Christmas is here! We join billions of people around the world to welcome the Lord Jesus Christ to the world more than 2000 years ago, with utmost joy and gratitude... Joy to the world. Peace for all people on earth.
Jesus is the center and main reason for Christmas. His name Jesus means:
1) Jesus is the anglicized form the biblical Hebrew name Yehoshua better known in English as Joshua. Yehoshua means “God delivers”,”God rescues” and “God saves” as the angel of God told Joseph: “She will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” - Matthew 1:21.
2) Joseph also heard from the angel that Jesus name means Immanuel which is “God is with us”. “And they will call him Immanuel which means “God with us” – Matthew 1:23. Following resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven and He sent the Holy Spirit to be with us by dwelling in our hearts. John 14: 15-17 – “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him or knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”
In Christmas, people give gifts and exchange gifts to show love. In Christmas, God shows us His love by giving us His only Son, the most precious gift of all, to die for us. In John 3:16, God tells us that by believing in Jesus and accepting Jesus as our Savior, we will be forgiven and have eternal life. In Christmas, God wants us to make an exchange – our sins for His Son Jesus. We will be forgiven, will receive His love and have eternal life.
Today, the world is filled with worries and problems. And the problems seem larger than ever. Everyday, we hear about earthquakes, fires, floods, mass shootings, wars, climate change, and pollution. We feel overwhelmed by the bad news and powerless by problems. How will our children and grandchildren live? Jesus promised that He would return (John 14:1-3). The corrupted world and creation will be made right.
Christmas is our celebration of the Good news that Jesus came to rescue us and to be with us. Therefore, Christmas is one of the best times to tell people about Jesus, His Gospel and that He will return. We will look at Jesus’ second coming next week.