WHY CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?

Part Three 

“Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call his name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.’”
Luke 1:30-33 (NKJV) 

This is the third of our short series on why people who don’t believe in God celebrate Christmas.  Besides nostalgia and happy childhood memories in the first study; family, friends and love in part two, in this one we will look at another reason and that is renewal.

Christmas comes just before the year end and is a time some people are thinking about the year just passed, good or bad, and the year ahead. Thinking about the chance for a type of new beginning or new start.

Since the focus is on the birth of Christ, the Saviour of all mankind, people think about Christmas being associated with new birth, renewal and taking new paths in the coming year. People think that in the new year they will finally give up smoking, lose some weight, get fitter, be a better person.  Ironically, it is the birth of Christ that makes these things possible through his life in us.

Sadly, divorce lawyers will tell you that January is one of their busiest months as people decide the future looks better apart. New Year resolutions are thought about and made, although research suggests more than 85% of resolutions are broken by the end of January. But human beings are generally looking ahead in the hope of something better for themselves, their family, their job, their finances. Christmas seems a good time for this as it seems to be both an end and a beginning.

So for some people Christmas is about nostalgia, happy childhood memories, family, friends, love and renewal, which can all be a valid part of Christmas, but what is the real reason we should celebrate it?  We will look at this next time. 

Prayer
Loving Father, people have so many reasons for keeping Christmas which touch on the real meaning without bringing it into proper focus. Let this Christmas be a time of spiritual awaking, realization and awareness of the real meaning of Christmas for all humanity.
Amen 

Study by Keith Hartrick

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About the Author:
Keith Hartrick is an Elder in Grace Communion Church – Leeds, and serves on the Church Council there.

Local Congregation:
Grace Communion – Leeds
Garden Village Welfare Association Community Centre
Pendas Way
LEEDS LS15 8LE

Meeting Time:
Saturday 2PM

Local Congregational Contact:
Malcolm Arnold
Phone:  01484-312347
Email: malcolm701@googlemail.com