By Pastor Joe Balaan
Advent is the beginning of an event or the arrival or a person. In the Christian world, it is the beginning of the Christmas season, the longest holiday in the Philippines. The bad news is, Christmas is not really in December 25. No one really knows when it is. The next bad news is, Christmas is in the same day as Mitra, a series of festivals and feastings.
But what really is Christmas? God sure did not ask us to celebrate his birth. He asked us to celebrate His death. But is it bad to celebrates His birth on December 25? Because it is not biblical. Not really. Because on this day, we honor his life.
So how was Christ born before Christ? The important thing is the essence of Christmas. Advent is the anticipation of the world for the coming Savior. That is the reason for the season.
Christmas is supposed to be the happiest day of the year. But it is also the saddest because the crime rate is up. Why? Because people have the wrong notion of it. It becomes all about the presents and the food and people who lack want more. Christmas is not all about these things. Why are you asking for gifts on Christmas? It is your birthday? It is Christ’s birthday, therefore, you should give Him a gift. Christmas is not about you. Christmas is about Christ.
If you read the book of Genesis, right after man sins, God makes a way to save him. Genesis 3:15 says “And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” This shows God’s promise the Savior of mankind. It is not yet revealed that it is Jesus Christ, but it was already prophesied.
Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” Did God just come on the right time? Why not now? Because if He came just now, then so many people would have gone to hell.
God came on the right time in history, in the right time in our lives. He was never late. Sometimes we feel that He is so slow, but He is right on time. All the time.
Christmas came 2000 years ago. But for so many people, Christmas has still not come in their lives. That is sad. Christ came for you to be born again. Not so that we could celebrate another festival. He came so that there will be celebration in heaven when ypu come.
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