Christmas is the day on which
Christians--those who identify themselves as believers in the salvation from
sin offered to them through the death and resurrection of their saviour, Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, and who, out of gratitude for the gift of salvation,
commit themselves to living their lives in accordance with the teachings of the
Holy Bible--celebrate the birth of their saviour.
For Christians, the birth of
Jesus Christ is indeed a cause for great celebration. As the Son of God, Jesus
was sent to earth, by our Heavenly Father, to become a human being, live a
sinless life, be crucified on a cross for our sins, and rise from the dead
three days later. The purpose of this was to save sinners from eternal death.
While you and I are born to live, Jesus Christ was born to die – as the price
to be paid for our sin.
Baby Jesus grew into manhood, he preached
and moved men in many walks of life, and died in agony. But His death was not
the end. For Him, and for millions of men and women ever since, it marked a
time of triumph—because He was born, we have an eternal hope beyond the throws
of death.
While the meaning of Christmas
can truly be cherished only by those one who truly believe, hundreds of
millions of people who are members of other religions, or belong actively to no
church at all cherish the spirit of Christmas. The reason is not far to seek.
It is because the spirit of unselfish giving at a cost to self, personified by
the life and the teachings of Christ makes appeal to the inner conscience and
hope of every man and every woman in every part of the earth.
It's been said that all the kings
who ever reigned, that all the parliaments that ever sat have not done as much
to advance the cause of peace on Earth and good will to men as the man from
Galilee, Jesus of Nazareth. In an address to the nation, US President Truman
once said that, "In love, which is the very essence of the message of the
Prince of Peace, the world would find a solution for all its ills. I do not
believe there is one problem in this country or in the world today which could
not be settled if approached through the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount.
The Father of our Nation, Mahatma
Gandhi demonstrated this by the means he chose to free our nation. Martin
Luther King and Nelson Mandela have demonstrated this again and again in
deferent settings. Though all may not acknowledge Jesus Christ as a personal
Saviour, all have reason to celebrate His birth because He gave the world a
philosophy that has transformed the course of history of many nations - an
alternative that has proved effective even for those who did not acknowledge
Him as Saviour.
His birthday has meant so much to
me and so much for the world. Celebrate it meaningfully.
