A Reflection on Christmas
So Christmas has come and gone, complete with the dazzling lights, glitzy parties, delicious turkey feasts and opulent gifts. As Christians we have long learnt to look beyond the hype and commercialism to the true meaning of Christmas; and so in our churches we celebrate the birth of Baby Jesus with hymns by soft candlelight and scenes of the peaceful stable.
But is that all there is to Christmas? As I reflected this year a few things struck me, which can be crystallised into 3 questions about Jesus. And these questions have huge implications for my life.
Firstly, to what did Jesus come? We often think of the Bethlehem stable as a wonderfully serene place, as often portrayed in pictures and plays. Baby Jesus lying asleep in the soft hay of the manger, with radiant Mary and Joseph watching over, under a brilliantly starlit sky. “Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright…”
But in all likelihood, that was not the case. Anyone who has been to a stable would know it is not a nice place to spend the night, with the smell of the horses and their dung all around, and cold winds wafting through the poorly insulated doors and walls. Joseph and Mary would have been physically and emotionally drained after a long day’s journey and numerous rejections from innkeepers. And the events to come were no better. Pursued by a hateful king who ruthlessly slaughtered all the infants in Bethlehem for vengeance, forced to flee to Egypt for their lives, circumstances were anything but peaceful. In fact, Revelation 12 gives an even more vivid and frightening account of the violence that was raging in the spiritual realm that fateful night.
The fact is, Jesus came to a hostile world that rejected and sought to destroy Him. We too live in a world that is hostile and full of strife. Day after day we endure hurt from our employers, our colleagues, even our family and friends. The 20th century has been the bloodiest in the history of man, with more lives lost in war then all the other centuries combined. But it is in this kind of world that Jesus boldly let His light shine, and we are called to follow. “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…” (Phil 2:14-15) The world will do us no favours, but we must not be disheartened, and continue to live out our faith, serving our fellow humans as Jesus did.
Secondly, how did Jesus come? The Jews expected the coming Messiah to be an all-conquering King in the mould of David, who with his mighty power would sweep the Roman empire out of the land and “restore the kingdom to Israel.” But Jesus stunned all by coming in the form of a vulnerable Child, weak and helpless. Even in his adult life, He never chose the path of earthly power and glory. Having nowhere to lay His head, refusing to be crowned by the people, entering Jerusalem on a donkey, His was a ministry characterised by weakness and humility.
Today the talk is all about self-fulfillment. “If I believe it, I can achieve it.” “There is no limit to human potential”. In the race of meritocracy, the strongest man wins. Work hard and you will succeed. The bookshelves are filled with self-help books about how to fulfil your potential and get what you want. The human being and his desires are at the centre of the universe.
But Jesus’ life showed an entirely different approach. Not strength, but weakness. He lived in utter dependence on His Father. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Not pride or self-exaltation, but humility. “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Not to be served, but to serve. “He who desires to be great among you, let him be your servant”. Not success or self-fulfillment, but faithfulness to the Father’s calling. “I have glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given me to do”.
All of us subconsciously carry worldly values and mindsets, to varying extents. Do we seek our own desires and passions, or do we first seek the will of God? In life, do we rely upon our own strength to work, or do we first humbly seek the Lord’s strength? Is our idea of success to climb the corporate ladder, be highly esteemed among men and to live a comfortable life, or is to be faithful to God’s calling and to serve our fellow men?
Thirdly, for whom did Jesus come? He came for the weak, the poor, the oppressed. The blind, the lame, the lepers. He came for the outcasts of society, like the Samaritan woman. He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, like the despised prostitutes and tax collectors.
As we celebrate Christmas in the warmth of our homes with our families and loved ones over delicious feasts, let us remember that there are still so many of such people, just as there were 2000 years ago. The poor, the sick, the suffering. People ravaged by war. Orphans who have lost their parents to war and disease. Child labourers slaving away in factories. The world today is a sad, sad place. And these are the people that Jesus cares so much for, the ones over whom His tears fall.
Someone once wrote, “There is wealth because there is poverty”. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. There is enough food in this world to feed every single human being alive, but not when 90% of it is found in the developed countries. It is a sad state of affairs when people splurge hundreds of dollars on a fine meal or millions on a sports car or grand house, when every hour hundreds of children die from starvation or disease. There is so much work to be done in this world. And perhaps it should all start with a simple prayer, asking the Lord for His mercy upon our suffering Earth and its people, and for Him to use us as His agents of healing and help.
Truly, more than just a time to celebrate and sing, Christmas has such deep meaning and significance that it must have great repercussions on the way we live. God Himself coming to Earth as a Man, showing us how to live as humans in this world, following the example that Christ left us.
Blessed (belated) Christmas everyone!
