Praise the Lord! We just finished celebrating Christmas, the annual festival celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into this world as a human being. With the coming of Jesus Christ, God the Father fully revealed His love for humanity in word and deed. I believe that most of the people enjoy the Christmas season by getting together with their dear and near ones, enjoying various kinds of delicious dishes, singing some of the favorite Christmas songs/hymns, and exchanging gifts between family and friends. Thus, it is a season of celebrations and festivities, sacrificial love and joy, hope and peace, happiness and comfort, and so on. Christians celebrate Christmas in different levels – some celebrate Christmas in a larger way and some celebrate in a milder way while some do not celebrate at all, which means, some Christians support celebrating Christmas, some do not support celebrating Christmas while some take a neutral stance.

The tradition of celebrating Christmas does not have any Scriptural base – it is neither part of the Ten Commandments, nor part of the righteous laws and decrees the Lord God gave to His people, nor part of the Christian Scripture or Sacraments, nor did Jesus command His disciples to celebrate the event of His birth annually. Some of Jesus’ specific commands to His disciples included: (i) preaching the good news – yes, Jesus said to preach the gospel to everyone / every creature (Mark 16:15), (ii) teaching His commands – yes, Jesus commanded His disciples to teach everyone who believes in Him to obey everything Jesus commanded them (Matthew 28:20a); (iii) making disciples – yes, Jesus said to go and makes disciples (Matthew 28:19a); (iv) Christian Baptism – yes, Jesus commanded the baptism of everyone who believes in Him in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19b); (v) the Lord’s Supper – yes, Jesus commanded us to participate in the Lord’s Supper until He returns (Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). However, regarding celebrating Christmas, the annual festival celebrating the birth of Christ into human form – no, it is included neither in the commands of the Father or Jesus nor included among the Christian sacraments; the Bible does not speak about celebrating Christmas; neither did the apostles or the early Church celebrate the birth of Christ (Christmas) annually. If it is so, where and when did celebrating the birth of Christ come from? Some of the Christian traditions point out that celebrating Christ’s birth as Christmas began by the Christians in Rome around the fourth century AD, and it slowly spread throughout the Roman world and then to the rest of the world. Thus, the Christians in the modern world today celebrate Christmas almost in every country in the world. I am not very sure to tell anyone who celebrates Christmas whether they are doing right or wrong, but one thing is certain that if Christ is present right in the center of their Christmas celebrations and if it includes (i) declaring the coming of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in to this world to seek and save the lost; (ii) sharing their love and joy with their fellow citizens; (iii) professing their faith in Jesus Christ; (iv) teaching and preaching the Good News of salvation that is available through Jesus Christ for everyone who is willing to accept Him as the Lord and savior of their life; (v) leading an exemplary life to lead and guide others to Christ; and so on; celebrating Christmas would be fine; if not, celebrating Christmas would be a meaningless event. As faithful followers of Christ, if we say we do follow all the above-mentioned things when we celebrate Christmas, we need to know that we are supposed to do these things everyday in our life, not just annually. In fact, when we see physical decorations inside and outside the houses/businesses and on the trees and streets during the Christmas season, it must awaken the spiritual decorations inside and outside our spirit, soul, and body; and it ought to regenerate and energize us spiritually inwardly as well as outwardly.

Regarding the birth of Christ, it is planned, decided, and preparations were made in the council of the Godhead (consisting of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) in the timeless past:

• • It is re-emphasized in Genesis 3:15 that And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel
  • Abraham received the promise, [Genesis 12:3c] … and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Also, Galatians 3:16 says, The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say and to seeds, meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.
  • Moses foretold about it, saying [Deuteronomy 18:15] The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.
  • Isaiah prophesied in 7:14 that Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
  • Prophet Micah foretold about Christ’s birth in Bethlehem [Micah 5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.
  • It was revealed to Mary and Joseph (Jesus’ earthly parents) through Gabriel (the arch angel) and fulfilled it was through them (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38)

  • Zechariah and Elizabeth (parents of John the Baptist) praised the God of Israel for coming to his people in human form to redeem them (Luke 1:40-45, 67-75)

  • The birth of Christ was declared to the shepherds living out in the fields nearby Bethlehem, keeping watch over their flocks at night  (Luke 2:8-20)

  • Simeon, a righteous and devout Israelite man who was waiting for the consolation of Israel saw the baby Jesus (the promised Messiah) and took Him in his hands and praised God while He was brought to the Temple of Jerusalem by His parents, Mary and Joseph, to be dedicated according to the custom of the Jewish Law required (Luke 2:25-35)
  • Anna, an eighty-four (84) year old elderly prophetess [the daughter of Penuel from the tribe of Asher] whose husband passed away after seven years of their marriage, spent rest of her life as a widow in the courts of Jerusalem Temple without leaving its premises worshipping the Lord night and day, fasting and praying and waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem, saw the baby Jesus and praised the God of Israel (Luke 2:36-38)
  • And finally, John the Baptist declared [Matthew 3:11-12] that I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire

