Celebrating the Birth of Christ

HTS President, Dr. Maynard Koerner

Christmas is a special time, and it should be. Yet there is a great deal about Christmas that we get concerned about. We complain about the commercialism, for many it is simply an excuse to party, we are concerned about saying “happy holidays” instead of “merry Christmas”. We can go on.
The interesting thing about Christmas is that the very thing which makes it a special time, the celebration of the birth of Christ, is also the thing which has an impact equally important for the rest of the year.

As we think about celebrating the birth of Christ, there are a number of words which come to mind, lights, gifts, music, peace, and of course joy. If you are truly celebrating the birth of the Christ, there certainly ought to be an element of joy involved.

So here is the question, if Christmas is a time of joy for you, is that only for the month of December? What about next month or 6 months from now? Perhaps we need to clarify what joy is before we answer these questions.

The birth of Christ brings freedom from the guilt and slavery of sin. It is the basis upon which there can be peace with God. True joy is the expression of the heart of one who is a believer.

We need to remember that we are celebrating the birth of Christ. A celebration is a joyous occasion. The birth of Christ brings true joy to the one who knows Him as Savior. It is a joy which does not fade away with time. It is appropriate to take a specific occasion to note the joy we have in Christ, yet it is the basis for living in joy from day to day throughout the year. 

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