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Festival of Christ
Every year it seems that Christmas comes earlier and earlier—decorations appear before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Christmas has become so commercialized that its true meaning is too often lost in the hustle and bustle of things. The word “Christmas” comes from an Old English phrase, Christes maesse, which means “festival of Christ.”* In other words, Christmas is a time to celebrate and rejoice about Jesus.
In the Gospel according to Luke, an angel appeared to shepherds and announced the birth of Jesus in the city of Bethlehem. Immediately after the proclamation “there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:13, 14). Matthew 2:1-12 tells the story of the Wise Men from the East following a star to Bethlehem in search of the King of the Jews. When they finally found Jesus, they bowed down to worship Him, and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Now, 2,000 years later, Christians around the world are still celebrating the birth of Jesus. Let’s look at the specific ways the angels and Wise Men celebrated the good news so we can follow their example.
Spread the News
When Christ was born, the angel of the Lord was so excited that he couldn’t keep the good news to himself. He had to tell someone. During the Christmas season, the hearts and minds of people are quite responsive to hearing the good news of Jesus Christ. This is a perfect and opportune time to spread the news, not only of Christ’s birth, but His love, death, resurrection, and soon return.
Praise God
Just as soon as the angel made his announcement to the shepherds, the rest of the angelic host could no longer hold their peace. Ecstatic about the unfolding events, they opened their mouths and began praising God.
Praise is simply acknowledging God for who He is, what He is able to do, and what He does. It is also telling God what you admire, love, and/or respect about Him. The angels’ words of praise were simple: “Glory to God in the highest.” They clearly recognized who God was—the Most High God. Then they took the time to let God know that they knew who He was.
Praising God is one of the most powerful things you can do to change your life and the lives of those around you. Perhaps you might want to try what I call the “David Praise Challenge.” In his longest psalm, David declares: “Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments” (Psalm 119:164). Try praising God at least seven times a day during this Christmas season and watch what God will do in your life. The results will amaze you!
Bless Others
After they praised God, the angels pronounced a wonderful blessing of peace and good will on those on earth. In today’s world there are many who are hurting and in need of a blessing—a word of cheer. You can bring life to a dying soul with just a few words. A wise man once said: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). Ask the Lord God to give you “the tongue of the learned” so that you will know “how to speak a word in season to him that is weary” (Isaiah 50:4). The blessing you pronounce on someone won’t cost you financially, but it may be worth a million dollars to the recipient.
Seek Jesus Christ
The Wise Men were on a mission to find Jesus. They had seen His star in the sky, and had decided to go in search of Him. When the star stopped over the city of Jerusalem, the Wise Men inquired as to the whereabouts of the King of the Jews. When told He was in Bethlehem, they didn’t get upset or discouraged, or think about heading back. They just got on the highway that led to Bethlehem, determined to find their King, if it was the last thing they did.
God said: “Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you” (Jeremiah 29:13, 14). During this time of year it is easy to get swept up in the hustle and bustle of the season and the commercialism. Like the Wise Men you have to make up in your mind that you are going to seek God, and keep at it until you find Him. Just as God led the Wise Men with the star, He will lead you, too, right to Him.
Worship Jesus and Bring Him Gifts
After their conversation with King Herod, the Wise Men made their way to Bethlehem. In route, the star reappeared and they rejoiced exceedingly. When the star came to its final stop over a house, the Wise Men entered the home where they saw the “young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him . . . and gave Him gifts” (Matthew 2:11).
The one thing God wants us to do is worship Him. He says this, repeatedly, throughout both the Old and New Testaments. (Read Exodus 34:14 and Matthew 4:10.) To worship God is give Him everything you have—your treasures, time, talents, heart, soul, and mind—and, most important, give Him obedience. When King Saul disobeyed a direct command from God, the prophet Samuel told him that the best thing he could do was to obey God. (Read
1 Samuel 15:22.)
This Christmas season you have the opportunity to worship God by obeying Him and giving Him the best gift that you have to offer—your life.
Conclusion
We learned some wonderful truths about Christmas, thanks to the angels and the Wise Men. Hopefully each of us will apply them to our lives—not just during the Christmas season, but every single day.
CAROLYN HENRY HURST is an international speaker, freelance writer, and founder of GoingGodWard Ministries. E-mail GoingGodWard@aol.com.
References
*MSN-Encarta: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761556859/Christmas.html
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