LUKE 2 : 10,11

Though it should be one of the most spiritual times of the year, oftentimes this season of Advent becomes a time of great distraction and melancholy for many. Instead of joy and peaceful contentment, many feel unusually sad, harassed and restless. They feel overwhelmed, distressed and woefully depressed and deflated, They seem alright on the outside, but inwardly an emptiness gnaws away at them as they still try to find peace and contentment in every other avenue, but in the Christ who came to break the curse and redeem Adam’s fallen race.

I trust however, that this Christmas will be different. I call upon the church to redeem Christmas. I pray that this year it will really be about celebrating the birth of the Christ child who came not to expunge us but to restore us – who came not to condemn us but to save us – not to destroy us but to recondition and reposition us spiritually and in every other sense of the word. Unfortunately, the message and meaning of Christmas have been contaminated and polluted over the years, causing many even in the church and in the world to be deceived and confused. It has become so secularized that instead of creating joy, it is approached by many with nervous anxiety.

This year we choose to unequivocally de-secularize Christmas. We take it back. We sacralize it! We put Christ back into it as the foremost and central figure of all our Christmas activities and operations. We commemorate not so much the date, December 25, but we recognize and will always place greater emphasis on the sacred doctrine of the Incarnation, the fact that God became flesh and forever dwells among us as Incarnate Deity – God in human flesh appearing, dwelling among us, to most of all, save and redeem us from our meaningless lives and despair. We celebrate afresh and anew Immanuel – God with us! This we choose never to forget! “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). He came to save us!

This Christmas instead of being fearful and afraid and exasperated by what we have and don”t have materially, may the message of the angelic hosts to the shepherds in Luke 2:10, 11, continue to saturate and influence our minds “. . . 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 Savior, which is Christ the Lord. ” Now is neither time for panic, fear, confusion or pandemonium but a time of real joy, intense worship and excitement. Light has come. It is the season of peace and good-will. His favor rests on us. We declare “Glory to God in the highest.” We live and not die! We celebrate without any reservation the Christ of glory! This Christmas we celebrate! Let it be different!