How to make Christmas be more than the holidays

by Toyosi Adegunle 

Christmas is the second most popular holiday of the year in which more than 160 countries of the world celebrate. Some celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ, and to some, it is mostly a cultural/commercial celebration with days off. From Christmas trees, to carols, lights, decorations, Santa Claus, gifts and every other thing attached to Christmas, what's not to love about it. More than half of the world absolutely loves the bliss that this holiday brings. However, for believers, Christmas means the celebration of hope that was given to a sinful world. That God looked at the world and decided to come in flesh for us. God's birthday was recorded to have happened on December 25th and that's why we celebrate it annually like you'd celebrate the birth of your loved one.

I think the most interesting fact is that Christians celebrate the life of Jesus every other day that isn’t the 25th of December, so maybe we see Christmas day as the grand celebration. The kindness, generosity and love we show on Christmas day don't have to end. It can easily be your way of life instead of being bound or limited by the date or season.

Let’s talk about Jesus. 

Isaiah 9:6-7 tells us that “unto us a child is born, to us a son is given,” and this child was Jesus. People are generally always kind towards babies, with lots of gifts, ‘awww’s, love and tender affection, but how do you give birth to a baby and in less than 24 hours have already received death threats and you have to move to another city just to protect him. It sounds a lot like a movie script, only that this is someone’s reality. Mary and Joseph must have gone through a lot during this period. They had a lot of prophecies and words about their unborn child so maybe they had seen a lot of these experiences coming, regardless, the newborn baby didn’t deserve all of that. Jesus didn’t have to even come as a baby, did you ever wonder why he didn’t just come as the all-powerful, grown-up but in spirit version of the son of God? I did. A lot of time, but he came like you and I came. He wants us to be able to relate with a lot of things about life - his life, his processes, his principles, his values, his teachings, these are the things we live for and celebrate daily. 

He came to:

• Bring hope to a sinful world
• Be the perfect sacrifice that takes away the sin of the world
• Be our saviour
• Be our friend, the one that can relate to everything we go through
• Be a teacher, a comforter, a confidante

And many more. Jesus is a lot of things to different people, but one thing is constant, he is the Christ, the son of God, Lord and Saviour and we celebrate him on the  25th of December and always. He was born, he lived, he died on a cross, he was buried, he rose from the dead, and is as alive as ever. 

The season is full of a lot of things and plans, and usually comes with so much love, joy and goodness towards people and yourself, let’s keep up the energy for other days that are not Christmas day and remember to teach and share the gospel of Jesus to as many people as you can. While you pull up the tree, turn on the lights, fix the baubles, plan for food, here are a couple of things you can do to make the season more memorable.

How to make Christmas more memorable

1. Share the gospel to someone, online or offline

2. Call your friends and family to wish them a Merry Christmas. Curate messages if possible, no broadcasts.

3. Give gifts no matter how small. It’s the thought that counts

4. Offer help in the most heartwarming and intentional way.

5. Eat a lot, drink a lot, smile a lot, cheers to sweet baby Jesus!

6. Be outside with friends and family, don't forget to keep safe as you meet up with people

7. Journal your experiences. There’s something about journaling that helps us remember and keep warm memories. 

8. Say a prayer for someone you haven’t spoken to in a while, say a prayer for the world, and say a specific prayer for someone you know that needs it.

9. Study and share your favourite scriptures online and offline.

10. Lastly, don’t stop doing 1-9

I hope this has helped remind you that the 25th of December is a lovely time of the year and should be a bit/tip of the iceberg that you do every other day of the year.

From the entire www.bibilamour04.com family, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and thank you for being a part of our community!🎄❤