Religion will always fail. Religion is the attempt by man
through his own prowess to reach God and no human however pious, however righteous,
however charitable, or however zealous can hope to lift himself from the dust
and achieve to the Heavens. Man like his forefather Cane may attempt to please
God in accordance to his own wisdom, might even incorporate Christian symbolism
into his attempt, but God can never accept the ungodliness of man no matter
what religious trappings are associated with it. Man cannot reach God.
This is why the birth of Christ is so precious to believers.
We may wrap it in ribbons and bows; accentuate it with lights and wreaths. We may
celebrate with gifts and feasts, or we may reject all of that as commercialism
and excess. We may choose to celebrate in the dark winter months or we may choose
a different season as that most likely to mirror the historic date of Jesus
birth, but the remembrance of that Holy event is pivotal to the Christian
doctrine.
Because man could never reach God, God came to man. “In the
beginning was the Word and the Word was God and the Word was with God, … and
the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory the Glory of
the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth”. The birth of Christ was more than the birth of
a new teacher, or a great philosopher, it was the very incarnation of God. To be
technically accurate Christ’s birth was not miraculous; it is in the conception
of Christ where the great miracle lies, when the infinite and eternal God
joined with the egg of a virgin maid to form a one cell embryo that was both
completely God and wholly man.
Without the miraculous conception no sinless man could arise
and without the sinless man no worthy sacrifice could be found to redeem the
whole of humanity from the sinful and wretched state into which we are born. The
manger makes possible the cross, the cross makes forgiveness possible. Because of
the cross there can be an empty tomb and that empty tomb makes eternal life
possible. Because He lives we can live also.
So rather you celebrate Christmas like most of us, or you
observe the birth of Christ some different way, God Bless and may the light and
the life Christ brought to the world live in your heart, God bless.