So Christmas has come and gone, complete with the dazzling lights, glitzy parties, delicious turkey feasts and opulent gifts. As Christians we have long learnt to look beyond the hype and commercialism to the true meaning of Christmas; and so in our churches we celebrate the birth of Baby Jesus with hymns by soft candlelight and scenes of the peaceful stable.
But is that all there is to Christmas? As I reflected this year a few things struck me, which can be crystallised into 3 questions about Jesus. And these questions have huge implications for my life.
Firstly, to what did Jesus come? We often think of the Bethlehem stable as a wonderfully serene place, as often portrayed in pictures and plays. Baby Jesus lying asleep in the soft hay of the manger, with radiant Mary and Joseph watching over, under a brilliantly starlit sky. “Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright…”
But in all likelihood, that was not the case. Anyone who has been to a stable would know it is not a nice place to spend the night, with the smell of the horses and their dung all around, and cold winds wafting through the poorly insulated doors and walls. Joseph and Mary would have been physically and emotionally drained after a long day’s journey and numerous rejections from innkeepers. And the events to come were no better. Pursued by a hateful king who ruthlessly slaughtered all the infants in Bethlehem for vengeance, forced to flee to Egypt for their lives, circumstances were anything but peaceful. In fact, Revelation 12 gives an even more vivid and frightening account of the violence that was raging in the spiritual realm that fateful night.
The fact is, Jesus came to a hostile world that rejected and sought to destroy Him. We too live in a world that is hostile and full of strife. Day after day we endure hurt from our employers, our colleagues, even our family and friends. The 20th century has been the bloodiest in the history of man, with more lives lost in war then all the other centuries combined. But it is in this kind of world that Jesus boldly let His light shine, and we are called to follow. “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…” (Phil 2:14-15) The world will do us no favours, but we must not be disheartened, and continue to live out our faith, serving our fellow humans as Jesus did.
Secondly, how did Jesus come? The Jews expected the coming Messiah to be an all-conquering King in the mould of David, who with his mighty power would sweep the Roman empire out of the land and “restore the kingdom to Israel.” But Jesus stunned all by coming in the form of a vulnerable Child, weak and helpless. Even in his adult life, He never chose the path of earthly power and glory. Having nowhere to lay His head, refusing to be crowned by the people, entering Jerusalem on a donkey, His was a ministry characterised by weakness and humility.
Today the talk is all about self-fulfillment. “If I believe it, I can achieve it.” “There is no limit to human potential”. In the race of meritocracy, the strongest man wins. Work hard and you will succeed. The bookshelves are filled with self-help books about how to fulfil your potential and get what you want. The human being and his desires are at the centre of the universe.
But Jesus’ life showed an entirely different approach. Not strength, but weakness. He lived in utter dependence on His Father. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Not pride or self-exaltation, but humility. “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Not to be served, but to serve. “He who desires to be great among you, let him be your servant”. Not success or self-fulfillment, but faithfulness to the Father’s calling. “I have glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given me to do”.
All of us subconsciously carry worldly values and mindsets, to varying extents. Do we seek our own desires and passions, or do we first seek the will of God? In life, do we rely upon our own strength to work, or do we first humbly seek the Lord’s strength? Is our idea of success to climb the corporate ladder, be highly esteemed among men and to live a comfortable life, or is to be faithful to God’s calling and to serve our fellow men?
Thirdly, for whom did Jesus come? He came for the weak, the poor, the oppressed. The blind, the lame, the lepers. He came for the outcasts of society, like the Samaritan woman. He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, like the despised prostitutes and tax collectors.
As we celebrate Christmas in the warmth of our homes with our families and loved ones over delicious feasts, let us remember that there are still so many of such people, just as there were 2000 years ago. The poor, the sick, the suffering. People ravaged by war. Orphans who have lost their parents to war and disease. Child labourers slaving away in factories. The world today is a sad, sad place. And these are the people that Jesus cares so much for, the ones over whom His tears fall.
Someone once wrote, “There is wealth because there is poverty”. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. There is enough food in this world to feed every single human being alive, but not when 90% of it is found in the developed countries. It is a sad state of affairs when people splurge hundreds of dollars on a fine meal or millions on a sports car or grand house, when every hour hundreds of children die from starvation or disease. There is so much work to be done in this world. And perhaps it should all start with a simple prayer, asking the Lord for His mercy upon our suffering Earth and its people, and for Him to use us as His agents of healing and help.
Truly, more than just a time to celebrate and sing, Christmas has such deep meaning and significance that it must have great repercussions on the way we live. God Himself coming to Earth as a Man, showing us how to live as humans in this world, following the example that Christ left us.
Blessed (belated) Christmas everyone!
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