Read Luke 2:8-20. That’s it! It’s over. Christmas Day has come and gone. Even the extra Bank Holiday is over.
Some of you may have cleared up and put your Christmas decorations away. Some may still be enjoying meeting family and friends, eating too much and being off work. But what’s it all about? Why do we celebrate Christmas? Why does an unremarkable birth of a Jewish peasant boy over two thousand years ago merit the largest celebration in the world each year?
It’s because the birth of Jesus Christ transformed our lives. Quite apart from anything else, do you realise it transformed our calendars? Now every event is classified as BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, the year of our Lord)!
The angel told the shepherds that Jesus’ birth would bring extraordinary joy to all people. I don’t know whether that has been your experience this Christmas or not. I hope so, but I also recognise that it can be a difficult time for some, and many of us are feeling exhausted and worn out after another year of turmoil.
May this Christmas season be an opportunity for all of us to remember that Christmas brings all of us immense joy because it proclaims that God loves us, that he is with us, whatever we are going through and that he is on our side. Those are good reasons to keep celebrating!
THINK IT OVER
Think about the following:
• Do you find Christmas a time of boundless joy or is it more of a hassle?
