December 25, 2014
By Amen Oyiboke
Staff Writer
The holidays are here and most of us will be enjoying the surroundings of family members and close friends. Some believe the holidays is a great time to socialize and receive from others what they’ve desired all year.
But what is the real meaning of Christmas? It’s not about the gifts under the tree, the cards in the mail, snow falling or the numerous store sales that happen at this time of the year. Christmas is the season of profound joy and peace. It is a time to reflect on the love that God gave to us in its purest form. Christmas is when we celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ as child. God sent us his son, Jesus, to be a physical reminder of his love, peace and joy. The birth of Christ brought happiness to the world that no other thing could fulfill. In biblical stories, shepherds, wise men and angels all shared excitement of the coming of his birth. The world knew that the coming of his birth was nothing of the ordinary. As a signal to the world, a star stopped over Bethlehem just to mark the way for those who were looking for Christ the child.
In the Bible, Luke 2: 4-19 explains the story of the birth of Jesus Christ: “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
God sent His son to this world to show us what true salvation is. He sent Jesus to us so that one day he could make the ultimate sacrifice and die for our sins.
Christmas is the time to reflect on your inner peace, consciousness of self-worth and the love of Christ. Many times we forget about the reason for the season. Things of materialistic value consume our minds and we base our emotions on monetary things. This Christmas focus on what you already have and the story God has individually written for you. Ask yourself, “What is my meaning of Christmas?” Align that answer with the story of Christmas and receive those answers as personal motivation to start a positive year.