Jesus Is the Celebration
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14)
When Jesus was born, he chose Bethlehem, that humble town, to be born in; he chose a simple manger among the animals to sleep in; he also chose shepherds to receive from heaven the news of his birth; and choirs of angels announced his birth to all mankind: they praised and acclaimed, glorified and proclaimed the birth of the Saviour who came to sow peace over all the earth, and joy and gladness in human hearts. That happened long ago, and every year Christmas comes to remind us of this great love that has no equal. The feast comes to teach us to give glory to God alone, who became flesh for our sake and gave us peace and joy in our lives, despite our misery, despite all our poverty, despite all our pride and despite all our rejection. Jesus Christ was born and became the feast of all our feasts; he gave us everything, even himself.
Jesus Christ loves to be born every day in our hearts, but are our hearts ready to welcome him? Are we celebrating with him or without him? Isn’t he the one who promised to be with us always, telling us (Matthew 28:20): “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age”? And are we with him? What does Christmas mean without Jesus? Jesus is the most beautiful and precious gift heaven ever gave to this earth. At Christmas we exchange gifts to express our love for one another, or our thanks and appreciation for the people we love and who love us, the people we neglect all year long. Jesus comes to teach us and remind us to give, to love and to be humble like him. Christmas is not just gifts, toys, new clothes, food, parties and decorations… All the glory of this earth will stay on this earth; more than that, it will pass away along with it. Only Jesus remains for ever: he is the lasting feast, the lasting joy and the lasting peace.
