By Ubahunlang Dkhar Tmar
In the book of John Chapter1:1, it is written “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God”. The same voice resonates through the devout man of God, the prophet Isaiah who prophesied the birth of Jesus Christ about 750 years (7th centuries & a half) before the actual birth of Christ. In his prophecy he gave key details regarding this birth which can be found in the book of Isaiah chapter 7:14, 9:6-7, 11:1. This is not a co-incidence but a divine intervention, we can also read this in the book of John Chapter 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting Life”
The birth of Jesus Christ is not a myth but an established historical fact approved by both Biblical and Non-Biblical Scholars. The birth of Christ was also accounted for and narrated in the book of Matthew Chapter 1:18-25 and Luke Chapter 2:1-20.
From a historical point of view and numerous academic debates and counter-arguments regarding the actual date of the birth of Christ, one fact remains clear, and that is, Jesus Christ was a phenomenal giant figure who walked on this earth with his followers and well-wishers; there are historical documentations that attest to this historical Jesus, from both the Christian, Roman and the non-Roman sources. Jesus Christ, the Son of God came to proclaim the word of God, curing and healing the sick, the poor. the maimed, performing astounding miracles that shook both the Roman world and the Orthodox Judaism till his death and his resurrection.
According to the Gregorian Calendar, Christmas is that momentous occasion at the fag-end of the year, now commonly viewed and accommodated as a public holiday which is the annual religious festival of the Christians, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ about two millenia ago in Bethlehem, a town in ancient Judea, which is now under the territory of the Palestinian Occupied West Bank of Israel.
The early Christian churches and traditions never celebrated Christmas for theological and cultural reasons. There are those who associate the celebration of birthdays as a pre-Christian pagan tradition. It can also be a political reason, where during the first three centuries’ Christians lived under Roman rule where the abuse and persecution of Christians was accepted as a normal occurrence. It was until the time when the Roman Emperor Constantine I (306-337AD) who played a vital role to legalize Christianity as a religion that the first Christmas celebration was recorded on the December 25, 336 AD (anno domini) and from then on it has spread to different parts of the old and the new world.
Christmas is now more of a dominant cultural and commercial phenomenon especially in capitalists and liberal democracies. It has crept and diffused to every nook and corner of the world, with various shades of celebrations and modifications. People from all walks of life celebrate Christmas.
Christmas is not only about exchanging gifts, decorating the Christmas tree, attending church services, partaking in meals with families and friends, exchanging cakes, attending concerts, merry making, which is much more of a social and cultural extravaganza. In its Biblical and theological essence, Christmas is not material, it is spiritual.
The birth of Jesus Christ is a historic moment not only on the earth but the entire universe, Christmas is the greatest gift of all gifts. It is that moment in the annals of the history of humankind that God came down to Earth and chose to be among his beloved and special creations to redeem them from their sins, iniquities and all the ills and malaise of the world that came about as a result of that exit from the Garden of Eden.
The true meaning of Christmas is about re-establishing a firm relationship with God and to realise his purpose and his unfathomable love (agape) to each one of us from different backgrounds of life and lineage.
The embedded message of Christmas is also about Peace, for the Son of Man is also the Prince of Peace. In John 14:7 Jesus said “Peace I leave with you; my piece I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”
Christmas is also about Trust and Faith. Both Joseph and Mary trusted God and walked by faith and avoided the wrath of Herod; the Roman appointed ruler of Judea who sought to eliminate the baby Jesus for he felt threatened after he learnt from the three wise men about the birth of the King of Kings. In this context it also reminds me of a verse from Proverbs Chapter 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thy own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge him and He shall direct thy path”. Christmas also gives us that divine opportunity to re-establish hope, to self-introspect, to gather and reconnect family and friends and enrich the true meaning of humanity. But the question still lingers and remains; Why did God choose to come down to earth, to become flesh and blood and face the harshest trials and tribulations to live among the people for the redemption of Sin?
At long last, Christianity is not only a religion per se but a way of life; to walk and work with God. Jesus Christ came to this world to establish this heavenly precept and dictum. The great teachings of Jesus Christ can also be found in the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ in the four Gospels, Mathew, Luke, Thomas and Mark. These teachings and sayings contain the crucial fundamentals on the conduct of life and pursuit of salvation.
To conclude, we can extrapolate that these teachings of Christ can also have a positive socio-political ramification that deals with the ethics and morality of governance, institutions of various hues and shades and society at large. For the ills of society and polity can only be pruned and eradicated by well-entrenched moral, ethical principles and integrity of mind, body and spirit. Almost all great learned men and women of science and literature understood this fundamental pre-condition. Albert Einstein once said “… only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life”.
A Blessed Christmas to One and All.
