Christmas Message
“The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined”
Isaiah 9:2
Christmas is the greatest, most joyous, and delightful season to engage with the Nativity of Jesus described in the biblical passages, particularly in the Gospels according to Luke and Mathew. Annually, the insights we have been gaining from these narratives are awesome!
This year, we, the London Tamil Christian Congregation singing Carols and listening to 9 Bible lessons, are adding even more insights into our celebration as we move towards Christmas. These insights open our eyes to see the existence of the Word of God – starting with the story of Creation, and then the people’s expectation of a Messiah to be born as Saviour to humanity - and its fulfilment in the birth of Jesus.
Every year Advent is the preparation not only to celebrate Christmas but to meet the Lord when He returns. Looking at the present life situation in this unprecedented time of an unpredictable pandemic, we can imagine that many of our own families or friends may have unavoidable challenges in celebrating Christmas, especially this year, due to mourning, or anxieties. But Jesus’ birth stories from the Gospels are for everyone to be nourished by and to be encouraged to have hope, and to receive God’s generous love in their varied life situations.
So, this Advent season is a reminder of having or sharing hope based on the Word of God, and of reflecting on the unspeakably great love of God for humanity – love which was freely given and freely received through Jesus’ birth.
Luke’s narrative of Jesus’ nativity recounts many announcements by the Angel Gabriel and the Angels and Archangels. It began with the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist to his father Zachariah. Then Mary, the mother of Jesus, received, exactly six months later in the town of Nazareth in Galilee, the announcement by Gabriel of the birth of Jesus.
First of all, the Angel Gabriel’s announcements in the Gospels revealed that the Lord is with those who, surprisingly, receive and are partners in God’s plan for humanity without any hesitation, and so fulfil what was told. The stories of Mary and Joseph before Jesus’ birth, as explained by Luke in the 2nd Chapter and by Mathew in the 1st chapter, show us how important right and righteous relationships are between people and God, whether personally or corporately, in the Christian life journey even today, in order to fulfil God’s different plans in our lives.
Secondly, the vulnerable sign of Jesus as a baby born in Bethlehem was explained to the underprivileged but religious shepherds with the beautiful singing of angels and archangels. This reveals that the birth story of Jesus is not a discriminative one but it embraces all classes of people so that they may know His birth as a gift from God. His birth news itself is ‘good news’ and ever precious for each one of us. Regardless of any difficult situations, we have in our lives, Jesus’ birth is an everlasting sign today in our midst too. This Hope will not be eradicated. So, this year our Advent pilgrimage prepares us to have eternal Hope, and to know the ever-living presence of Christ. May Jesus’ birth narratives resonate during this season so as to prepare and revive us to know that He is Immanuel, “God is with us”. We are not alone. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
May I wish and pray that you all may have a meaningful and unforgettable experience of knowing Christ’s ever-living presence as you celebrate Christmas joyfully with your family.
May you be a great blessing to your family and friends by sharing the gift of Jesus with others.
Revd Jessie Anand, Minister, LTCC.
December 2021