Christmas will soon be upon us, and this is the holiday where, when I was growing up, it used to be traditional that our household would not just enjoy the sweet smelling aroma of homemade cakes and pies from scratch, or of ham and turkey, black-eyed peas and candied yams, but that when it was time for the food to be served and blessings to be said, it would be that what came afterwards was, for me, the most important part, which was grandma having everyone who was sitting at the dinner table stating what Jesus’ sacrifice meant for them.
Today, maybe some households still celebrate this tradition, but as for me and my family, I do not know when we ever really departed from it, but we have. The true meaning of Christmas seems to be long forgotten, and that meaning is Love. In the book of John of the New International Version (NIV), Chapter 3 vs. 16-17, it says, “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”
We want to be able to serve God with an obedient and humble spirit, being in service to Him. How can we be in service to Him if right here at Christmas we forget about our neighbors, the widows, the motherless, the fatherless, the hungry, and the homeless, who are less fortunate than us?
Christmastime is more about giving than receiving, yet I have seen some very bitter and petty folks who gave but said to the ones who did not give back, “Where is my Christmas gift? I gifted you something so why could you not return the favor?” This sort of attitude has been known to make people feel less than afterwards, especially if they did not know that you were going to gift them with something. This leaves them feeling so bad, and when it becomes a repetitive thing, the joy of Christmas and what is supposed to be — the time of remembrance for Christ Jesus’ birth, and His sacrifice for us — is instead replaced with sadness, loneliness, despair and forgetfulness of what the true meaning of Christmas is about altogether.
Why do we celebrate Christmas each year? I will tell you why folks. Because it is for giving to others and remembering out of gratitude what God did for us. By giving each other gifts, we are remembering Christ’s birth, worshipping Him, and being conscious, especially of the poor, and again, less fortunate. Christmas is a day to be preserved as something unique above all others. Christmas is not just another holiday to be thrown in the mix with all other holidays. What God did in His great love for us commemorates something that was so profoundly necessary for all of humanity, something that ultimately, finds its reason for existing in the very character of God Himself. In Romans 5:8 it states, “But God demonstrated His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God gave His only Son to take our punishment for our sins.” This is what God did to save us. He gave up His son to meet our need for salvation because He graciously and unconditionally loved the world.
The scripture verse, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us in” (John 1:14), is describing to us all in vivid detail of what the true meaning of Christmas and Jesus’ sacrifice is. Jesus, as God’s son, was born into the human family as one of us, not sent by God to die for just a portion of humanity, but for ALL of humanity. God is unlimited in His willingness to give us what we need to be saved. Knowing this, why can’t we just love and give to others unconditionally without looking to receive anything back? Isn’t it better to be noticed by God what we do than to be noticed by people? After all, He is the one who truly knows our hearts and our true intentions. This year for Christmas, make it about love, peace, and joy, but the most important of these is LOVE. While you are out Christmas shopping or at home wrapping gifts, remember what Jesus’ sacrifice means to you so that you’re doing your holiday tasks with a full and happy heart. Until next time folks.
Shonda McLamb hails from the small country town of Keener, North Carolina, where she was born and raised. Her parents are Deborah and Samuel Rouse. She was raised by her grandmother, Macie Faison-Crawford. At the age of 37, she went to Sampson Community College to pursue her diploma, and after graduating she attended the University of Phoenix for four years in pursuit of her Bachelor of Sciencedegree n communicatoins and a certificate in journalism. The thing I would like to tell anybody is this, “No matter what things may look like, no matter how old you are, it’s never too late to pursue your dreams. So don’t give up. I didn’t” I am excited to be joining mountolivetribune.com as a guest columnist,” McLamb said.
