Faithfully yours - Celebrate Jesus – God’s great gift to you
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- Published on Saturday, December 5, 2015
By Neil Strohschein
The Neepawa Banner
The first Sunday of Advent falls on a different day each year. Some years it’s the first Sunday of December. Some years, like this year, it fell on the last Sunday in November.
The actual date may be different, but what happens on that day is always the same. Advent 1 is New Year’s Day for the church. Advent 1 takes us back to the beginning of our story—to the event that ushered in a new era of God’s dealings with humanity.
During Advent, we look at the ways God prepared the world for the most significant birth date in human history—the birth date of his only begotten Son, which we celebrate at Christmas.
Like all holidays with a religious significance, Christmas has its detractors. Some sincere people of faith refuse to celebrate Christmas. Their reasons are as varied as they are—and I do not have the space to even list, let alone analyze them all. Others argue that the stories of Jesus’ birth that we read in the gospels are ancient stories that have little or no relevance to modern people who live in a modern world. With that, I respectfully disagree.
In my home and in my family, we will celebrate his birth on Dec. 25. Prior to the date itself, my wife will watch the growing number of Christmas movies that air on TV. Christmas music will be played in our home and in our car. Our house will be decorated, we will exchange gifts and host a family Christmas dinner.
Our celebration will be quiet, personal and very focused—for it was in December 2005 that Kathryn suffered a massive stroke. She spent that Christmas in hospital, in a drug induced coma following the brain surgery that saved her life. At Christmas, we always say a special “thank you” to God for all those who have had a hand in Kathryn’s amazing recovery and for the things she has taught us about taking life one day at a time.
When I see you, I will wish you a “Merry Christmas.” If that offends you, please accept my apologies in advance. No offense was intended. I hope none was taken.
To me, when you commemorate the birth of Jesus isn’t important. How you commemorate the birth of Jesus isn’t important. What’s important is that you find some time in the year when you read the stories of and reflect on the incredible miracle that happened when he was born.
“But Neil,” some will say, “Didn’t Jesus specifically tell us that we were supposed to remember his death?” Yes, he did—it happened on the night before he died. “So why then,” they will ask, “In the face of such a clear command, are you asking us to reflect on his birth?”
Because before a person can die, he or she must first be born. And for us to fully understand and appreciate what happened the day Jesus died, we must fully understand and appreciate what happened on the day he was born. That’s what we will explore in this series of columns.
I hope these writings will give you some food for thought and help you take a slightly more critical look at the way we celebrate Christmas—especially in North America.
Don’t let your views concerning the date of Christmas, or your concerns about the trappings associated with it keep you from remembering who was born on that day and why he came to earth. Just celebrate Jesus—God’s great gift to you and all humanity.
