"A soul that has believed has conceived and both bears the Word of God and declares God’s works. Let the spirit of Mary be in each of you, so that it rejoices in God."
— St. Bede the Venerable
Last Christmas I received as a gift from a friend the book, The Purpose of Christmas, by Rick Warren. It took me eleven months to finally read this gift, but I’m glad I finally did. Christmas is the largest celebration around the world. And billions of people set aside normal routines to decorate homes, send out greeting cards, buy gifts, go to Christmas parties, attend church services, see Christmas pageants, sing Christmas songs, watch Christmas specials and travel long distances to be home with their families. The birth of the peasant-boy over 2000 years ago in the Middle East, has created such commotion that His birthday causes traffic jams today in places like New York City, Tokyo and Rio de Janiero.
God’s Christmas gift to us is matchless and priceless. He sent His Son Jesus to show us the way to love. What greater gift can we possibly receive than to share the greatest story of love that lasts forever. The gift of faith is extremely practical. We can use it everyday for the rest of our lives. Warren notes that the angels announce three purposes for the birth of Jesus that first holy silent Christmas night: 1) Christmas is a time for celebration, 2) Christmas is a time for salvation and 3) Christmas is a time for reconciliation.
A time for celebration — Birthdays are natural occasions of celebration. When we greet one another with saying, “Merry Christmas,” it reminds us of God’s wonderful news that causes us great merriment and rejoicing. It is a universal celebration for all people. Through the Incarnation, God became one of us and knows the human being story from the inside out — our hopes and dreams, our challenges and crosses and our joys and tears. God communicated best to us when He became one of us. God’s love for each of us is unconditional and God’s love is constant, steady and continuous throughout our lives. Jesus is Emmanuel, God with Us. And no matter what we face in life, it is comforting to know He is with us.
Jesus helps us to face the inevitable problems of life: cancer, death of a loved one, unemployment, addictions, marriage problems, family conflicts, financial difficulties, personal setbacks. Generations come and go but Jesus, His grace and His love remain.
A time for salvation — Jesus came to save us from sin, selfishness and death. It is natural and easy to be self-centered — however, it takes grace to be unselfish. Who can save us? Not the latest gadgets, flashier cars, buying bigger houses, acquiring academic acumen, getting plastic surgery, taking mind-altering drugs. It must start in our heart and only Christ can transform our hearts from within. Christ wants to free us from our sin, regrets, bitterness, expectations of others, addictive habits, fear of death, insecurity, powerlessness and meanness to others. Jesus has redeemed us from this slavery to sin and evil and through His amazing grace helps us to be His followers. Rick Warren notes, “The answer is not in a place, program or pill. The answer is a person. It’s Jesus.”
A time for reconciliation — Human beings aren’t very good at living in peace with one another. We are better at disagreeing, fighting, feuding and cheating. The purpose of Christmas is that the Prince of Peace would restore peace in order that we can be at peace with God, others and within our own hearts. What a powerful miracle the gift of peace is! Sometimes we live in a world in which aggression, belligerence and rudeness rule rather than unity, kindness and consideration. Our culture conditions us to be cynical, sarcastic, gossiping and even demonizing as conflict broods. We complain and we blame others for our unmet needs. There are many symptoms of this disturbed state of being: irritability, a quick temper, impatience, arrogance, boastfulness, holding grudges, the tyranny of the flesh... all barring us from peace. The good news of Christmas is that Jesus came to bring peace where there is brokenness, to restore relationships that are strained and to heal our hearts from self-destructiveness. “Jesus” means “God Saves!"
Warren concludes his book with a Christmas prayer:
Dear God,
Thank You for sending your Son, Jesus,
so I could get to know You.
Thank You for loving me.
Thank You for being with me all my life,
even when I didn't know it.
I realize I need a Savior to set me free
from sin, from myself,
and from all the habits, hurts and hang-ups
that mess up my life.
I ask You to forgive me for my sins.
I want to repent and live the way You created me to live.
Be the Lord of my life, and save me by Your grace.
Save me from my sins, and save me for Your purpose.
I want to learn to love You, trust You,
and become what You made me to be.
Thank You for creating me
and choosing me to be part of Your family.
Right now, by faith,
I accept the Christmas gift of Your Son.
Fill me with Your peace and assurance
so that I can be a peace-maker,
And help me share this message of peace with others.
In Your Name I pray.
Amen.
As we come to the home-stretch of the craziest and busiest time of the year, it is good to catch our breath, pause, reflect and pray, on where our life has been (in the past), where our life is now (present) and which direction our life is heading (in the future). May we savor the gift of stillness and silence as God calls us to the intimacy of His love.
