I really enjoyed watching That’s Christmas, a video from St Helen’s Church, Bishopgate. It’s well worth a look if you’re interested in the real story behind Christmas.
Faith
What’s the real meaning of Christmas?
Why do we still celebrate Christmas? Is it still relevant or just a chance for another holiday? Does Christmas hold any real significance for people today? What’s the real meaning behind the 25th of December and why do we make such a fuss about it?
While you look forward to unwrapping your gifts this Christmas I wanted to take a few moments to unwrap the real Christmas story and ask what it’s really all about.
We all enjoy giving and receiving gifts on Christmas Day but it’s important that we take time to remember what Christmas really signifies.
It’s more than just the gifts and the jolly man in the red suit. It’s more than a ‘feeling’ or ‘spirit’ that makes us feel warm inside. It’s more than time with family enjoying good food and good times.
December 25th
While it’s generally accepted that the 25th of December isn’t the actual date that Jesus was born, it’s the day that has been chosen for celebrating Jesus’ birthday. That means Christmas is really a big birthday party.
So why should we be invited to the birthday party? Jesus was born around 2000 years ago. Why do we still celebrate his birth?
Who Was Jesus?
Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God. In fact, and this is where it gets tricky, according to the Bible, Jesus is actually God in human form so this is no ordinary birthday.
Here’s a little bit of the Christmas story from the Bible. This account is from a book of the Bible written by a guy named Luke.
At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.
And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no vacancy for them.
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.’
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.’
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
Aha! So that’s where the manger and the shepherds come in.
God With Us
That’s pretty much the story of Christmas. God living among the people he created. It’s an amazing thought but it’s even more amazing when you thread the whole story of Jesus’ life together. After all, usually when we celebrate someone’s birthday we don’t just remember the day they were born, we celebrate who that person has become and what they’ve brought to the world.
If we’re still celebrating the life of someone born around 2000 years ago, we’ve got to assume that they lived a remarkable life. If you want to find out more about the remarkable life of Jesus, I’d encourage you to grab a Bible in an easy to read translation and then read one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) to find out about Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection.
Christian Carnival Returns
Would you like the opportunity to have your blog promoted? Have you published a post that you’d like read by a wider audience?
I’m having some friends drop in to my faith blog, Beyond Belief, this week for the next Christian Carnival. They’ll be visiting from all over the world and you’re invited to join us.
The weekly Christian Carnival is an opportunity for Christian blog writers to share their best posts from the previous week. The topic of the post doesn’t necessarily have to focus on Christianity but it must reflect a Christian worldview, and the writer must be Christian to qualify. You may wish to consider that the readership of the Christian Carnival will be more varied than your usual readership, and you might do better contributing a post with broad appeal.
I’ve already received a number of contributions and I’m looking forward to offering readers of Beyond Belief some great links when the carnival is published.
If you’re a Christian and you’ve never contributed before, or if it’s been a while since you have, how about having a look through your posts for this week and choosing something to contribute. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, just a post that outlines your point of view or is designed to get others thinking. Being part of the carnival could be a great way to gain a little extra traffic at your blog.
The easiest way to get involved is to submit your article through the Blog Carnival Submission Form. Otherwise, you can email the submission address.
The deadline for submissions is Tuesday evening at midnight, Eastern (US) Standard Time. That means it’s midday Wednesday here in Perth, Western Australia.
I’ll let you know when the carnival is published at Beyond Belief.
The Answer is Not 42
If you know anything about the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy you’ll know that the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything is 42. Not surprisingly, it’s not an answer that really satisfies anyone at a deeper level.
We all want to know why we’re here and if there’s something more to life than the daily routine. Is there really something bigger than us or is God simply a concept that humans have created?
What started as a course for the church members of Holy Trinity Church, Brompton, to explain the basics of the Christian faith has become a worldwide opportunity for people to discover what Christians really believe. Over 16 million people have now experienced the Alpha Course. The course is designed to let people discover faith and the meaning of life in a very non-threatening atmosphere. Participants discuss issues over a meal and a coffee and develop great friendships in the process. No one is pushed to ‘sign up’ to anything or join a church.
If a faith is worth embracing it won’t be afraid of the tough questions and a big part of the course is allowing people to discuss their own thoughts and beliefs. No questions are too simple or too hostile.
A name synonymous with the course is Nicky Gumbel. I had the pleasure of catching up with Nicky during my morning radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM today. You can listen to our chat by clicking the play button at the bottom of this post.
Have you been through the Alpha Course? Did it help answer any of your questions about the meaning of life and your place in this world? What were your experiences?
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What’s with Wicca?
It’s said to be one of the fastest growing forms of spirituality in the western world. So what’s Wicca all about? What’s the attraction?
Wicca is particularly attracting many young female followers. What is it about Wicca that attracts those who are not interested in what might be understood as more traditional faith expressions?
With a strong emphasis on connection to the earth, is Wicca drawing strength from the growing concern about the health of our planet?
Wicca is a specific Neopagan religion. Its adherents are referred to as Wiccans, though the terms Witches or Crafters are also used. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the “witch cult” and “witchcraft,” and its adherents “the Wica.” From the 1960s onward, the name of the religion was normalised to “Wicca.”
Wicca is typically a duotheistic religion, worshipping a goddess and a god, who are traditionally viewed as the Triple Goddess and Horned God. These two deities are often viewed as being facets of a greater pantheistic godhead, and as manifesting themselves as various polytheistic deities. – Wiki
My regular Wednesday morning guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Rev Dr Ross Clifford who is the Principal of Morling College in New South Wales. Each week we chat about a range of issues relating to spirituality and belief.?
Today we looked at Wicca and asked why it continues to grow in popularity. Are there elements of Wiccan spirituality with which we can identify? Are there dangers of which we need to be aware? Could Wicca actually be pointing towards a higher truth?
You can hear our discussion by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.
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