Yes, that is how a great gift makes you feel - like your heart is bursting with joy. Like you want to share it with the whole wide world. That is how I feel and why I write this blog about faith. We all have gifts and talents to share with one another and mine is the gift of Faith: to help others see the light of the world and to believe.
Come with me a moment to that silent night so very long ago when Christ came into the world.
Picture the manger scene. Draw near to the virgin mother, Mary, holding her precious new-born baby. Sense the joy that she must have felt. Enjoy the awe and wonder Joseph must have felt as he watched the shepherds, angels, and wise men come to pay homage to their son. Hear the angels singing and announcing the birth of the Messiah and proclaiming "Joy to the World". Imagine the amazement of the shepherds as they watched the scene before them. Feel the anticipation of the wise men who traveled such a great distance to honor and bring gifts to the Christ-child.
Jesus is the greatest gift humanity has ever been given. He wasn't just a prophet and a teacher, nor was he just a man. He was and is God incarnate - God put on flesh to come down to earth so we could know, see and touch Him. Let's look back at history a minute to see why God sent Jesus to this earth.
First, we have to understand two things:
1) how holy God is and
2) how much he yearns to have a relationship with us.
But there is one thing that gets in the way of any relationship and that is sin. So God gave us the Ten Commandments to help us to live holy lives but that didn't work. How many of us have told a lie? Stolen something? Been jealous or envious? Every sin is equal in the eyes of God and the wages of sin is death. This is why in the Old Testament they used to sacrifice animals - to cleanse the people from their sins. But that didn't work either.
Finally God decided He had to make a trip to earth in human form and so Jesus was born, a baby in a manger in the tiny town of Bethlehem. God knew what that would mean - sacrifice, suffering, and ultimately death on a cross. How many of us would send our children on such a mission?
Many in this world are confused about "God". God is just one name for the all powerful, creative, loving, energy that created and controls the Universe. That's my best explanation in those terms, but if you truly want to know who God is, look at Jesus. Listen to what he says and watch what He does. Jesus came to earth to show us who God is and to teach and empower us to live holier lives. Jesus was and is the one and only Son of God who came to earth to set us free both spiritually and emotionally. He came to heal the broken-hearted and set the captives free.
Aren't we all captives in some way? Who among us is not in bondage to something? To the pursuit of wealth and material pleasures? To self-gratification? To new stuff? To relationships? How about the bondage of our thoughts, our addictions, or our desires? Jesus came to set us free from all of these. "He came to set the captives free." (Luke 4:18). What do you need to be set free from?
As the world struggles to find peace, let it begin within each one of us by receiving Jesus into our hearts. This Christmas, let us be vessels of peace. Let us make time to be quiet, to reflect, to just be. Let us put a smile on the face of a child. Bring comfort to those who grieve, healing to the wounded, and friendship to the lonely. Forgive those who have hurt us. Let us be filled with joy and wonder. Let us be Jesus to someone this season.
Now I don't claim to have all the answers but this I do know. We can all learn from Jesus. These are desperate times we live in and the only hope we have is God. If the world would act like Jesus, love like Jesus, and forgive like Jesus, wouldn't it be a more loving and peaceful place, I ask you?
For Reflection
At this most special time of year, may I ask you to consider this question? Who is Jesus and what does he mean to you? Is he just some historical figure or sage prophet? Or is He indeed the Light of the world, the Messiah, and the only hope of true peace?
Here is his promise to each of us. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)
Until next time, may the joy and peace of the season dwell richly in you and may you be a light to the world.
Blessings and joy,
Ariel Paz
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