Christmas Season: A Time to Worship and Give

Nana and Nemi are setting up our Christmas tree by themselves. 

As I watch them doing this, I reflect on how fast my children are growing. 

We used to do it for them, and now they do it on their own.

 

Christmas is often described as the most wonderful time of the year. There’s a unique joy and peace that fills the air during this season—an intangible warmth that manifests in decorations, lights, music, the giving of gifts, and even in the coolness of the weather. However, this joy is most profoundly experienced by those who recognize and appreciate the true origin of this holiday.

In different cultures, Christmas is celebrated for various reasons. For many business people, it's seen as an opportunity to increase profits, with consumers out buying gifts and decorations. But for me, every year I ask myself: What is the deeper meaning of Christmas? To understand this, I always turn to Scripture.

Family is like a raincoat that protects us from rain

 

                By Ianpassion

                My daughter Nana is using a sack of fertilizer to protect herself from the rain.

I listened to a Rick Warren podcast about having an awesome family. He uses the raincoat as an analogy to describe the concept of an awesome family. We use a raincoat for protection from the rain; imagine if you didn’t have a raincoat when you were outside. Just as a raincoat protects us from the rain, a family provides protection and support in the face of life's challenges and problems.

In this illustration, the raincoat represents the family, and the rain represents the challenges or problems we encounter in life. Imagine our children suffering rejection, loneliness, fears, and more without the support of a family. It's no wonder that when Satan wants to destroy a nation, he starts with the family. He comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), so when a family is broken, we lack protection when the rain comes.

Embracing Life's Fleeting Moments

By Ianpassion 

This morning, we were saddened by the news of someone we knew in the village passing away at the age of 38. He was rushed to the hospital last night due to a heart problem. During the day, everything seemed normal, and he appeared healthy. However, last night he struggled to breathe, and later we found that he had passed away.

Instances like these remind me that life is a precious gift. Some are on the brink of death, yet their time has not come, and I believe I am one of those. I always consider my life on earth as temporary, and as long as I have life, I live not for myself but for the One who has given it to me.

The Enduring Companionship and Love of the Son: Lessons from My Daughter's Story

By Ianpassion
Nana's drawing when she was 6 years old 

When my daughter was six years old, she wrote a story about Briya's pets. Although her English skills weren't good yet, her creativity shone through. The tale featured Tea, a dog, and Present, a rooster, who kept Briya company, echoing the assurance that she was never alone.

Reflecting on this, I saw parallels with the Son's promise to always be with us, akin to the companionship Briya found in her pets. Witnessing her connection with the Son at such a young age, expressed through her writing and drawings, filled me with awe. My hope is for her relationship with the Son to deepen as she grows.

How the Father's Love Revealed in this Christmas Season?

 

You might ask, what is new about the birth of the Son? It is a kindergarten story. Whatever possible reasons you have, allow me to simply elaborate on three important things about the Father's love through the birth of His Son. It is a fact that Christmas history began with the story of the Son 2,000 years ago when Rome was still in power. Some might deny this fact, but history tells us that there was a baby wrapped and placed in a manger. 

The Father demonstrated His first act of love in the Gospel stories by allowing His Son to be delivered in a stable - a place where animals are kept. It was unusual. However, The Father would not allow it without a purpose. The Son of the Almighty was placed and found by the shepherds in a manger - a wooden box that keeps grass for animals' food. Animals can come and eat in a manger whenever they feel hungry. Read more here...