More than Cakes,Carols and Santa...

 

It's that time of the year again...Christmas! Christmas reminds us of cakes, carols, Santa, Christmas trees, gifts, parties and a lot of fun. But amidst all the festivities, the message of Christmas is often overshadowed. The message of Christmas is one of hope and peace in a broken world where we have lost all hopes. There is a lot of suffering around the world today especially with wars, terrorism, natural calamities, outbreak of fatal diseases and so on. World leaders are rallying to organize numerous summits to resolve conflicts and ensure peace and stability. But the sad part is that there is no peace in the world even today.

2016 years ago, there appeared a man on the face of this earth. He was no ordinary person but He chose to be born in a manger and into a very poor family. There were ordinary people all around Him although He was the King of Kings. He was raised in Nazareth, one of the poorest villages of Palestine. Christmas marks the celebration of the birth of this man who impacted world history like none other, the Lord Jesus Christ. But in fact more than his birth, it is His life that has to be celebrated. His life was a gift to mankind, the greatest gift that is also free to receive. This is something that we miss out in the midst of this celebration. He willingly gave up his life so that man could save himself.

There is a problem more complex than terrorism or AIDS. This is something that cannot be solved by world leaders or the leading intellectuals of this world. The problem is SIN. The problem is complex because it is inherent in the very nature of man. We have a nature that is inherently sinful by birth. There is no medicine that can cure it. There is no treatment that can give remedy to this problem. The Bible says that “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.  Does it mean that all mankind are sinners?. How can that be reasonable?. A flashback in time can trace the root cause. It is an undeniable fact that we trace our ancestry to a single family on this earth, the family of Adam and Eve who were the first created human beings on this earth. However, the disobedience of Adam and Eve to God’s command marked the entry of sin into this world and all generations on this earth following them have this very nature. How do we know this? We do not learn to lie, cheat or disobey but these have been our inherent natures that came out so very naturally.

As a result of our sinful nature, we are incapable of overcoming sin on our own abilities. Mankind has been trying so many different things to atone for the sins that pricked their God given conscience. Some say good works can save us from sin, Some say going to a pilgrimage place can forgive sins. But it still doesn’t clear man’s conscience of the guilt of sin. However, the good news is that somebody already paid the punishment of our sins. Jesus was the only person born on this earth with a mission to die for the sins of mankind. Do you know that he took the most gruesome punishment that ever existed on the face of this earth? Have you ever wondered why he had to die that cruel death? The cross is a picture of the punishment for all of mankind’s sins taken upon one person, Jesus Christ. There are animal sacrifices that people offer even today to please God and ask for forgiveness of sins. But they fail to realize that there was a great sacrifice already offered by one person on their behalf. We do not have to do any karma to compensate for our sins. We  have to repent of our sins and believe that sacrifice that of Jesus Christ who  died for our sins on the cross of Calvary.

Jesus did not establish a religion. He established a  way to God, a way which was previously closed because of sin. The only way we can reach God today is not with our good works but through the atonement of His Son, Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said, “ I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me”. Jesus offers us peace that can never be lost. There is a hope after death for those who believe in Jesus for He said, “ Those who believe in me though he may die shall live”. May we not miss out on the most important person of Christmas, Jesus Christ.  Jesus said “ Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest”.  Jesus can heal any broken heart. He can restore any grave sinner. There is hope amidst all the chaos and troubles of this world. A hope of life through the Lord Jesus Christ. May God help you to receive this free gift of life. God bless you all.