Chinese Grace Baptist Church

When I was a child, weeks before Christmas, my mom would ask me and my younger siblings to retrieve boxes that contain all Christmas ornaments from the storage room. We had to uncover the artificial Christmas tree and put it up in the living to welcome the joyous season. Ever since when I moved away from home for college, I don’t have to do that chore again. Years later, after I bought my first house, I was so busy with work that I did not even have the time or the energy to put up any decoration, much less the Christmas tree. Strangely enough, I found myself rather enjoyed my neighbors’ elaborate Christmas lightings in my subdivision than hanging my own.

Most certainly, Christmas is not about the glittering Christmas trees, flashing decorative LED lights or preparing sumptuous party food for families and friends. Unfortunately, commercialism and consumer marketing had placed a heavy blanket over the true meaning of Christmas. Just like peeling an onion, as Christians we just have to take off the commercialized, secularized and hedonistic outer skins of Christmas layer by layer. To uncover Christmas, we need to go straight back to the source ---- the Bible. Through the Scriptures, we learn about the first Christmas and the Christ child. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, he is Christ, the Lord.” (Luke 2:11).

To uncover Christmas from all the earthly tangles, may we extend a firm handshake to a weary friend, utter a kind word to a lonely person, a warm smile to a discouraged soul, an affirming pat on the shoulder for a troubled someone, a sincere prayer for the neglected and a life of witness to help a seeking soul.

A Merry Christmas to all.