I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God. A daughter of the Most
High King. I have been reconciled to God by the forgiveness of my sins through
the death of His Son Jesus Christ. I strive daily to live according to the
principles outlined in the Bible.
I do not celebrate Christmas because I do not believe that
it has anything to do with Jesus.
I have no problem celebrating the birth of Christ. It is
beyond my understanding how the fullness of the sovereign God, Creator of the
universe, could be contained in a human body (Colossians 2:9), yet this is what
happened when Jesus came to earth. He willingly left His place in heaven where
He was equal to God, and subjected Himself to becoming a human, all so that He
could be the payment for my sins (Philippians 2:6-11). This is something worth
celebrating every day of the year, not just on December 25th.
I celebrate Jesus by serving others who are in need. Instead
of buying gifts for people just because “It’s Christmas”, I use the funds that
God has blessed me with to support an orphanage in Haiti which cares for children
who were orphaned by the earthquake in 2010. Instead of buying new furniture
and appliances, I support an outreach effort in Kenya which ministers to the needs of
persons living with HIV who have been neglected by their families. Instead of
spending money on fancy Christmas dinners, I contribute towards an organisation
that is working with survivors of ebola in Liberia to ensure that they do not
starve due to famine. Instead of purchasing decorations for my home, I choose
to be a blessing to a single mother with four children.
So please forgive me if I don’t send out “Merry Christmas”
greetings, and if I don’t get into the “Christmas spirit”. To me, this time of
year is full of persons indulging in excess while turning a blind eye to
persons who are in need, and I prefer not to be a part of it.
For those who choose to celebrate, I would like to challenge
you to do so by placing Jesus at the center of your festivities, not just
looking to your own interests, but to the interests of others (Philippians
2:4). And to not limit this serving of others to December 25th, but
to do so every day of your life.
Matthew 25:37-40: Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord,
when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to
drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and
clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for
one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Amen
ReplyDelete