† VICAR'S MESSAGE
A MONTHLY MESSAGE FROM THE VICAR
DECEMBER 2009 EDITION
Dearly Beloved in Christ,
In December the Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of
Jesus Christ. The word “mas” means “sacrifice”. Christmas means the
sacrifice of Christ. So it is an occasion to remember the birth and death of Jesus
Christ because Jesus was the man born to die. 25th of December cannot be considered the as the actual date of birth of Christ. The powerful Roman emperor fixed
that date because the same day was set apart to worship the sun as god. So Christmas celebration on 25th December may be considered as a symbolic act of accepting Jesus Christ as our light and salvation. As Mary prepared herself for the birth
of Jesus, the church has set 25 days of lent for purification of our lives so that
Christ will be born in us and we will grow up in Christ.
Christmas is an occasion of joy and peace. In the first Christmas night, and angel
from heaven said. To the shepherds: “Don’t be afraid, I bring you good news of
great joy” (Luke 2:10) but very often Christmas has become a celebration without
Christ experience. For many people it is a time for worldly pleasures like alcoholism, eating, merry making, and shopping. The worldly pleasures are expensive,
temporary and will be lost. But God gives real joy of salvation through Christ that
is free and eternal that cannot be taken by others. It is joy of freedom from sin.
The first Christmas song sung by the angels was “Glory to God in the highest
and peace on earth to those who have God’s favor” (Luke 2:14” It means God became man in Christ to give peace to the world and it is God’s greatest gift for us.
Today we live in a world of fear and desperation. Only God can give us peace.
Jesus revealed the truth that the peace of the world is possible only through love,
forgiveness and reconciliation. Christmas challenges us to be peace makers
(Matthew 5:9). But Jesus had to sacrifice his life for this task. So peace making
demands our life as its cost. Let our Christmas celebration be an occasion of experiencing joy of salvation and God’s peace which transcends human understanding. Let us submit ourselves to participate in God’s salvific act of giving joy and
peace to the world. May God bless you all.
I wish you all a happy and meaningful Christmas.
Yours in Christ,
Noble Achen