Christmas

Christmas as a festival was not celebrated by the Apostles or the early Christians in the first 300 years of Christianity. However there was a pagan festival celebrated in the month of December that over time became a festival when Christians started to celebrate the birth of Christ. The origins of the word Christmas is from the word coined by the Catholics to celebrate the “Christ Mass”. It was originally viewed as a blasphemous celebration by early Christians. But today Christmas has become a day when we celebrate the birth of Christ. 

 Although today more than the pagan origins Christians have more ethical concerns over Christmas because in some countries it has become a time for extravagant parties and lavish gifts from myths like Santa Claus. In a world where 1 billion people live in extreme poverty can Christians indulge in so much of excess? Do we remember that Jesus was born into the household of a very poor Jewish family? Thus the origins of Christmas is shrouded in the shadow of an unknown pagan festival. 

 "But only a poor man can know the riches of poverty. .....If Christ chose to be born among the poor, it is because he wanted the poor to teach the world the good news of his message, the good news of his love for mankind. " 

  Dominique LaPierre, - The City of Joy 

In the East, the Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas by a 40 day period of lent. For them it is a time of reflection, self-discipline and meditation on the sacraments. On Christmas eve they gather after they see the star for a Christmas meal. Was this their way of excommunicating themselves from the revelers of the pagan festivals and protecting themselves from the undue influences of the pagan practices? 

 We as Christians today at Christmas come to celebrate, worship and remember the birth of the Messiah. It is a time of thanksgiving. It is a time when we remember that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. We remember this gift of love by giving gifts to our friends and family. It is a time when we remember the joy that filled the hearts and minds of Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, the Angels and the Wisemen from the East as they came to worship and honor the birth of Jesus. 

 Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Advent

Comfort, comfort ye My people,
Speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
Comfort those who sit in darkness,
Mourning ’neath their sorrow’s load;
Speak ye to Jerusalem
Of the peace that waits for them;
Tell her that her sins I cover,
And her warfare now is over.

This hymn was written by Johann Olearius in the 17 th centuary from the words of Isaiah the prophet in the Old Testament (Isaiah 40:1-2). Isaiah started his prophesies by spelling gloom and doom to all the people of Israel and neighbors. But half way through started to speak of the coming of the Messiah which occurred 500 years later. He spoke of comfort to the people of Israel. Comfort to a people who after years in exile will return to their home country to rebuild their homes and their lives.

Isaiah is full of verses that provide us with comfort Isaiah 40:31. Isaiah assures us that if we wait patiently on the Lord He will strengthen us. As a prophet Isaiah could see of a day when the Messiah would come to save the Nation of Israel.

While reflecting on the words of comfort I received an email from a friend who directed me to work being done by a Jewish group called Nechama. Nechama is the Hebrew word for comfort. They are a community response team who go to places to lend a helping hand and clean up after a natural disaster occurred. They sometimes get down to doing menial tasks and get very dirty to get the job done. Through their acts of goodness they bring comfort to the lives of those who were hurting from a disaster. To those whose hopes have been shattered they bring new rays of hope. The title of the article said that the volunteers saw themselves as partners with God to make the world a better place.

At the time of advent we share the story of Christ coming as a baby to us. A fragile baby born to a couple who were living under very poor circumstances. Not into royalty but to the family of a poor carpenter was the Son of God born. Not in the grandeur of a palace as Herod and the rest of the world expected, but humbly in a lowly manger.

Advent is a season when we remember the darkness that the world was living in. It was a time when people were grappling with who God was ? It was a time when the children of Israel were under the Roman rule. Even today we all go through darkness and wilderness days. We have financial burdens, loss of loved ones, and health problems. We all have parts of our lives under a shadow. Why does God say comfort ye my people? God wants to see the people who have lost their way to find their way back. He wants the people who have lost hope to find hope. How many of us have reached a point of desperation and longed for comforting words from a friend or family member? How many of us really make an effort to meet people after a church service? Do we really know the people who sit with us in the pew? Some people have a greater attachment to the pew seat and feel more offended when some other member of the church was to occupy their seat.

The season of advent is also a time of preparation. A time when we look at our lives to see if we are living lives that is pleasing to God. It is a time when we as the children of the light keep our faith alive by reaching out to those who are in darkness. Sometimes looks can be deceiving and the person who looks perfectly in control may be in desperate need of comfort and assurance of Gods love. It is a time when we get ourselves ready for the coming of Christ into our lives.


Let us always remember that God has provides for all our needs, comforts and strengthens us through His Word, fellowship with other believers and the assurance of His Holy Spirit who is always with us and in us.

Christ wants us to be filled with hope and tell everyone of the assurance that He will not leave us comfortless, He will come to us. John 14:18 This is the assurance that Jesus gave his disciples before he was crucified. He said he would never abandon them or leave them as orphans. He assured them that He would come to them as the Holy Spirit and rest and abide in them (John 14:26), and enable them to do even greater things than He himself did (John 14:12).