Tonight, we join the rest of the world commemorate, with much gratitude and love, that holy night of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ!
For me, our best gift of all was God and His unconditional love and our redemption through Jesus Christ! Thank You, our dear Father; thank You, our dear Jesus!
We give and receive gifts, imitating God who gave us our greatest gift, His love. And we received God’s gift, Jesus Christ, who came down to earth to redeem and to reunite us with God forever.
Christmas reminds us about God’s love, God’s unconditional love made possible through Jesus Christ’s unconditional love and ready obedience to His Father’s will, Mama Mary’s unconditional love and obedience to do God’s will, Joseph’s unconditional acceptance of Mary and unconditional love and obedience to fulfill God’s redemption plan, the angels’ unconditional love and obedience to spread God’s message to His chosen ones.
The gospel of Luke narrates the Christmas story for us: “So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee for Judaea, to David's town called Bethlehem, since he was of David's House and line, in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. Now it happened that, while they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the living space.”
Jesus Christ, God Almighty’s Son, agreed to become human in order to save us. Jesus Christ, our King, entered the world in a lowly manger and reunited us all to the Father through the painful yet vanquished cross. The story of God’s love to save us is worth our eternal love and praise!
And no wonder, the angels could not help but proclaim and sing the good news of our Lord’s birth!
As documented in Luke, “in the countryside close by there were shepherds out in the fields keeping guard over their sheep during the watches of the night. An angel of the Lord stood over them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified, but the angel said, 'Do not be afraid. Look, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David, a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.' And all at once with the angel, there was a great throng of the hosts of heaven, praising God with the words: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace for those he favors.”
Despite their initial fear, with unconditional obedience, the shepherds blessed to be among the first to meet God’s Son, Jesus Christ, proceeded to the manger. “Now it happened that when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go to Bethlehem and see this event which the Lord has made known to us.' So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.”
Mama Mary and Papa Joseph may have been very surprised to see shepherds and the shepherds, “when they saw the child, they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds said to them. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
Can you imagine how the shepherds reacted after their experience of meeting Baby Jesus and being blessed to witness this holy event that holy night? We are told in the gospel of Luke that “the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as they had been told.”
Both heaven and earth rejoiced upon the birth of the Child Jesus!
Christmas allows us a reenactment of that wonderful redemptive holy night! Christmas reminds us about how much God loves us and how much Jesus Christ loves us, along with Mama Mary, Papa Joseph, and all God’s angels!
Those blessed and touched by God’s love have peace in their hearts and God’s love in their hearts lead them to glorify and praise the Lord and to return to God their unconditional love and gratitude. Christmas is forever an unending gift giving and receiving of love for all believers.
From our family to yours, from all of us at The FREEMAN to you and your loved ones, may all your days be Christmas, may all the unconditional love and peace of God through His Son, Jesus Christ, be with you and your loved ones forever!
Happy, happy God-blessed Christmas!