Isaiah 9:6
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to
us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (NLT).
The Christmas season probably means different things to
different people, including members of the same family. For many, it signifies
a holiday period – schools on recess, companies shutting down at year-end, etc.
For many families, there’s so much shopping for provision and gifts; Christmas
trees to decorate; visiting family and friends; churches filled to the brim; so
much colour everywhere.
Some teenagers actually enjoy the Christmas season as it
affords them time and opportunity to visit with family and friends, participate
in fun and games in the family, neighbourhood, church, etc, and time-off from
every school work. But some others may feel like they’ve outgrown some of the
family’s Christmas traditions and so are averse to all the ‘noise’, ‘crowd’ and
fuss. They’d rather have some peace and quiet. You can't blame them.
While there is nothing wrong with shopping, decorations,
giving of presents, visiting with family and friends, and enjoying some fun and
games, the real meaning of Christmas speaks of a much more urgent matter –
Salvation!
So, Christmas can be both fun and meaningful for teenagers.
It is important to emphasize that the holiday is all about our Lord Jesus Christ
coming to Planet Earth to save us. God sent us the Saviour in the person of
Jesus Christ. Salvation, therefore, is the greatest need of mankind because “all
have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory” (Romans 3:23). The salvation given
to us by the Almighty God reconciles us with Him and transforms our life for
our journey here on earth and for eternity. That is the gift that the birth of
Jesus Christ brings to us. And for this, we celebrate Him at Christmas.
A major objective of God’s salvation is to move us from the
“life of self” to serving God and other people. That is why the Christmas
period provides ample opportunity for caring and sharing. The Bible is filled
with the various works of Jesus Christ, serving and helping people and giving
to others. Teenagers can be encouraged and mobilized to identify the needs
within the community and to volunteer to serve and help to meet those needs.
Instead of packing the Christmas season with constant
activities, teenagers can actually enjoy some quiet and fun times visiting with
orphaned children, the elderly and the sick. There, they can talk about their
favorite Christmas memories as a child; the message of Christmas which is
salvation by Christ Jesus; and share functional gifts with them. Donate food
items, toys, old clothing (including shoes, etc), books, etc, to the less
privileged at this time. It is also a good time to spend with relatives.
The season of Christmas has been so commercialized that
the reason is almost lost on us. Teenagers must not be fooled any longer. A
bigger tree; a table filled with food; new clothes, shoes and toys; all kinds
of colourful decoration and stuff have no bearing, really, on our happiness.
After the holidays, many people fall into debt; cannot meet their financial
obligations; engage in asset stripping, etc, just to make up for the excessive
spending during the festive period. The birth of our Lord Jesus should not lead
us to wasteful celebration. Let's keep Jesus in the season!!!
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