Remember the meaning of Christmas

Christmas means different things to different people.
To most, it is a heartwarming time with family and friends.
To many children, it’s about presents and Santa.
To merchants, it means a season when many retailers make money.
Christmas is celebrated today more as a sales frenzy than as the most important birth in history.
It has become so commercialised that it has lost its true meaning to many people.
The wonderful meaning of Christmas is that Jesus came to rescue us from the death sentence caused by our sin, and to give us hope and peace with God.
He did it because he cares for you and me, and wants to adopt us into his family — now and forever. It should also be a time of reflection. Often, we give gifts at Christmas because it’s expected of us and we feel guilty if we don’t.
Christmas for many is a holiday season that provides opportunities to families to reunite, and it allows a pleasant break from our daily routines.
And the closer we get to Christmas, the pressure to give these unnecessary gifts builds and we feel depressed and unworthy if we can’t give.
Almost all schools teach the story of Christmas and the large majority of schools put on nativity plays so children can understand through drama and carols.
It is doing no harm by simply putting up a few extra non-religious items for Christmas.
A lot of Christians are still going to church to celebrate Christmas religiously and they will continue to encourage their children to do the same, so the real meaning shall be carried on throughout the generations.
However, the true meaning could easily be lost unless this excessive consumption/spending is balanced by the knowledge of the religious significance.
We also need to take into account the economic wellbeing of the country.
By selling all these commercial goods, i.e. food, presents and decorations, it helps to support our country’s financial system.
In some cases, stores earn up to 50 per cent of their annual profit during the Christmas season.
Unfortunately, Christians are vulnerable to this commercial mentality, and too many have compromised the message of giving.
Why not take time this Christmas to reflect on God’s great gift to you?
The one who created you is the same one who came to earth and died for you.
In a world filled with corruption and selfishness, there is tremendous hope in knowing that God cares.
And he promises eternal life to all who believe in Jesus.
Can you think of a greater reason to celebrate Christmas?
The true meaning of Christmas is love.
John 3:16-17 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
And so the true meaning of Christmas is the celebration of this incredible act of love.
As the well-to-do get into the festive spirit and jam the shopping malls in Port Moresby, Lae and other major centres, spare a thought for those who cannot afford to buy gifts and other goodies.