The Cross of Christmas

As we prepare our hearts to celebrate Jesus’s birth on Christmas day, 25th December, (the real reason for the season), have you ever wondered why God had to send Jesus to earth to be born as a baby? 

Although the Nativity story is found in the Gospel books of Mathew and Luke, having recently studied the book of Hebrews, I was amazed to come across many verses pertaining to why Jesus was born. 

So, I thought I’d share them with you as you ponder and reflect on the celebration of the birth of our King and Savior, Jesus Christ…

1. Jesus was born so that He could become the son of God that would make us His children and God our Heavenly Father - Hebrews 1:5; 5:5
2. Jesus was born as a human of flesh and blood so that He would no longer be immortal but would be able to die so that His blood could be poured out for us. - Hebrews 2: 14
3. Jesus needed to be born, so He could die in order to destroy the devil through His death- Hebrews 2:14
4. Jesus needed to die to deliver and free us from sin and break the power of death and the devil - Hebrews 2:15
5. Jesus was born so He could become human like us and know how it feels to be tempted and suffer - Hebrews 2:18
6. Jesus was born to become the guarantee and mediator of a new covenant between ourselves and God - Hebrews 7:22; 8:6; 9:15
7. Jesus was born so He could have a body that could be sacrificed like an unblemished Lamb for our sins- Hebrews 10:5

When you add the Cross to Christmas, it gives meaning to the purpose of Jesus’s birth. Our wreaths of holly and berries symbolize a wreath for His death and represent the crown of thorns He had to wear and the berries, the drops of blood that dripped from His brow. 

The Christmas lights represent the light that Jesus brings to the darkness of the world, to our own darkness and how we should be reflecting His light to others. Whether you have a star or an Angel on top of your Christmas tree, both are symbols of God’s glory that ushered in the announcement of Jesus’s birth.  

The very tree represents the wood that was cut up to become the cross. The ornaments we put on our trees can represent things we should nail to the tree or they can also represent our blessings and inherited gifts we have through the death and resurrection of Jesus.  

Christmas offers us the hope of eternity in Heaven. The Old Testament’s sacrifices were just a parole but with the New Testament and Covenant, we are given a full pardon. Yes, the devil may still seem active in our lives, but he is like a dog that has been chained up to the stake of the Cross.  He can growl and bark, but he can no longer harm us, as long as we stay out of his reach. 

Christmas is God reaching out to us.  It is the celebration of His incarnation that He is Emmanuel and is always with us. It should not just be a holiday tradition, but become our response to God for sending Jesus to restore our relationship with Him.

Wishing you all a Blessed and meaningful Christmas!

Much love, 

Samantha

Finding Jesus in the Christmas Tree

I was recently surprised to discover that a dear friend does not put up a tree at Christmas, believing it to have pagan roots. As a huge fan of the Christmas tree, it set me on a mission to find Christian meaning to this age-old tradition. It is my hope that this blog will give new meaning to this Christmas symbol and that you will see your tree in a new light.

It is true that the origins of a cut down, decorated tree may have its root in paganism, as can be read in Jeremiah 10:1-5. In later years, pagans would also bring fir trees into their homes at Yuletide because it represented everlasting life and fertility.  However, history tells us that it was an 8th-century English missionary in Germany that first introduced the tree as a symbol of remembrance of Christ’s birth. Author Henry Van Dyke recounted these events in his fictionalized short story “The First Christmas Tree.”

Considering that the curse was introduced through a tree in the Garden of Eden, I believe it is quite fitting that our redemption is signified through the Tree of Life, Jesus, who is our Vine and as Christians, we are His branches.  Conifers, like the Pine tree are also evergreen, which represents the everlasting life we get through Christ. The Cross that Jesus was crucified to was also made of wood from a tree. And lastly, its triangular shape represents the trinity, which makes this tree the perfect representative, especially when we consider the many tree references there are in the Bible.

As Christians, we get to choose whether to put a star or an angel on the top of our tree, both of which heralded the announcement and place of where Jesus was born. It is also fitting that the fir tree mentioned in Isaiah 41:19; and 60:13 draws attention to the future glory of the temple in Jerusalem that would be built with its noble wood.

The bright twinkling lights on the Christmas tree is a metaphor for the light of Christ, who illuminates the darkness with His hope and salvation.  The soft glow is also a reminder to us to shine the light of Jesus to others. 

Each ornament can be carefully chosen to represent something to do with Jesus, His birth, the characters of the Nativity scene, or even something to represent the many gifts God has given us. Each ornament then becomes a small piece of the Christmas story and of our faith and blessings, woven into each branch. These symbols can remind us of the sacredness of the season and our love for God, who gave us the greatest gift of His son. Having replaced many of my ornaments over the year with ones with more meaning, I can honestly say that this does make a difference. Even a snowman can remind us that Jesus has washed us clean as white as snow!

Putting up the tree together as a family can become a sacred ceremony instead of just a holiday tradition. Finding Jesus in the tree helps us connect with the spiritual essence of this special season and the reason we celebrate it.  As a family, it is a special time where we can feel the presence of Jesus, through the joy, love and peace we experience, whilst singing along to Christmas Carols.

