By Bro. Pete Lapid
In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with GOD, and the Word was GOD….The Word became flesh and
made His dwelling among us. (John 1:1 &14)
Many of us are excited to go back to our respective home countries
to spend Christmas with our families and loved ones. And that’s
what most of us do or have done at Christmastime….spend. Spend for
gifts, presents, toys, clothes, etc. Now, don’t get me wrong.
Gift-giving is good. Because it reflects the generosity to us of
GOD who gave us His only Son on that first Christmas morn.
But Christmas should mean much more than just gift-giving. It is
above all a time of Thanksgiving. It is a time of THANKING -
• The FATHER for sending us Jesus as Savior. “GOD so loved the
world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him may
not be lost, but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
• JESUS, who had to come down from His throne in Heaven, took on
flesh and blood and became man like us (except for sin) in order to
save us – for we cannot save ourselves
• JESUS for His perfect submission to the will of the Father.
• GOD for His great love and mercy for us all. “But GOD, who is
rich in mercy, revealed His immense love and gave us life with
Christ after being dead through our sins… And He raised us to life
with Christ, giving us a place with Him in Heaven.” (Ephesians
2:4-6)
Like myself, I am certain that for many years we have spent many
Christmases in gift-giving. So to make our Christmas celebration
this year more memorable and life-giving, I recommend that we add
another dimension to it. I suggest that we gather our families
together maybe during Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day itself. And
then spend this time together in Prayer and Thanksgiving to GOD for
His goodness, His love and His many blessings. We can also use this
time to build-up or affirm one another and to explain to the
children the true meaning of Christmas – JESUS, the Word made flesh
and dwelt among us.
A Blessed Christmas to you all!