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What will I be celebrating this Christmas? Words: Abi Colthrust When Christians first decided to take the pagan feast “Yule” and re-name it ‘Christmas’ they were making not only a corporate but a personal decision. They resolved that they were going to take the existing festivities and use them as an opportunity to publicly celebrate something far greater than food, drink and lights; namely, the birth of Jesus Christ – God in human form – into this earth. As a young Christian today at the build up to Christmas, I am faced with the same choice. What will I use this time of holiday and festivity to celebrate? As I thought about it, I realised that in choosing to celebrate the birth of Christ it would be worth pondering over why it is a cause for celebration. I listed all the reasons that came to me to celebrate Jesus’ arrival into this earth 2007 years ago. Here are my thoughts. I can celebrate a real Saviour God is a spirit, and He could have kept it that way. But because He loves to have relationship with us and understands that we find it difficult to relate to Him in that form, he came to us in human, tangible, flesh and blood form. John 1v18 says about Jesus “no one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only who is at the Father's side, has made him known.” And in Hebrews 1v3 we read that “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being”. Praise God for reaching out and showing us the reality of who He is through Jesus! I can celebrate an understanding Saviour When Jesus came to earth He experienced humanity in all its ugly fullness - rejection, betrayal, pain, hatred. He’s seen it all; which means we can be certain that He understands and cares about what we go through in our lives. See Hebrews 4:15. I can celebrate a humble, servant-hearted Saviour Jesus is the ultimate Servant-King. Born into a dusty manger among animals because there was no room in the inn, he was hunted down to be killed from the moment he was born, and grew up with suspicion and malicious rumours about his ‘virgin’ birth. Of course this was no mistake. As Mark says, “The Son of Man (Jesus) did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." This year, let’s not miss the point and celebrate the cradle without looking to the cross. I can celebrate a returning Saviour Because Jesus has come to earth once, we can be sure he will come again. As we celebrate Jesus’ first coming, we can look forward to the second coming, when this time he will return not as a servant but as a mighty judge. He will set the world to rights, and take all those who trust in him to be with him forever in eternal heaven. “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:11 “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him” Revelation 1:7
Article Source: http://christian-topics.info
About the author Abi Colthrust is the managing editor at STREETBRAND Magazine; a Christian youth culture magazine especially but not exclusively for young Christian adults. STREETBRAND has significant Christian music input through reviews, articles and exclusive celebrity interviews along with film and book reviews, articles on lifestyle, fashion, in-your-face columns and thought provoking pieces on current affairs. For more info, please see www.streetbrand.com
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