Friday, December 9, 2005 at 2:02am
What is so special about Christmas?
Column: For His Glory
What is so special about Christmas?
That answer would depend on whether or not you are a follower of Christ. It only makes sense to think that way; after all we are celebrating the birth of Christ. Yet have you ever stopped to think that during Christmas we are celebrating the birth of a deity, sounds ironic doesn't it that a God would be born.
We normally think God is eternal and He is yet when we contemplate His birth we try to comprehend a mystery that is very unique. And I do not mean unique in the sense that there aren't other stories of an incarnated deity. I mean unique in the sense that this event actually happened, no myth about it.
So what does it mean to you?
Think with me for a moment and imagine how excited and worried the inhabitants of heaven were when they realized that in a particular date and time Christ was going to "empty" Himself, would put His glory aside and enter the womb of a virgin. After all it was a big risk to put His neck on the line for a race that had chosen to rebel and is still in rebellion. Yet the excitement must have been overwhelming. God was demonstrating not just talking about love. If we truly believe that God is love, then imagine the excitement when His love is in action.
I can picture this conversation between Jesus and the Father "Father the time is ready to redeem the race, the prophecy of the messiah is drawing near." "Yes my son' says the father "you are right we have planned this out since before the foundation of the world, everything is as it should be." Imagine the joy of heaven. What love, what love that God would come to redeem us.
"Holy, Holy, Holy" shout the angels of heaven as they burst in celestial songs. The day that was foretold long ago "Behold unto you is born in the city of Bethlehem a savior" by the prophets was here; this is it today is the day. Every aspect of Christ life was before the heavenly inhabitants the prophecies concerning the messiah were clearly understood. They knew that Jesus would suffer and die and yet they were excited because God was going to rescue the "lost sheep" this planet.
How different things are here fast forward with me two thousand years later and the reality strikes us that such a joyous occasion has become not the remembrance of such a special event, but bickering headline news. Oh, humanity still does not get it Christ did not come to force people to follow Him but to love others into a relationship with Him. Jesus never compelled anyone to follow Him and we would not imagine Him boycotting stores because they do not celebrate His birth.
If that is the case and we are an extension of His ministry were is the appropriate corresponding actions?
"Blessed are the humble" (Matthew 5:5) Jesus says, not "blessed are the forceful." Please do not miss-understand me we have every right to share with others about Christ's gift to us, it's called witnessing yet I believe our life should testify to His love. All this bickering gives Christians a sore spot, remembering that our rights end were others people's rights begin and vice versa. Yet we should be more loving because the love of Christ overwhelms us. We need not force anyone into treating Christmas like we want to, just live your life like Christ and eventually they will want to.
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Gio Marin is an aspiring author, currently working on a Master of Divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. His email is {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}.© copyright 2005 by Gio Marin.
— — —
UPI Religion & Spirituality Forum is a big tent for all expressions
of faith and spirituality, neither excluding nor favoring any.
All opinions expressed belong to the writer alone, and are
not necessarily shared by UPI Religion & Spirituality Forum.
That answer would depend on whether or not you are a follower of Christ. It only makes sense to think that way; after all we are celebrating the birth of Christ. Yet have you ever stopped to think that during Christmas we are celebrating the birth of a deity, sounds ironic doesn't it that a God would be born.
We normally think God is eternal and He is yet when we contemplate His birth we try to comprehend a mystery that is very unique. And I do not mean unique in the sense that there aren't other stories of an incarnated deity. I mean unique in the sense that this event actually happened, no myth about it.
So what does it mean to you?
Think with me for a moment and imagine how excited and worried the inhabitants of heaven were when they realized that in a particular date and time Christ was going to "empty" Himself, would put His glory aside and enter the womb of a virgin. After all it was a big risk to put His neck on the line for a race that had chosen to rebel and is still in rebellion. Yet the excitement must have been overwhelming. God was demonstrating not just talking about love. If we truly believe that God is love, then imagine the excitement when His love is in action.
I can picture this conversation between Jesus and the Father "Father the time is ready to redeem the race, the prophecy of the messiah is drawing near." "Yes my son' says the father "you are right we have planned this out since before the foundation of the world, everything is as it should be." Imagine the joy of heaven. What love, what love that God would come to redeem us.
"Holy, Holy, Holy" shout the angels of heaven as they burst in celestial songs. The day that was foretold long ago "Behold unto you is born in the city of Bethlehem a savior" by the prophets was here; this is it today is the day. Every aspect of Christ life was before the heavenly inhabitants the prophecies concerning the messiah were clearly understood. They knew that Jesus would suffer and die and yet they were excited because God was going to rescue the "lost sheep" this planet.
How different things are here fast forward with me two thousand years later and the reality strikes us that such a joyous occasion has become not the remembrance of such a special event, but bickering headline news. Oh, humanity still does not get it Christ did not come to force people to follow Him but to love others into a relationship with Him. Jesus never compelled anyone to follow Him and we would not imagine Him boycotting stores because they do not celebrate His birth.
If that is the case and we are an extension of His ministry were is the appropriate corresponding actions?
"Blessed are the humble" (Matthew 5:5) Jesus says, not "blessed are the forceful." Please do not miss-understand me we have every right to share with others about Christ's gift to us, it's called witnessing yet I believe our life should testify to His love. All this bickering gives Christians a sore spot, remembering that our rights end were others people's rights begin and vice versa. Yet we should be more loving because the love of Christ overwhelms us. We need not force anyone into treating Christmas like we want to, just live your life like Christ and eventually they will want to.
— — —
Gio Marin is an aspiring author, currently working on a Master of Divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. His email is {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}.© copyright 2005 by Gio Marin.
UPI Religion & Spirituality Forum is a big tent for all expressions
of faith and spirituality, neither excluding nor favoring any.
All opinions expressed belong to the writer alone, and are
not necessarily shared by UPI Religion & Spirituality Forum.