And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Rom 5:5 NIV) Christmas is undoubtedly the biggest celebration in the Philippines. Even those who cannot afford to buy anything by virtue of their poverty are predisposed to go into debt just to have a table full of presents and food this Christmas. It is not sin to celebrate Christmas nor does the pagan practice formerly associated with it have anything to do with the way we celebrate Christmas today.

Clearly, everything is permissible as long as this brings glory to God. We don’t worship the pagan gods as those who bow to a tree or to a sun nor do we idolize the kings that brought gifts to the Savior but we celebrate Christmas because we want to honor the King. We may not completely know the precise date of His birth or conception but scholars think that He was conceived in the womb in December and actually born in late September.

For instance, Henry Morris gives his comment, saying that Jesus would have come to this world paralleling the occasion commemorated by the early church the Jewish festival of Feast of Tabernacles which prophetically looks at the coming of the Messiah dwelling with man. This is explicitly mentioned in John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” and also in Matt 1:23, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us."

This means therefore that His conception may have taken place in late December so that what we really celebrate as Christmas today as His birth is actually His miraculous conception, or the time Christ was sent to this world. This should be no coincident since December is also the darkest month of the year and the time the earth is farthest from the Sun. It would just be appropriate that the Father would send His Son into the world who is the light that shines—the “Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Indeed, the coming of the Savior was the greatest hope that mankind has. The implications are expansive, and the following are just few of them: Consequences of His coming References Better hope, drawn near Heb 7:18-19 Reconciled, made peace, made blameless Col 1:19-22 Pardoned, adopted into His family Gal 4:4-7 Saved from sin, given hope, reconciled with each other Eph 2:8, 12-15 Given eternal life, set free John 3:16; Gal 5:1 These should be understood by every born again Christian and taught in households that we celebrate Christmas to commemorate the acts and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus who gave Himself freely for us to be pardoned, washed by His blood and made blameless. It is called a hope that does not disappoint because when these happened 2000 years ago, His promise remains valid to every generation who appropriates the blood of Christ into their lives.

Without this application, we may know someone who knows Christ and is born again, but we are not actually covered by His blood nor are we part of His covenant and family. God has indeed no grandchildren, and everyone needs to be born again who wants to come to Him. All believers are essentially brothers and sisters because we have to have a first hand of experience of Him, not merely a brush of knowledge that does not save. Some theologians think that biblical knowledge is the highest virtue, but contrary to this, it is experiencing (e.g. doing, living) the Lord’s presence that is the highest priority of life whether one is knowledgeable (e.g. theologically sound in every piece of doctrine) or not.

Given these great promises, the celebration of Christmas should produce no lingering doubt as to the soundness of the practice or its theological basis for we are not given to speculations or superstitions as do those pagans. (Thus, regardless of what some pundits say, go back to the Word of God and certainly the truth is found there; use it as above all literature sources). We celebrate Christmas for the simple reason of honouring our King and that “Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God's Sunrise will break in upon us, Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace”(Luke 1:78-79 THE MESSAGE). As we celebrate the yuletide season, let us walk steadfast in Him, not in debauchery or drunkenness but in sobriety and heartfelt gratitude of the sacrifices of the Lord. Because He came and nullified the Law, we have been given better promises through the better covenant which He also brought by the sacrifice of His blood.

This made us near to Him and valuable, for no longer does God discriminate between the Jew and the Gentile, the circumcised and the uncircumcised but by His sacrifice, we were all reconciled to Him. Do you realize what that means? We who were formerly enemies, tramps and worthless, unfavored people were granted the grace of a new beginning! We have been accepted in the Beloved! Paul states that, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Col 1:19-22 NIV).

It is also for this reason that we are told, for “this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil” (Hebrews 6:19). And in another, Peter affirms, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).

As we continue to ponder on these passages, let us thank the Lord of His goodness, more so because we have been privileged to be brought near to God by His blood. It is for this reason that I remain thankful to Him because He considered me worthy of His mercy; bought with a price. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” Heb 10:23