DEVOTIONALS FOR DECEMBER
Dearly Beloved in Christ,
In December the Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of
Jesus Christ. The word “mas” means “sacrifice”. Christmas means the
sacrifice of Christ. So it is an occasion to remember the birth and death of Jesus
Christ because Jesus was the man born to die. 25th of December cannot be considered the as the actual date of birth of Christ. The powerful Roman emperor fixed
that date because the same day was set apart to worship the sun as god. So Christmas celebration on 25th December may be considered as a symbolic act of accepting Jesus Christ as our light and salvation. As Mary prepared herself for the birth
of Jesus, the church has set 25 days of lent for purification of our lives so that
Christ will be born in us and we will grow up in Christ.
Christmas is an occasion of joy and peace. In the first Christmas night, and angel
from heaven said. To the shepherds: “Don’t be afraid, I bring you good news of
great joy” (Luke 2:10) but very often Christmas has become a celebration without
Christ experience. For many people it is a time for worldly pleasures like alcoholism, eating, merry making, and shopping. The worldly pleasures are expensive,
temporary and will be lost. But God gives real joy of salvation through Christ that
is free and eternal that cannot be taken by others. It is joy of freedom from sin.
The first Christmas song sung by the angels was “Glory to God in the highest
and peace on earth to those who have God’s favor” (Luke 2:14” It means God became man in Christ to give peace to the world and it is God’s greatest gift for us.
Today we live in a world of fear and desperation. Only God can give us peace.
Jesus revealed the truth that the peace of the world is possible only through love,
forgiveness and reconciliation. Christmas challenges us to be peace makers
(Matthew 5:9). But Jesus had to sacrifice his life for this task. So peace making
demands our life as its cost. Let our Christmas celebration be an occasion of experiencing joy of salvation and God’s peace which transcends human understanding. Let us submit ourselves to participate in God’s salvific act of giving joy and
peace to the world. May God bless you all.
I wish you all a happy and meaningful Christmas.
Yours in Christ,
Noble Achen
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Merry Christmas!
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means ‘God with us’”.
(St. Mt. 1:23)
Christmas is a time of great joy commemorating the miraculous event of divine
incarnation and the amazing journey of discovery!
The message of Christmas reveals the oneness of God with humanity and all creation. Therefore, the Creator is not separate from the creation but amongst His
handiwork. Further, it recounts the initiative of God to fellowship and restore broken and sinful humanity unto Himself. It is this bridge of love that has lifted the
mortal human to communion with the immortal and infinite divine.
So, continues the Christmas story as one of great discovery! The three wise men
and kings discovered the God who was amongst them in the infant child who they
found in a manger. Later on, we read of the disciples who discovered God in the
words and person of Jesus Christ. Although God is amongst us, we need to discover and know Him as our Lord and Savior. He is here, but we must step out of
those comfort zones, those old lifestyles and ways that have unfortunately become
too familiar for us and discover this God. We need to take that effort and find him
in all the circumstances of our life because He is “Immanuel”, God is with us.
Here are 5 keys to discovering God and keeping Him first in your life:
Fill your mind with good, life-giving information. The Bible, good books
and edifying music that can help you focus on the Lord.
Pray regularly and frequently. Make God your best friend, not just the
rescue team you call on when in trouble.
Keep good Christian friends. Prov. 13:20 says that the companion of fools
will be destroyed. Avoid destruction.
Stay committed to your church. Christians are unable to survive alone.
We are called to be connected to the Body of Christ in our church. Go
every week and get involved.
Get rid of sin and weights. Heb. 12:1 teaches that if we want to finish the
race God has called us to run, we must lay aside our sin and the weights
that may hold us back. Sin is holding you back, so leave it BEHIND!
May God Almighty bless us all to experience the true joy of Christmas as revealed through the discovery of God in Christ Jesus!
Your brother in Christ,
Jaisen Achen
