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The two sides of Christmas
Today the average person in the UK cannot sing more than the opening line of a Christmas carol. Only 10% of Primary Schools in our country perform a traditional style “nativity” play and some will not celebrate Christmas at all; because it might offend other faiths. So instead they celebrate Chinese New year or Diwali. Many children when asked about Christmas, do not know what Christmas is really about.
We have been sold a second rate Christmas, made of fairy stories and excess. As a result this has made the REAL Christmas look like a fairy story too. Father Christmas with a big white beard, living in a distant country surrounded by elves and magically coming on Christmas eve and than disappearing again with out any one seeing him, is sadly the same way as people see God. They see Santa coming down a chimney as the same as Jesus coming as a baby to Bethlehem. No wonder why so many people ignore the greatest message of all…
Its great as a parent to have nativity plays, , seeing the children acting out the Christmas story is wonderful; but sometimes we can loose the impact of it, which is far more amazing then we can fully grasp.
The bible says
The baby wasn’t Mary’s, this child was Jesus the Christ, God the Son.
The Word is God, the one who spoke “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3) into the darkness and by him the creation of the world began. The Word is the mediator between heaven and earth, God tangible and close. God has become human and lived among us.
Why? That is a massive question.
Part of the reason is because he loves us, he wants to communicate with us and rescue us from the darkness we live in every day. He wants to bring light and peace to our lives and restores us, to give us joy and hope for tomorrow and for the future.
Sadly like Father Christmas we ignore the message because it sounds to good to be true. What if Christmas (the birth of Christ) is true? No wonder shepherds ran to the place where Jesus was born, no wonder Magi, astronomers from the east who were certainly not Jewish, left their homes and travelled hundreds of miles to seek out a special king.
This Christmas you have a choice, you can worship the real Christmas and believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah) who was born to be “Saviour of the World”. Who came in a human body so that he could take your sin upon himself and die in your place. The cradle without the cross, is just a cosy little story, but God became man, so that he could DIE. Our imperfect lives needed someone who was perfect to take our place and only Jesus was.
We have been sold a second rate Christmas, made of fairy stories and excess. As a result this has made the REAL Christmas look like a fairy story too. Father Christmas with a big white beard, living in a distant country surrounded by elves and magically coming on Christmas eve and than disappearing again with out any one seeing him, is sadly the same way as people see God. They see Santa coming down a chimney as the same as Jesus coming as a baby to Bethlehem. No wonder why so many people ignore the greatest message of all…
Its great as a parent to have nativity plays, , seeing the children acting out the Christmas story is wonderful; but sometimes we can loose the impact of it, which is far more amazing then we can fully grasp.
The bible says
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child. She will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel which means God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)
The baby wasn’t Mary’s, this child was Jesus the Christ, God the Son.
“So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son”. (John 1:14)
The Word is God, the one who spoke “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3) into the darkness and by him the creation of the world began. The Word is the mediator between heaven and earth, God tangible and close. God has become human and lived among us.
Why? That is a massive question.
Part of the reason is because he loves us, he wants to communicate with us and rescue us from the darkness we live in every day. He wants to bring light and peace to our lives and restores us, to give us joy and hope for tomorrow and for the future.
Sadly like Father Christmas we ignore the message because it sounds to good to be true. What if Christmas (the birth of Christ) is true? No wonder shepherds ran to the place where Jesus was born, no wonder Magi, astronomers from the east who were certainly not Jewish, left their homes and travelled hundreds of miles to seek out a special king.
This Christmas you have a choice, you can worship the real Christmas and believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah) who was born to be “Saviour of the World”. Who came in a human body so that he could take your sin upon himself and die in your place. The cradle without the cross, is just a cosy little story, but God became man, so that he could DIE. Our imperfect lives needed someone who was perfect to take our place and only Jesus was.
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of god is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord” Romans 3:23
Or you can worship the alternative Christmas with the flashing lights, Father Christmas, the TV re-runs and the over excesses of eating and drinking. This Christmas search for truth.
Andy Hodson
