Luke 2:11 “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
We will soon be celebrating Christmas. People from all over the world will be celebrating it with high spirits. But what is the real meaning of Christmas? Is it enjoying the Christmas lights on Orchard Road, receiving gifts from friends and family, or savouring a Christmas log cake and champagne with a bone-in ham dinner with family and friends? Is that the real meaning of Christmas?
Christmas is the time when we witness the love of God and the birth of Jesus Christ. God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to be born. His birth brought great joy to the world. Shepherds, wise men, and angels all shared in the excitement of this great event. They knew this was no ordinary baby; the prophets had foretold His coming hundreds of years before (Micah 5:2). The star stopped over Bethlehem (Matthew 2:8-9) to lead the way for those who were looking for this special child.
Why did He come? Why did God send His Son into this often cruel and hard world? We have a major problem: sin. God knew this, and only He could provide a solution. Jesus Christ alone can take away all the sins of the world.
The Bible says that all of us have sinned (Romans 3:23). We are all born with a sinful nature and do things that do not please God. We harbour hatred, jealousy, and sometimes an unforgiving spirit.
God’s character is just and holy. In this world, we have laws to govern society and uphold justice. Whoever runs afoul of the law will be dealt with under the law. Similarly, we will all have to stand before God to give an account of our lives on earth (Hebrews 9:27). God will judge the sins of our lives and determine whether we attain eternal life. Just as there are physical laws governing our daily lives, there are spiritual laws governing our spiritual lives. God is our Judge. On our own merit, we cannot attain heaven. So, God sent His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins and to bear the judgment of those sins on our behalf.
Jesus died on the cross and shed His precious blood. It is through this shed blood that our sins are taken away. If we believe that Jesus died for our sins, we can ask Him to come into our hearts, and He will forgive us. Only then are we be cleansed and made whole. We can have the confidence that heaven is the place we will go when this life is over. God’s promise to us “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
If you have not yet trusted and believed in Jesus as your Saviour, it is my earnest plea that you seize this opportunity today. Make the decision today to receive Jesus Christ as God’s gift—your Christmas gift—and trust and believe in Him as your personal Savior. Then you will truly know the real meaning of Christmas in a personal way. God promises you eternal life, that your sins will be forgiven and forgotten forever, and that He will grant you lasting peace and joy that this world cannot give. He promises to meet all your needs.
As we look forward to Christmas this year, we are also mindful of our Christmas Sunday Gospel Meeting. May we each have someone in mind to bring to the meeting, so that they too can find out the true meaning of Christmas and receive God’s most precious gift—a Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed and meaningful Christmas season.