Let us see how much we know about Christmas, or actually the lighter side of Christmas. How about some Christmas riddles to begin with?
- What do monkeys sing at Christmas? – Jungle bells, jungle bells, …
- How do cats greet each other at Christmas? – Have a furry Merry Christmas and a Happy Meow Year.
- What would have happened if it were three wise women instead of three wise men? – They would have asked for directions, arrived on time, helped to deliver the baby, cleaned up the stable, and brought the milk powder and diapers and wet wipes.
- He has no hair, no teeth, can’t speak properly, but everyone loves him, especially the womenfolk. Who is he? – A baby boy
So Christmas is finally here, and we would have noticed the crib and our eyes are drawn to the baby in the manger, who is none other than the Saviour of the world, the Word made flesh, whose birthday we celebrate today.
We may not have the baby phots of Jesus but in that baby figure in the manger, we can see that He is like us, He is one of us. God has come into the world and dwell among men.
The Incarnation is more than just a pious imagination. Jesus the Saviour became man so that man will know that the Saviour is real, and not a riddle that we keep guessing.
The reality of Jesus dwelling amongst us is not just celebrated at Christmas. It is celebrated every day.
And here is where we turn our eyes from the crib to the altar. As much as it is nice to look at the baby Jesus, just as it is nice to look at baby photos, we have to turn our eyes to look at the altar because that is where we must see Jesus as He really is.
Jesus laid down his life at the altar of the cross so that He can save us from our sins. On the cross His heart was pierced with a lance and out came love, mercy, forgiveness and healing.
Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus, yet Christmas also tells us why Jesus became man and what God will do to show His love for us, to the extent that Jesus would even give up His life in order to save us.
Hence, Christmas is a celebration of thanks that we offer to God for His most precious gift to us, the gift of His only Son, our Saviour.
Jesus came not just to dwell amongst us, not just to be like us, He came to make His home in our hearts, so that we can truly be filled with God’s love, peace and joy.
And because Jesus is the gift from God to us, then the celebration of Christmas must also turn us into gifts of God’s love, peace and joy for others.
So that if people want to know the true meaning of Christmas, they just have to look at the crib, the altar, the cross, and not least, they just have to look at us.
The meaning of Christmas is not like some kind of riddle that makes others keep guessing what it is all about.
It shouldn’t be too difficult to see Jesus in Christmas, and if we know why we are celebrating Christmas, then others will be able to see Jesus in us.