Let us try to briefly understand the events that are connected with the birth of Christ. For the entire non-Christian world as well as many Christians, the events related to Christmas (or the events and celebrations related to the birth of Christ) begins with the engagement of Mary, a young Jewish woman from Nazareth (Luke 1:26-28), with Joseph, a young Jewish carpenter who was faithful to the law from the same place (Luke 2:4-5). Mary and Joseph were the earthly vessels in the hands of God to bring Jesus in to this world. Perhaps, they might have been poor or having a low status in the society at that particular time, but they were not just ordinary people but of (i) noble birth, (ii) gentle character and (iii) they were leading an honorable life-style. In order to know about their noble birth, gentle character and honorable life-style we need to know about two other individuals who lived a long, long time before the life-time of Mary and Joseph, the chosen earthly parents of Jesus Christ. The first person we are about see is Abraham. God’s promise to Abraham according to Genesis 12:1-3 was as follows:

The Lord had said to Abram, Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Some of the most significant blessings God promised to Abraham were (i) a promised land – a land where honey and milk flow (Genesis 12:1; 15:18-21; Exodus 6:8; Deuteronomy 26:9; Acts 13:19); (ii) a nation – a nation where everyone will be the priests of God (Genesis 12:2; 17:4-6; Exodus 19:6; Isaiah 61:6; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6); and (iii) a spiritual promise – all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; Acts 3:25; Galatians 3:8). The Scripture states that Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6).

The second person we are about to see is David king of Israel: Samuel the prophet prophesied about young David that … the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command (1 Samuel 13:14; also refer to 1 Kings 15:5; Psalm 78:70-72; 89:20). After almost a thousand years, one of the New Testament writers named Luke stated that After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do (Acts 13:22). After David was anointed to be the king of Israel and established himself on the throne of Israel, David decided to build a house for the Name of the LORD his God, as he mentioned to prophet Nathan: After the king [David] was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent. Nathan replied to the king, Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you (2 Samuel 7:1-3; also refer to 1 Kings 8:17-18; 1 Chronicles 17:1; Acts 7:46). King David swore an oath to the Lord regarding building a dwelling place for the God of Jacob/Israel: He swore an oath to the Lord, he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob: I will not enter my house or go to my bed, I will allow no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob (Psalm 132:2-5). Since David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not failed to keep any of the LORD’s commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah the Hittite (1 Kings 15:5), and desired to build a dwelling place for the God of Israel, God promised him that Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever (2 Samuel 7:16). As God promised king David that his throne will be established forever, it is definitely through one of his descendants, which is Jesus Christ, as Matthew mentioned: This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1). Thus, God promised that Messiah (Jesus Christ) would come in the line of David, a descendant of Abraham. In the light of the promises God made with Abraham and David, let us read the prophecy the Lord God has spoken through His servant Moses, the meekest and greatest of all the leaders who ever lived in Israel (Exodus 34:29-30; Numbers 12:7-8; Deuteronomy 33:11; 34:10-12), which states that The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him (Deuteronomy 18:15). Apostle Peter quoted Moses while he was preaching to the onlookers at the Solomon’s Colonnade in the premises of the Temple of Jerusalem, he asserted that:

For Moses said, The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people. Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed. When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways (Acts 3:22-26)

The real Christmas message for us is noted below, which is taken from 1 John 1:1-3, the Scripture passage we chose for this week’s SftW meditation. Apostle John from his very own experience states that:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 1:1-3)

As we read, study, and meditate upon this passage (1 John 1:1-3), let us imagine the way the Prince of Heaven came to this world. From a human point of view, it is not an easy step to take since it is not from one city to another, or from one state to another, or from one country to another, or from one continent to another, or from one planet to another, or from one universe to another. Nevertheless, it is from Heaven (God’s dwelling place) to Earth (human’s dwelling place); in other words, from a world of light to the world of darkness or from the holy heaven to the sinful earth.

Despite Christ taking all the risks related to His incarnation (which included emptying Himself of all the heavenly positions and possessions and taking the form of a human beings [Philippians 2:6-8], living among them like one of them in every aspect [John 1:14; Mark 6:4; Philippians 2:8; Hebrews 2:17-18]), He was rejected and despised by humanity whom He came to save from their sin and death, including His very own people Israel. Although Jesus came to save the entire humanity, His initial ministry was to seek and to save the lost among His own people Israel (Luke 19:9-10; also refer to Genesis 3:8-9; Matthew 1:21; John 12:32). They neither accepted Him nor believed in Him [only a small number of Israelites believed in Him during His lifetime on earth] (John 1:11; also refer to Mark, 6:1-6; Isaiah 53:3). They were supposed to welcome Him, accept Him, believe in Him and ask Him about heaven and things in heaven, about the arch angels, and the people they know such as Adam and Eve, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Rachel, the twelve sons of Jacob, their own family members who lived before them, Moses, Aaron, David, Elijah, and so on; instead of that, they boasted about …

