through mere human effort. The virgin birth of Christ is an unmistakable reminder that salvation can never come through human effort, but must be the work of God himself. Our salvation only comes about though the supernatural work of God, and that was  evident at the very beginning of Jesus’ life when “God send forth his son, born of   woman under the law , to redeem those who were under the law ,so that we might receive adoption as sons” Gal 4:4-5.   Virgin birth also makes possible Christ’s true humanity without inherited sin. Jesus did not have a human father means that the lone of descent from Adam is partially interrupted. Jesus did not descend from Adam in exactly the same way in with every other human being has descended from Adam. And this helps us to understand why the legal guilt and moral corruption that belongs to all other human beings did not belong to Christ. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” luke 1:35.  “The child will called Holy”

Is it not amazing! God has providing a gift for the universe which was precious and involved with our salvation. The declaration was made by the angel “for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” Luke 2:11. The angels were singing with joy, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”Luke 2:14

Jesus Christ is the most valuable gift for mankind from God. God the father has gifted his son for the salvation of mankind. Christmas not all about celebration for a wondrous   child was born on the earth 2000 year before on but for a savior, for a Messiah who took a form of man to live among us and understand our pain, suffering, agony, emotion,lough ,sorrow, good and bad. For our comfortable and happiness he was leave all his Kingdom opportunities and gone through all human suffering, struggling from the first day of his birth. We must celebrate His birthday with great joy and gaiety but we should not and must not forget that we have received most precious gift from God. Let us celebrate Christ birthday   with    sharing the love of Christ, tell the people why we are happy. “for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” Luke 2:11.

Joy of Christmas has been related to our salvation. Jesus birth has been brought hope to the universe. The Engle was told to the shepherd “And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” Lk 2:12. Savior is available to you at your hand, you can gifted him touch him, see him. You have found him in his mother’s arms. The poor hopeless and helpless “shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger” Lu. 2:16-17. Savior is in their reached. Savior is reached to every human being. Make savior available to everyone.   Don’t west your time only to enjoy the worldly things. Those worldly things are good for entertainment but the meaning of Christ birth is above all those things. We must make this day memorable to share the significant of Christ birth. Tell the story so loudly to the unheard, tell them Jesus the “savior was born to save you for the sin, from the eternal death”. Make marry, do lot of fun, burst firecrackers, distribute the sweet, exchange the gift, and a very make big Christmas cake!!! But don’t forget those who still living in darkness around you. It is an opportunity to share Jesus and the fact of salvation with others. “There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” I Tim 2:5. AMEN! Hallelujah