The Significance of Christmas

Posted by Gabriel Blessing | 9 years ago | 2,599 times



It is another Christmas! so glad we all made it. I am certain we did not meet it unexpectedly, after  all we all had eleven months and twenty-four days to prepare for it. But, why do many people  celebrate Christmas? Was Christmas not meant to be celebrated by Christians? Do we actually understand what we are celebrating? 

For those who may not know, 25th December is a date set aside for the Christian folks to celebrate the birth of Jesus christ. The Bible has no record of that anyway, but many Christians find it important to celebrate him on that date. From the above statement, it then means that none Christians are not supposed to be part of the celebration! 

It is no doubt that we are drifting away from the original meaning and intent of Christmas to worldly lusts. Christmas which was mearnt to celebrate and honour Christ has turned to a season  where  crime is at its peak; it has become a time where all forms of evil happen. People engage in rituals; do unthinkable things, in the name of Christmas. I recently read a story of an SS3 student who stabbed the father in the eye because the father could not buy Christmas clothe for him. 

During Christmas seasons, we see hike in the cost of goods and services; Transportation fares double! In fact, for some businesses, it is their best season.  They just cannot wait for Christmas! 
But then, the important question should be whether the celebration of christ's birthday be that expensive? Do we need all that preparation to honour his birth? 

I am not against getting new clothes, bags, shoes, making new hair style, and the rest of that. They are nice. But do we sincerely need them to celebrate HIM that way? Do we need to cut our coats above our sizes just to celebrate him? Do we need to spend all our savings to celebrate? My answer to tthat is absolutely No! 

I believe that the perfect question we as Christians should ask ourselves this season is, What is the significance of christ's birth? Yes! we decided on celeberating him on the 25th day of December eery year, but what's so special about his birth? 

The bible in Isaiah 9:6-7 say: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called wonderful, counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting father, Prince of peace. Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. upon the throne of David and over his Kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgement and justice from that time forward, even for ever . The zeal of the lord of host will perform this." 

The scripture above, for me, contains all we need to know about the significance of his birth. Reading from the first line, "unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." As Christians, we believe that God knows our needs even before we ask. Jesus even admonished us not to worry about anything in Matthew 6:25-31 and in Jeremiah 29:11, God says he knows the thought he thinks towards us. Now, if that be the case, he knows that we need his Son. He obviously know that we can't survive without his son. He also knows that the broken relationship between man and God can be healed by releasing his son. Do you now see the first significance? You need his son, I need his son and we need his son! So, the birth of christ came as a result of the 'need' in our lives. In the book of John 15:4, the bible says we can do nothing on our own except we have the son and in chapter 14:6, it says he is the way, the truth and the life and no one can go to the father except through him. In other words,  a life with Christ is a prerequisite for a prosperous life on earth. Having him in your life gives you access to the Almighty father. what a beautiful life it is! 

The next sentence on our scripture says; "And the government shall be upon his shoulder." This simply mean that he also came to establish his Kingdom here on earth. A Kingdom where him alone will rule and reign. Where he will be called wonderful, counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting father and the prince of peace. So where is this Kingdom? Its been decades after his birth! Jesus said in luke 17:21 "nor will they say, 'see here' or 'see there!' for indeed, the kingdom of God is within you". This kingdom is in us. He came to establish his throne in our lives. In his Kingdom is peace, joy, love and any good thing we can ever imagine. 

How much of him do you have? what's the capacity of his Kingdom in you? Can his Kingdom be likened to a state, a nation, a continent or the whole world in your life? what's the size of his Kingdom in your life? 

I believe Christ will feel honoured and celebrated the more if you increase your size of his Kingdom by letting him occupy more space than he did in your previous celebrations. If your size can be likened to a State, why not make it a nation. Now, if you lost him along the way, its time to get back on track. 

It's obvious we all need him. We need his kind of peace which surpasses all understanding to remain physically and emotionally stable in this world. We need him to survive! 

It's clear now, that a lot of the  things we do in the name of celebration are uncalled for. He does not want us to steal, cheat or kill because we are celebrating him. He does not want us to borrow or empty our account because of Him. Besides, celebrating him should not necessarily be on 25th December alone but should be done everyday in our lives. He is worth it! 

As  you celebrate, do so with understanding. Don't be carried away. Remember there is 2015 and many more Christmas to celebrate. In fact, the holiday should be to prepare yourself for the year ahead. 

I wish you a merry Christmas and a fruitful new year! 


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