Christmas: One Solitary man made the difference for all times.
Davis George
Karl Barth, a renowned author and thinker was lecturing a group of students at Princeton. One student asked the German theologian "Sir, don't you think that God has revealed himself in other religions and not only in Christianity?' Barth answered, "No, God has not revealed himself in any religion, including Christianity. He has revealed himself in his Son." This profound truth we celebrate on Christmas day. In the Bible we read, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (Jn 3:16).”But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son"(Heb1:2). “Whoever has the Son has life” (1Jn 5:12).
This is the good news of great joy. Often we hear only bad news of sickness and death; violence and hatred; murder and suicide. To this bewildered world God brings good news of great joy. Unto you is born this day a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. In a world where might is right; majority is right; wrong can be made right and compromise is the norm and mediocrity is God, Jesus stands apart challenging the norms of the world, transforming the lives of ordinary people, bringing solace and comfort to the marginalized, the poor and the sick. This is the good news of great joy that God does not abandon human beings in their misery and pain. This good news of great joy was given first to the ordinary shepherds who were watching their sheep in the silence of the night! God does not abandon human beings but sends his only begotten son not to condemn the world but to save the world. God became a human being in search for the lost, the last and the least with a message of hope.
This is a popular poem titled, “One Solitary Life” about the life of Jesus Christ: “He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant. He grew up in another village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was 30. Then, for three years, he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a home. He didn't go to college. He never lived in a big city. He never traveled 200 miles from the place where he was born. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but himself. He was only 33 when the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied him. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his garments, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave, through the pity of a friend. Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race. I am well within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned--put together--have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one, solitary life.
He came to make a difference in the lives of others. Deeds speak louder than words. To those who came to ask who you are, he answered, go and tell that the blind can see, the deaf can hear, the lame can walk, lepers are healed, evil spirits are cast out and even the dead are brought back to life. Now you decide who am I? He wants to transform your life; give you a new hope; a bigger dream and empower you to make your life meaningful. Jesus is born again when we make room for others in our heart. The message of Christmas is that we are never alone. Not even when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent and Corona pandemic still not under control. Emmanuel, God with us continues to be part of our journey. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
