By Gloria Wessner 
Christmas means so many different things to so many people. For some, it’s the warmth and fuzzy type feelings the season brings that goes along with the traditional music, decorations, lights, and festive mood that this time of year brings. For others, the joy of giving (even the shopping!) is rewarding and brings out the best in people. The opportunity for families to get together, often far apart, gives grandparents and kids and grandkids alike the joy of being together. Any of these reasons or a combination of them is the many reasons why people love Christmas holidays.
For many people, it is not a happy occasion. Sour family relationships, a death that’s happened on the holidays, loss of a job, a recent divorce, tragedy, no money to spend on gifts for one’s children, fire, or homelessness; any one of these reasons or others not mentioned does not bring the happiness and joy at this time of year for many people.
Despite outward circumstances that may be extremely difficult, and even if ones circumstances are wonderful, there’s a part about Christmas that is often lost completely in the season. With the birth of Jesus Christ came the opportunity to become connected to the God of love.
‘The Word (Jesus) became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighbourhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish.’ (John 1:14 the message)
To be connected in a real relationship with the God of love, is to be able to to be called a child of God. Being a child of God is an awesome lifetime journey that enables a person to constantly grow as a person while looking forward to being with him at the end of life. It is not an easy journey, but the difference is that you live life with him and in his strength. Jesus’ birth, and ultimately because of his death and rising from the dead, makes this relationship possible.
‘He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, (this is me and you if one makes this choice), he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.’ (John 1:10-13, NLT)
If you would like to be connected to the God of love this Christmas, feel free to write me at gloriawes@hotmail.com, and I will be happy to get back to you.