I asked one lady how she was preparing for the Christmas and her answer was thus, “I don’t celebrate Christmas. How can you expect me to celebrate the birth of a person whose date of birth remains a mystery”.
The truth is that the exact year, month or day of Christ’s birth was not known or cannot be ascertained, but took place in the fullness of time as the prophets said.
“But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law. To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons”. Galatians 4:4,5 (Amplifier)
The birth of Christ took place at the time and place predicted by the prophets (see Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5:2, Jeremiah 35:15). At long last Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea when it was God’s time of perfection. (Matthew 2:1-6)
The Christian brother or sister should understand that the reason for his birth supercedes the actual date or time of birth.
The circumstances behind his birth should rather be an encouragement to the world than emphasis on a person’s date of birth.
Why do we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ?
We celebrate Christmas as one of the moments we have sober reflection of the birth of a sinless young man who gave his life and took the position of sinners to reclaim us from eternal damnation.
Therefore on this day, we have reflection of the truth, his conception, birth, baptism, ministry, suffering to death and resurrection.
There is nothing worth remembering than this, the only human being born in a mange r or stables (Luke 2:7).
If the work Christ engaged to accomplish was to be complete, then it became necessary for him to take the likeness of a sinner in order to fulfill all righteousness such that he went through the baptism of John, in which, the Baptist was a symbol of the prophets as well as the law.
Ordinarily, the baptism might not be necessary on Christ’s own account, but very important for his mission. He, on his own, voluntarily accepted John’s baptism of repentance because he has taken the position of a sinner (see Matthew 3:15).
While people went to take the Baptism of repentance, Christ’s baptism was a symbol of suffering, where he consecrated himself to the work he set to do.
Christ equally fasted for 40 days and 40 nights after which he was tempted by Satan. All is to prepare himself for the task of saving us all from eternal destruction.
Again we celebrate Christmas because if Christ was not born, he would not have died to save us all as was foretold.
Christmas should not be seen as a period when we multiply sin or engage in rituals in order to make money to show off in our villages.
Christmas should not be seen as a period of robbery, kidnapping, killing all in the name of traveling home big, yet we fail to understand that majority of those who travel may not return back safely or with their lives.
