CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

What is Christmas ?

                          When Christmas season comes our activities involves on sending Christmas greetings to friends, buying new cloths, Singing Christmas Carols and decorating house with Christmas celebration symbols and giving gifts etc. We think of wordly things and forget about what spiritual values we gets.

                             It was like a story of a man sent invitation to his friends and relatives celebrating his child birthday in a big hotel. Plenty of people gathered in the hotel with pomp and pleasure. When the time come for cut the cake, people informed the parents of the child to bring the child for the celebration. Parents replied that we left the child at home. If we bring it here that would be a trouble in celebrating the birthday. Here we see they failed to experience the real joy of new life on earth they got and the transformation in their life. Similarly our humility on the Christmas fail to enlighten the spiritual value.

                               In the Bible, we read in Roman 3:23 For all we have sinned and fall short of Glory."

                                  In the Bible is the story of Naaman, Commander of the Syrian Army.But he was afflicted with  with leper. He was a brilliant soldier, a man of great courage and conquering hero but the leprosy of sin haunted his life. Those times leprosy was an incurable disease with a stigma. Naaman is a picture of all  of us .Naaman a powerful hero honor came wealth and material. Naaman does not realize  Leprosy was a sin. Many of us today cannot feel the impact of sin. Naaman find no way escape or get rid off his leper from the body. His proud in life forget the simple things of the life. That was an important for the eternal life. He came to know about this through a slave girl of in his home. She said to his Master's wife, If only my Master would see the Prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure his Leprosy. This girl was offering Naaman a hope. When he heard  this he was upset because advice from a slave girl. Similarly God offers free gift of Salvation. Are we ready on this Christmas?

                                    Naaman obliged to the Servant girl advise because he want to get relief rom the sin. He went to see the King of Judia with a letter to cure his leprosy. Naaman thought Leprosy can be cured on his way of action.

                                       King saw his letter and said I am not a healer and advised him to go to Prophet Elisha to get redemption from the sin of leprosy. He went to Eliza's house. But Eliza sent his servant to tell Naaman to go and dip seven times in the Jordan River to be healed.

                                          Naaman became angry his proud was hurt. The prophet would not even came out to see him. Instead the prophet had just sent word to him to wash in Jordan River. Similarly we never touch on the basic of Christmas while celebrating, we miss the theme.

                                            Naaman was not humble enough to receive God's grace. He was ready but he did not know receive it. He was not in God's way to revive His redeeming power. There is only one way, you must repent of your sin and turn to Christ.

                                             First Naaman angry, but sin haunted his life. He humbled  by agreeing go to Jordan river and dip seven times. Salvation doesn't come from a preacher or a teacher. It come from only one source Jesus Christ.

                                                Naaman went to the river Jordan and finally become convinced that he ought to do what the prophet said. He went down one time, two times, three times, four times, five times. And imagine that he looked at his body and the leprosy that was still there. Finally he went down the seventh time. And when he rose, his skin was like that of a little Child.

                                                 In Luke2:30 Simeon took the Child in his arm and said for my eyes have seen the Salvation" Salvation, forgiveness of sin. Salvation an experience of Joy. Let's experience that joy on this Christmas day!

                                                A MERRY CHRISTMAS!