Merry Christmas to you all

Photo from www.flickr.com

As once again we prepare to celebrate the joy of the
miracle of the birth of our Lord Jesus, and as we relive
this holy day may we be seen, as were the shepherds
to be glorifying and praising God, thus showing the
true and only meaning of this blessed season.

Galatians 4verse4-5 says, “When the time had fully come,
God sent forth his son, born of woman, born under the law,
To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might
receive adoption as sons.”
He really is a God of Grace.
Over the years and especially in these more modern times,
the sheer wonder of this act of Grace has been overshadowed
by the emphasis placed by society upon the commercial aspect
of Christmas and mankind has done its best to drown the beauty
of the voices of the Angels and the Heavenly Host by the jarring
noise of cash registers and tills as shops make money during the
Christmas season.
Just as God sent his son into the world, “when the time had
fully come,” so I believe that the time has fully come when
emphasis should be placed upon the true meaning and spirit
of Christmas and water down on the commercialization of
this blessed day.

Let’s start by jolting our memory to the events leading to the
birth of Jesus. In the midst of all the troubles, injustice, lust
and greed that filled a harsh world, the angel of the Lord
appeared to Mary, a young unwed peasant girl and made the
startling announcement that by the power of the Holy Spirit
she would give birth to the Son of God. Then appearing in a
dream to Joseph, the man engaged to be married to Mary, the
Angel said, concerning the child, “-----you are to give him the
name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Centuries have gone by since then and despite all that fickle,
wilful man has done to deny and disobey Christ, he is still
the same and only Jesus who as God incarnate, was born in
a humble stable in Bethlehem and who came to save his people.

Just as it was in the years preceding the Advent of Christ so it is
now that the world still displays evidence of injustice, oppression,
and waywardness that causes many sensitive hearts to
recoil in horror. Year after year we are assailed by news items and
incidents of a dreadful nature, and time and time again we experience
the viciousness of man as he tramples over all and sundry in order to
attain his selfish desires. We would all have given up hope altogether
had it not been that as each year draws to its close, the blessed celebration
of Christmas reminds us that Jesus came into the world to save his people
from sin – a calling to which he has remained faithful throughout the ages.
Christmas is a constant reminder to us all that, notwithstanding all that we
may be called upon to endure and all that threatens our society and the way
of life we cherish, Jesus Christ is the same Lord of Life who came to save
his people and as he has done through the ages, will continue to do so.
So although the future may appear bleak we should not lose hope. Instead
we need to put our faith and trust in Jesus the Savior of the World and
especially during this Christmas time, absorb the Love, Joy, Peace and Hope
he so freely gives us to equip us for our journey through life.

In the midst of the gloom that surrounds us in the world stands that shining
beacon of Love-the Light of the World- inviting us to step out of the darkness
and to put our trust in him as we make our way along the pathway of the future,
guided by the Light of Life. We need to cling to the assurance that nothing can
ever separate us from God’s love which is in Christ and this assurance should
enable us to trudge through life with a confidence born only of our personal
experience of the Savior.

May God’s peace, love and happiness be with you all, this Christmas and always.