• • Their relationship with God/Yahweh (not knowing that Jesus and the Father are One),
  • Their Law that was given to them by God through Moses (not realizing that Jesus is the Lord God Almighty incarnated – the giver of the Law)
  • Their Sabbath Day observation (not knowing that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath)
  • Their Temple (not knowing that Jesus is greater than the Temple)
  • Their forefather Abraham (not knowing that the existence of Jesus is even before Abraham, their father on earth)
  • Their most respected and honored deliverer/leader Moses (not knowing that Jesus is greater than Moses, their deliverer)
  • Their first high priest Aaron (not knowing that Jesus is greater than Aaron, the first earthly high priest)
  • Their great king David, a man after God’s own heart (not knowing that David himself called Jesus ‘Lord,’
  • Their king Solomon who built the temple in Jerusalem, the wisest man on earth (not knowing that Jesus is greater than Solomon)
  • Their prophets like Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Jonah (not knowing that Jesus is greater than any of their prophets)
  • Their powerful leaders, priests, prophets (not knowing that Jesus is greater than any of them)
  • And, all the things they could boast about themselves and everything related to them

As Jesus’ faithful followers, we need to understand that the Heavenly Father sent His One and only Son to this world with a purpose and He confirmed that purpose again and again during Jesus’ life and ministry on earth:

• • The Heavenly Father sent His only begotten Son to this world because He loved the world (John 3:16)
  • The Father declared the coming of the Lord in human form through the Old Testament saints like leaders of the people, prophets, and priests (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7; Micah 5:2-3; Matthew 1:23; 2:6)
  • The Father foretold about His Son’s coming ages before His advent (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7; Micah 5:2-3; Matthew 1:23; 2:6)
  • The Father confirmed it at Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:10-14)
  • The Father confirmed it at infant Jesus’ dedication (Lk 2:25-38/Simeon and Anna),
  • The Father confirmed it at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22; John 1:32-34)
  • The Father confirmed it at Jesus’ temptation (Matthew 4:11; Luke 4:1)
  • The father confirmed it through Jesus’ ministry (signs and wonders)
  • The Father confirmed it at the Mount of Transfiguration [with Moses and Elijah] (Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35; John 3:16; 12:28; 2 Peter 1:17-18)
  • The Father confirmed it at Jesus’ death on the cross (Matthew 27:45-52; Mark 15:33-39; Luke 23:44-48)
  • The Father confirmed it at Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:24, 32; Ephesians 1:20-22)
  • The Father confirmed it at Jesus’ ascension to Heaven (Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51; John 3:13; Acts 1:9-11) 
  • The Father confirmed it by promising Jesus’ return to the earth to take His people (Acts 1:9-11)

Thus, the birth of Jesus signaled the start of a new era with a new covenant. Human history itself is divided as BC, that is, Before Christ; and AD, that is, Anno Domini the Latin phrase that translate into English as ‘In the year of the Lord.’ However, in the modern world context, many call it as CE, that is, Common/Current Era; and BCE, that is, Before the Common/Current Era. Yet, even in these days, the terms BC and AD are used more popularly than the terms CE and BCE.

Jesus lived the lifestyle of heaven on this wretched and sinful world. So, it is our call to live a life that is shown to us by our dear Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles. Jesus understood how hard it is to lead a righteous life on this earth. So, He interceded on our behalf to the Father prior to His return to heaven to keep us safe and secure in this world (John 17:1-26) and He is still interceding for us in heaven with our heavenly Father (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1). While He was on earth, He lived His life just like one of us; and therefore, (i) He hears our groaning, weeping, sighing, mourning; (ii) He feels our pain, despair, agony, misery, sorrow, sadness, heartache, and (iii) He sees our unpleasant situations, sufferings, hardships, and everything that challenges and threatens our relationship with our heavenly Father.

John concluded saying that they [disciples/apostles] wrote this to make their joy complete by letting us know the fact about the birth of Christ on earth (John 1:4). The apostles and other disciples of Jesus and many who lived during Jesus’ earthly life-time personally experienced the life and ministry of the God-incarnate Jesus Christ, as Apostle John stated in John 1:1-3 (also refer to Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7; Micah 5:2; John 1:1-5, 14; Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-3; Hebrews 1:1-4). In addition, John wrote from his personal perspective that:

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him (1 John 5:13-15)

Apostle Peter said: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus. You handed Him over and rejected Him before Pilate, even though he had decided to release Him. You rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the Author of life, but God raised Him from the dead, and we are witnesses of this fact (Acts 3:13-15)

Dear friends, as we just finished celebrating the birth of Christ in 2024, let us examine ourselves and make ourselves right with the Lord God if we have failed Him in any way while we were celebrating His birth into our world as a human being, and let us try our best to celebrate Christmas meaningfully everyday in our lives rather than celebrating it just once in a year. Also, let us be thankful and grateful and faithful to our heavenly Father (Psalm 7:17; 100:1-5; 147:7), to our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 4:2; Colossians 2:6-7; 3:15-17), and try our best to live rest of our life worthy of His calling in our lives. In addition, let us be nice to all our brothers and sisters in the Lord and rest of the citizens of this world, as Apostle Paul stated: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:32). Let us bring glory and honor to our Lord God who enables us to celebrate His birth in our life on a daily basis. May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!