And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord ~ Luke 2:10-11.
Introduction
It’s that time of the year again — Christmas season — when people from all walks of life take time to rejoice and celebrate, commemorative of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
In many parts of the world, every nook and cranny is lit up and decorated in brilliant colours. However, the unfortunate note here is that, in many cultures and sub-cultures as well, Christ has been thoughtlessly displaced from His own “Mass”!
It not uncommon nowadays to actually see people refer to “Christmas” as “Xmas”, thereby bastardizing the significance of the season. Very painful indeed!
Now, the word "Christmas" doesn’t actually occur anywhere in the Bible! It is an old English word that basically means "Christ's Mass", which refers to the celebration of the Lord's Supper, called “the Mass”.
Historically, the earliest occurrence of the word, “Christmas” on record is 1038 A.D. Christians at that time considered the Lord's Supper to be the most important part of the celebration of Christ's birth, hence it was called Christmas.
However, since that time, there have been diverse arguments and perceptions about Christmas, especially its origin and timing. Nevertheless, the unarguable fact is that Christ was born, and in the annals of history, it was an epoch-making occasion. There's no greater gift than the Saviour given!
Moreover, in our modern secular era, the glitter and shine, the wining and dining, the shopping and the exchange of gifts, the media commercialization, the brisk business activities and the general funfare that typically characterize Christmas everywhere are, though stealthily, fast displacing Christ in many hearts.
Meanwhile, the greatest tragedy of all time is not so much the commercialization of Christmas, etcetera, but its trivialization!
Many people have now forgotten the Person to whom they owe so very much, and have unwittingly removed Him from the event that supposedly commemorates His birth.
Just imagine that someone celebrating his birthday is somehow locked out of the event center. It is even more serious and more cruel than that when we realize what we do in shutting Christ out from Christmas.
Some people till today relate with Jesus as with a little child over there in Bethlehem lying in a manger. What a grievous mistake!
See, that little child then, Jesus, really grew up and waxed strong in the spirit, and He is now the Christ and the Only Saviour of the world (Luke 2:40). We had better come to terms with this truth, and settle down to enjoy His everlasting lordship.
This Jesus that’s being celebrated at Christmas is the same God that created the heavens, and spoke the worlds into existence (John 1:2-3). He is the same Ancient of Days that parted the Red Sea, and made an expressway in its bed, just to deliver His people from slavery.
He’s the Mighty God that made the blind to see, and the lame to walk. He healed the lepers, walked upon the sea, stilled the storm, and raised the dead. He is the same “God now with us”, Emmanuel!
He is the indisputable Saviour of the all mankind (Acts 4:11-12). His lordship is unarguable and His dominion is undeniable. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
If you're a lord in any circle on earth, He's your Lord; if you're a king in any domain, He's your King. Take it like that. He is the blessed and only Potentate. His lordship is forever and it extends from coast to coast (1Timothy 6:14-16).
Nevertheless, the love of God ever remains the real essence of Christmas, and its truest story is revealed in the giving heart of the Father-God (1John 4:16; James 1:17).
Hence, over the years, Christmas has become the sole global event to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ the Saviour, the greatest gift of God to mankind.
He is the epitome of God’s love for us, and anybody that hopes to enjoy the fullness of God’s matchless goodness today must bow to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Let’s Put Christ Back Properly Into Christmas
As believers, it behoves us to put Jesus Christ and the loving redemption He brought back into Christmas. He is truly alive, and we must remember to keep Him in His own show.
In the least, we must take the opportunity of the Christmas season to openly celebrate Him as our triumphant Savior and King. We must seize the moment to also witness and reveal Him to the world as the Mighty One, not as a "Baby-in-a-Manger!"
Again, as our very important decision, we must intentionally worship Jesus Christ for who He is, and praise Him for what He has done. We must soberly search our hearts to be sure that there are no areas of our lives that won't stand up to His divine scrutiny.
We must genuinely repent of our sins, spiritual lethargy, apathy, idleness, laziness, lassitude and drowsiness, being truly baptized into the fullness of Spirit of Jesus Christ, obeying Him implicitly and doing only those things that please Him, daily.
We must love God passionately, and get seriously involved in the ministry of relaying His love to others, reconciling lost souls back to Him, and remembering that the true story of Christmas represents the redeeming love of the Father (John 3:16).
Yes, this is the time to be merry, to share joy, to love and be loved, in the spirit of giving. God so loved us, that He became love-personified through the Incarnation (John 3:16). Hence, we must fully determine to reciprocate this matchless and unfathomable love of God.
You will certainly be happy and thrilled when you reciprocate His love. The love of God is the master key to exceeding grace (1Timothy 1:14). When you love God sincerely and overwhelmingly, you are translated from the terrestrial realm to the struggle-free celestial realm (1John 4:17).
More so, charity never fails. When your love for God, and His kingdom cause becomes your waking thought and your walking passion, then you can never fail.
The biggest gift we can offer the world this season is Jesus Christ (2Corinthians 5:11). When He is received in the hearts of men, He becomes enthroned and assumes His rightful place in their destinies, for time and for eternity.
This same Jesus, the Good Shepherd of our souls, Who was gentle, mild, meek and compassionate and Who became God's Paschal Lamb is coming back again.
However, He is coming this time around as a Judge of all. He will be unrelenting and unsparing in judgement, because the timeline for grace would have elapsed.
Friends and brethren, please let’s celebrate Christ responsibly during this Christmas season. Repent and believe the gospel today, if you’re yet to be born-again. Awake, be revived and turn on your light again, if you have backslidden.
Let’s altogether arouse the world that this same Jesus we are celebrating in this season will soon come back for judgement of sinners, and for rewards of saints. You won’t miss it. Happy Sunday, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year in advance, in Jesus name!
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Bishop Taiwo Akinola,
Rhema Christian Church,
Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
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