Today, predominantly Christian Philippines reaches the high point of the celebration of Christmas, one of the biggest holidays of the year, marked to remember the birth of Jesus Christ who, Christians believe, is the Son of God.
Although the “reason for the season” has begun to get lost amid all of our traditions and “stuff,” many start to wonder: is Christmas really that important?
The name Christmas comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus), a Mass service (sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) where Christians remember that Jesus died for the faithful and then came back to life.
For Christians, believing that God came into the world in the form of man to atone for the sins of humanity, rather than knowing Jesus’ exact birth date, is considered to be the primary purpose in celebrating Christmas.
Christians celebrate Christmas each year to show their gratitude to God for what he did, to remember the birth of Jesus Christ by giving gifts, worshipping him and thinking of the poor and less fortunate.
But what is the true meaning of Christmas? It is a time of God showing His great love for us, can be a time of healing and renewed strength—particularly in this difficult time of the coronavirus pandemic.
Certainly, we enjoy the season, with the relaxed restrictions and all during Yuletide. but we must remember to rejoice as well, given that the true meaning of Christmas is the celebration of God’s ultimate gift: the birth of Jesus, the Christ child.
God’s plan for redemption did not begin with Jesus. His plan had been in effect since The Fall, 2,000 years prior. His plan really begins to take shape, however, with Abraham.
In Genesis 12, God makes a covenant with Abraham promising that he would make his [Abraham’s] name great, that he would be a father to many nations, and that he would bless him so that he could be a blessing to others.
Jesus was the fulfillment of that promise.
By sending Jesus, who was a descendent of Abraham, to earth, he fulfilled his promise that all nations, Jew or Gentile, would be blessed. Blessed by the grace of God for the forgiveness of sins.
Christmas, a long season in the Philippines, is a day of remembrance, to commemorate the gift of God’s Son, who walked on this earth knowing what was ahead of him, yet he persevered.