Text - Luke 2:13-14
"...Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace, goodwill to all men"
Christmas is recognized globally and celebrated enormously annually.
Its the how and what of the celebration that we are going to ponder on today.
The "what" of Christmas is our first note. What are we celebrating as Christmas?
Christmas is the world's day marked to celebrate the birth of JESUS Christ. It was foretold that a virgin will birth a son through the Holy spirit (Luke 1:26-38). He will be known as Messiah, our savior, our king (Luke 1:31-33). Jesus was born in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes (Luke 2:12). Shepherds came to worship him (Luke 2:8-20). The Eastern Wiseman came also to adore Him. The host of angels in heaven sang of His glory. This is the "what" that Christmas is about.
Christmas is celebrating the coming of the risen king, God's only begotten son into the world for our salvation.
Many people don’t even know why there is Christmas or the reason for such celebration. Its known as Christmas not Xmas. When you recognize it as Xmas, you remove the What and Who of Christmas is.
The "how" we celebrate Christmas is next. Going back to the nativity story, the shepherds were told by the angel of the Lord about the birth of the messiah, they went straight to that place and worshipped him. The Eastern Wise Men travelled a long distance to come and see the King, and they bowed down in adoration and worshipped also, with their gifts for the King (Matt 1:1-11). The host of angels in heaven sang praises to him too (Luke 2:13).
See, celebration of Christmas should be done absolutely in honor of Jesus Christ the King. There are parties and events held all in the name of Christmas, whereas, what goes down is an abuse of that name, they only claim to celebrate Christmas.
The absolute here is, Christmas is for Jesus Christ the King, nothing more. How we celebrate it is, fully appreciating Him for what He has done, and to extend this show of love to others, by giving and loving. Remember that, though the world marks it for one day, we as Christians have Christ always, so it's a daily affair of celebration for us.
Whether there are new clothes or shoes or whether there is rice and chicken or not, its still Christmas! This is a time to tell others about the awesomeness of Jesus coming to the world for you, me and everyone else. Show His love. Don’t forget it's not about you, it's all about KING Jesus!