Dear Friends,
We would all have to admit that none of us knows the day on which Jesus was born. No one knows the time or the date. According to tradition, the early Christian Church chose the 25th of December as the day to remember his birth because it coincided with the pageant festivals. The early Christians did not want all the pagan festivals to have all the say, so they chose the 25th of December to celebrate the incarnation. Yet I believe December is a good month to celebrate Christmas. It’s the darkest month of the year when the days are short, and the nights are long. The lights that illuminate shopping centres and houses in an attempt to defy darkness. Remember when Christ came into the world, Israel was suffering from real spiritual darkness. The religious leaders of the day were corrupt. The king was corrupt, and the people had little say. But the light came when Jesus was born. He came to bring light into this dark world, He came to destroy the forces of evil that enslave us in sin. In Jesus, light overcame darkness. And that is why Christians celebrate his coming at Christmas time. We rejoice that he became man to deliver us from darkness. He died in the place of sinners to bring us back to God. Now Jesus says to all who will listen, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have eternal life.” (John 8:12) It is just as we sing it, in the words of the carols: "Silent night, holy night! Son of God love's pure light. Radiant beams from Thy holy face With dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus Lord, at Thy birth" I trust and hope that you will have a good Christmas, Yours in Christ, Pastor
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