Anti-"I don't feel Christmas" Blog.

DISCLAIMER: This is not a hater post. This entry is for everyone. Whether you're having a "bad", a "good", a "great", a "sad", or an “incomplete" Christmas - this post is for all of us. 

I have been hearing from people that they do not really "feel" the Christmas Season this year. I am also guilty of this. After all that we have been through: Typhoon Maring, PDAF Scam, MNLF standoff, 7.2 earthquake in Bohol and of course, Super Typhoon Yolanda. Not to mention our personal struggles, our work issues, heartbreaks, loss of a family member (or complete loss of the entire family), financial lack, worries, insecurities, etc.

We ask ourselves:

Is Christmas still worth celebrating? 

If your answer is a cold, stiff "NO", I hope that after reading this I would be able to convince you that Christmas is still worth celebrating for. If your answer is a doubtful and hesitant "YES", I hope these insights will convince you that there is no reason for you to doubt and hesitate. 

We all know the origin of Christmas. A Saviour being born. God sent His Son. A virgin became His mother and was fathered by a carpenter named Joseph. He was then visited by the Magi or the Wise Men (take note, not kings but wise men - they're not even three). Jesus' birth was witnessed by Angels, shepherds, random town people and animals. Jesus' first crib was a manger. 

I wanted to remember what happened during the first Christmas celebration so I went to read some texts and took note of some of the details. Here are the things that I found:

1.) Giving is an act to celebrate Christmas but giving is not the main cause of Christmas - This is not contradictory to what we believe. Yes, God gave His Son to us but it was intentional and deliberate. God has a clear purpose in His mind why He gave Jesus to us. Yes, this is to teach us how to give but God's goal is not merely to teach us how to give but to save us from our sins. Anyone can teach us how to give but only Jesus can save us from our sins. God wants to save us first before teaching us because He knew that when we are saved - we can learn the real importance of giving. Knowing the reason why Jesus came is essential in enjoying Christmas Day. 

Matthew 1:21

New International Version (NIV)

21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[a] because he will save his people from their sins.”

Luke 2:38

New International Version (NIV)

38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

2.) There are people who fought for the First Christmas Celebration. - When I used the word "fought" I am referring to all efforts of defending and fighting back whether by physical, mental, emotional or spiritual means. 

Magi - according to Matthew 2:12, they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod. The Magi knew that their lives were on the line. They were faced with the decision whether to go back and report to Herod and return to their country with their heads on or go back to their country in a different route still having their heads on but being included on Herod's "To Kill List". The Magi fought for Christmas by choosing not to go back to Herod and return to their country in a different route. 

Mary - according to Bible scholars, Mary was about 12, 13 or 14 years old when she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Just imagine all kinds of pressure she went through while having Jesus in her tummy. The culture during their time dictated that women were second rate citizens. Just imagine if society would know that you got pregnant before getting married and the person you are engaged to (Joseph) is not even the father of the child you are carrying. There they were. Expecting a child but there was no inn to stay to wait for the baby. You heard stories of babies being born in a car, house, bahay-kubo, etc. but nothing is more dramatic than a baby being placed in a manger with shepherds, Magi and animals as your company to celebrate with you. Mary could have quitted along the way. She could have complained to God: If He is the King of Kings and the Saviour of Mankind then why would you allow Him to be born in a manger? But she refused to quit and chose to fight for the First Christmas. Scriptures says that she treasured all these in her heart (Luke 2:19). She treasured all these. 

This Christmas, what do you treasure the most? 

Joseph - the Son of David, a carpenter who released the Son of God into the fallen world. Not much has been said about Joseph but we are sure that he is a righteous man (Matthew 1:19) and he has King David's blood running through his veins (Matthew 1:20). So how did he fight for the First Christmas? Simple, by choosing to be the father of God's only Son. I was joking when I said "Simple" but I was serious when I said "by choosing to be the father of God's only Son". The Scriptures did not record any words that he spoke but whenever the Scriptures would describe Joseph, he was always in action or in the act of obeying what God wanted him to do. From deciding to take Mary as his wife, to their escape to Egypt and bringing them to Nazareth - no words were recorded but a lot of actions were seen. He fought for the First Christmas by obeying what God wanted him to do. Probably he had other issues. Like Mary, maybe he also had doubts about what is going on. He could have questioned God about what is happening. Lies may have started to creep towards his heart. Doubts may have started to rise when he cannot find a decent room or place for God's Son to be born. This moment could have been a slap to his face as a father. We do not know what was in his heart but we are sure after their hide and seek with Herod, he decided to stay and be the earthly father of Jesus (Luke 2:51)

Are you fighting for Christmas or you just allow your troubles, problems and emotions get the best of you? 

3.) Christmas is not about us. - This is my personal favourite because it reminds me of my place when I stand before God and at the same time, this truth frees me from the mindset brought by a commercialized Christmas. Every Christmas season we have our own Christmas wishes. There is nothing wrong with that but when that particular wish of ours becomes that standard of a memorable Christmas celebration, something is wrong. When this happens, we replace "Christ" in Christmas with "I"."Imas". Let me use it in a sentence.

Imas go to _______ this Christmas

Imas have this _____ this Christmas

Our hearts always forget that Christ must be the center of Christmas. 

When we start to drift away from the mindset that Christmas is about us, it will be uncomfortable because we are so used to celebrating it for our own personal reasons. This truth frees us from the idea that in order for our Christmas celebration to be perfect we must receive something that we are hoping for or experience something that we are longing for. We always say that Jesus is the reason for the season but when Christmas season starts, what is the first thing that goes into our minds? 

The wonderful thing about Christmas is that even if it is about Jesus and Him saving us from our sins - He made it for us. Christmas is for us but it is not about us. 

Celebrating Christmas is very important because it reminds us that there is still hope and there are infinite reasons why we should celebrate. This year has been rough for all of us but it will only get rougher if there is no Christmas. Christmas is a reminder that amidst all the corruptions, anomalies, catastrophes, devastation, lost lives, shattered homes - there is Someone up there who gave His all for us and never gave up on us. 

Merry Christmas!