CHRISTMAS – THE GATEWAY TO DIVINE VISITATION FOR ALL NATIONS

26th to 28th DECEMBER 2020

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” – John 1:4-5

I doubt if anybody presently living has not heard about the name Jesus Christ and the Christmas celebration. What many probably may not understand is the connection between Jesus Christ and Christmas. As thorning and confusing as this topic might seem, it still does not override the subject’s exalted position. 

 

To understand the meaning of Christmas, we must also understand the historical perspectives of the rites. The scripture says: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod, the king, behold, there came three wise men from the east to Jerusalem ….” (Matthew 2:1). The American Standard version referred to the three wise men as Magi. The three wise men or magi were from the East, in the area which is either modern Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, or a place in what’s now southern Turkey or northern Syria. 

 

The three wise men were not Christians. Of course, they couldn’t have been Christians since Christianity only came up after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But history points to the fact that the three wise men were priests in Zoroastrianism and the ancient religions of the western Iranians; These religions predate Christianity. Some theologians also believed that the three wise men were from Babylon; They claimed that since God had revealed to Daniel in a dream exactly how many years will pass before the Messiah’s death, so the wise men came from Babylon! They were the followers of Daniel, who had left them instructions telling them exactly when they should begin looking for the Messiah! But Daniel was a man of God, not a Christian strictly speaking!

 

The next question is, what star did the wise men follow? Modern theologians and Astronomers refer to the star the three wise men saw and followed as “The Star of Bethlehem”, or “Christmas Star”. The three wise men were astronomers. The star was a heavenly body or constellations that had appeared in the sky to announce God’s birth – Jesus the Christ of God, who is also God incarnate!

 

Why then do we celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25th each year?  The tilting of the Earth and the Sun as they both move on a specific axis reveals that at about 21st and 25th December every year, the Sun appears to stand still, recreates or replenishes itself, and becomes newer and refreshed. At about this time also, nature bounces back to life and the divine nature of God is poured forth unto our world bringing forth God’s regenerating powers for the body, mind, spirit, and soul of those who will attune with the splendour of God poured unto the world at the time. People call this period Winter Solstice. In Latin, Sol means SUN and Stice or sistere, means, “TO STAND STILL”; This is because at the solstices, the Sun’s declination appears to “stand still”; that is, the seasonal movement of the Sun’s daily path (as seen from Earth) pauses at a northern or southern hemisphere before reversing direction. It was precise during this auspicious moment when the Sun stood still, that the three wise men saw the star of Bethlehem on our sky. The star appeared to herald the birth of Jesus, which incidentally took place simultaneously as the Sun was being reborn and refreshed (according to the beliefs of the ancient religion).

 

What was the attitude of an ancient religion to the winter solstice? The old religion’s understanding was that the winter solstice is when new gods were born, or existing gods and deities were reborn with more power and vigour. On this day, the ancient religion of Mithra celebrated the dies Natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of the Invincible Sun). This period is known to be a time of rebirth for nature and the human mind and spirit. In some quarters, this ancient religion’s celebration is called YULE festival, from which we now have the word, “YULETIDE” season.

 

Why should a Christian celebrate Christmas? The Winter Solstice’s significance has been recognized for thousands of years before the advent of Christianity, ever since human beings first observed the ever-changing patterns of sunrise and sunset throughout the seasons. For instance, the ancient Romans, Greeks, and Persians all held festivals at this time, many of which celebrated one or more gods’ birth. The church also adopted this period of the Winter Solstice to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ because it was during the same period of the winter solstice which occurred some 3000 years ago that the star of Bethlehem had appeared on the sky to announce the birth of Jesus Christ. The three wise men saw the star of Bethlehem in their kingdoms and they came to Jerusalem to worship Jesus and to proclaim His kingship and divine origin. Today, we know that winter solstice usually occurs between 21st and 25th of December every year. Any day between 21st and 25th December will be sufficient for Christmas, but the church has chosen December 25th every year. So, we celebrate Christmas on December 25th every year. 

 

What is the benefit of Christmas celebration you may ask?  Jesus Christ is a universal king. He is the king of Kings and the Lord of Lords. 

When Jesus was born, the angels and the heavenly hosts praised God saying; “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men” – Luke 2:14. They praised God because; something far from the ordinary happened – The WORD of God, who is God, took flesh and incarnated as Jesus Christ. God’s word became a man so that through Him, we might reconcile with God. The way to reach God is through His WORD – HIS SON. Every truth about life and death rest with the Son. If not for the birth of Christ, man would die of sin, and darkness will continue to envelop the world. 

 

During this auspicious moment of the Winter Solstice; therefore, the star of Bethlehem sometimes will appear in our sky to herald the coming of the divine spirit of God upon nature and humankind. On this occasion, nature bounces back to life, and the Sun’s light increases in radiance, healing, and grace. During this period, God’s divine spirit hovers around humanity with His regenerating powers, affecting the body, mind, spirit, and soul of men. Jesus is reborn! This time, not physically as God’s incarnate, but as a regenerating power in our mind and spirit; He is reborn as the splendour of God pouring forth unto nature and humanity. Jesus is reborn as the light of wisdom, wealth and abundance. as well as the power of life over death. (Ref; John 3:16; John 1:9; Luke 11:36; John 10:10; John 1:4-5)

 

If we view the wonders of God’s creation the way He wanted us to, we can also consider what Paul said in Romans 1:20 and allow this time of the year to help us appreciate one of the many beautiful things that God has created. Paul wrote, “For, since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.” (Romans 1:20). The winter solstice marks a pivotal point in the grand procession of the seasons that God has created. Unfortunately, ancient religion got it wrong. Rather than worship the creator, they honoured the creatures. The scripture has condemned this attitude in Jeremiah 10: 1 – 4. Satan’s deception had deceived the ancient religion, “exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the creator (Romans 1:25)

Today’s word reminds us that Jesus Christ has always been the LIGHT of God. The scripture also says, “The TRUE Light who gives light to every man was coming into the world” (John 1:9). Therefore, the WORD of God, who is also the Christ is our soul’s light and life. Through the WORD of God, we have both physical and spiritual light, and this light is the source of our life. The Light of Christ also gives us the light of real knowledge and wisdom.

 

For this reason, therefore, Luke 11:36 says, “So if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it in darkness, you will be radiant, as though a lamp were shining on you.” What a great gift God gave to us in Jesus Christ, and what a great gift Jesus is to us! In Jesus, God gave to the world the light of the truth that leads to eternal life (Ref; John 3:16), and the LIFE that gives abundant wealth here on Earth (Ref: John 10:10; John 1:4-5) The birth of God’s Word as Jesus Christ on Earth is a mysterious sacrifice by God to bring forth Light, Life and everlasting joy to all Nations. The light and the life of God, which became Jesus Christ transcends religion and creed, which are given by men, but Christ came down from heavens above, from the father of all things!

Merry Christmas beloved!!!

PRAYER        

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I thank you for the gift of Jesus Christ. May I be richly blessed by the regenerating power of the divine spirit of God during this period and always. AMEN.

FURTHER READING: Colossians 1:15-20; John 1:1-14