Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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THE REASON BEHIND THE SEASON
Isaiah 7: 1 - 14
‘Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.’(Isaiah 7:14)
What is the reason behind the season? Or is it just for commercial world only since they changed its name from Christmas wishes to Holiday wishes and Christmas tree to Holiday tree and so on. But the angels knew the answer to the question. The angel said to Joseph: “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save His people from their sins” (Mat 1:21). The angel said to the trembling shepherds, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Paul perfects the picture by his two statements: “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost;” (1 Tim 1:15) and “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal 4:4-5).

 
When we celebrate the season, we really forget the real reason behind the celebrations. It is just about sending greeting cards, wishing Merry Christmas, singing carol songs, giving and receiving gifts and finally having Christmas dinner. But remember, we have been given a gift already by the Lord, His own beloved son.
The incarnation is the fulfillment of what the Lord had said through the prophet.  “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel.” (This means “God with us”)

The God is still with us, but are we with the God? When we celebrate his coming into this world to save us from our sins, we should ponder over the reason behind the season. The God so loved the world, so He sent His only son to be with us and to save us from our sins. Let us remember this eternal truth when we celebrate Christmas this year.

 Are we like the American atheists who posted a billboard at New York Time Square which reads like this- keep the Merry (under the picture of Santa) and dump the myth (under the picture of Jesus). Yes, definitely, if we keep only the merry of the Christmas and forget the real reason behind the season, we are dumping the reason behind the season.

Prayer: Lord, help us to remember the real reason behind your birth in to this world. We know that you loved the world that you sent your only son to save us from our sins and to be with us till the end of the world. Help us to remember your sacrifice by your death on the cross also during this season of joy. Amen.

 

Lal Varghese, Dallas

 

 

 

 

 

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