In a world filled with the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations, finding Jesus offers a moment of respite and spiritual connection. It is a reminder that amidst the festivities, the heart of Christmas lies in the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To me, Christmas is not just one day, but a season and spirit of goodwill and joy as we gather in love to remember and celebrate the birth of our King!

Lastly, the gifts under the tree that we get to give and receive from our loved ones is a reminder that it is Jesus’s birthday!  Yet, it is His presence that is more important that the presents, for they represent the many gifts we receive spiritually.  It also teaches us to be generous and meaningful givers.

This year, let us find a deeper connection to our faith by seeking the presence of Jesus in the heart of our Christmas decorations, traditions and celebrations.

Wishing you and your family a meaningful and tree-mendous Christ-mas and a faith-filled festive season!

Gearing Down to a Powerful Finish to 2022

With my daughter getting her first car recently, our family conversations have leaned a lot towards driving and cars. This got me thinking about how you need to gear down when you need extra power and how appropriate this seemed for finishing this year off well.

So here are 3 things to help you gear down to give you more power, so you can finish this year less weary and drained, and more in the Christmas mood.

1)   Be Mindful - In this season of ‘rush, hurry, perfect’, focus your mind on being fully aware and conscious of your thoughts and actions, and stop cruising on auto-pilot by just going through the motions.  Focus on being kind, finding joy in simple tasks and looking for the blessings in each day. Make every moment memorable, by choosing to be mindful of it. Be wise in accepting invitations.  If your body is crying out for rest, listen to it and pause instead of trying to make up for all the lost opportunities caused by Covid.

2)  Be Meaningful - Have a purpose for every action and choose to manage the time in each day, that brings meaning to your life and others.  Stop following the crowds by chasing after traditions that you cannot afford or have no meaning to you. Discover what Christmas and this season mean to you and then purposefully choose how you want to celebrate it. When buying gifts, don’t just choose the one on special, but find something with meaning that the recipient will appreciate.

3)  Be Merry - I used to associate being merry with being intoxicated, but according to the dictionary, merry also means to be jovial, jolly, showing high spirits, cheerful, joyous and carefree. We can choose not to be a grinch during this season and instead of being impatient and rushed, slow down to chat with the person next to you in the long queues.  Give someone a gap in the hectic traffic jams. When we wear a smile each day, instead of a frown, we welcome a friendly response that will turn our days from being mundane and manic to being merry moments.

In closing, this season is what you will make of it.  We all know the real reason for this season, so don’t let the shops and the world make you focus on anything but Jesus.  Jeremiah 31:25-26 promises us that those who feel tired and worn out, will find new life and energy, and when they sleep, they will wake up refreshed. 

Let’s stand on that promise and not grow weary in this season, but draw our strength from Jesus, as we keep our eyes and mind focused, with purpose, on Him.  Gear down to get that extra power and speed needed to finish 2022 well, so we can start 2023 feeling refreshed and ready for a new year, and not exhausted and depleted from overextending ourselves during this season.  

Christmas Love

As we prepare our hearts for Christmas this year, I was reminded about how the colour red is so significant to this festive season. The red and white outfit of Santa or Father Christmas may be what comes to mind, but for me, red is also the colour of love and the blood of Jesus, the son of our Heavenly Father.

The popular verse of John 3:16 is not often referred to at Christmas time, yet when you think about it, it is the real reason for the season – that God loved us so much that He gave us His beloved Son, so that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but be gifted with eternal life. To put it plainly, Jesus is God’s gift of love to us, and even though many may argue that He was not actually born on the 25th December, it is a day set aside for us to remember His birth and what it means to us.

So as we start to sing Christmas Carols and begin to enjoy in the spirit of the festivities over the coming month, let us ponder this miracle gift that has restored us back to God and let us consider what gift we will give Him in return this year…

Wishing you all a meaningful and joyous Christmas season, full of God's hope and peace, found in the blessings of His ‘presents’ and His presence…

I leave you with this poem I wrote as a reminder of the true reason for the season… 

 

Christmas

Christmas is not just a happy holiday,
Or a time for festive greetings.
It’s a very special occasion indeed,
To enjoy time in family meetings.

Christmas is not about the presents,
Or when Christmas Carols are sung.
It’s a time to spend in Jesus’s presence,
And think what He’s birth has done.

Christmas is not about the feast,
Of flowing spirits and luxury food.
It’s a time to remember His birth,
And remain in a peace-filled mood.

Christmas is not about decorating a tree,
Or sending cards to all we know.
It’s about a birth that sets us free,
And for this, our joy should show.

Christmas is not a time for fuss or stress,
Rushing to find the perfect present.
We should think more of those we can bless,
And remain still in Jesus’s presence.

So set a time on Christmas morning,
To take time and thank God for Jesus.
For when Jesus is the reason for the season,
Love, hope and peace will fill your Christmas.

 https://poetrybysam.blogspot.com/2021/12/christmas.html