Happy Christmas!
Christmas is a special time for most of us
Christmas is a time of gifts, peace and joy
But what is the significance of Christmas?
What lies behind all the fun and festivities?
What if Christmas is a struggle for some of us?
God's gift
Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus.
Jesus is God in human form, a gift from God to help us understand who he is and what he is like. When Thomas said 'Show us the Father' Jesus replied 'If you have seen me you have seen the Father'
So what is God like?
Jesus helped us understand that God is a Father, loving and caring and wanting to help us and for us to get to know and love him. Love is at the heart of God and expressed in all he does. When we think of God as angry or aloof we are missing the truth about him.
He is full of love and only ever angry at things that hurt others. Knowing that we are loved is a very important part of our lives. Children flourish when they are loved and so do we. Christmas is about this gift - Jesus given to us to help us understand that we are loved.
Relationship, not religion
When we understand God and his love for us, it changes our perspective on life, its meaning and purpose and our view of other people. We all want to be loving in our relationships but it can be difficult and we end up upsetting one another.
When we come to God and get to know him, he pours love into our hearts. We become more secure about who we are. He loves us and made us and is best placed to help us understand ourselves. He describes us as his 'treasured possession'. Once we come to him and give our hearts to him, he can help us in our relationships so we are able to help others.
Peace
That's a lovely place to be. It is a place of true peace, an inner calm and assurance. As we learn and get to know him on a daily basis it makes us able to cope with the storms of life. It helps us known who is ultimately in charge and looking after us. He guides and supports us through the problems and promises he will never leave us to cope alone.
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If you want to learn more about Jesus there is lots of information on this site. To find out more about Jesus, click that button below. If you want to explore faith and have lots of questions click 'Discovery Room' where you can look at lots of different issues.