- MAY THIS SIMPLE HUMBLE SNOWFLAKE BRING YOU THE GIFT OF GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE THROUGH THE PRESENCE OF JESUS THIS CHRISTMAS.
Jesus. Who are you really?
As a student of history who has studied the historical sources of the history of Israel, I am convinced that Jesus was a real historical figure who has much more authenticity and validity than many other historical figures such as Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar, Plato or Aristotle etc. Even the first century Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus (c37-c100) write about Jesus in the `Antiquities of the Jews’.
In the first passage, called the Testimonium Flavianum, Flavius Josephus wrote: “About this time came Jesus, a wise man, if indeed it is appropriate to call him a man. For he was a performer of paradoxical feats, a teacher of people who accept the unusual with pleasure, and he won over many of the Jews and also many Greeks. He was the Christ. When Pilate, upon the accusation of the first men amongst us, condemned him to be crucified, those who had formerly loved him did not cease to follow him, for he appeared to them on the third day, living again, as the divine prophets foretold, along with a myriad of other marvellous things concerning him. And the tribe of the Christians, so named after him, has not disappeared to this day.”
Other scholars like E.P. Sanders, Geza Vermes, John P. Meier, David Flusser, James H. Charlesworth, Raymond E. Brown, Paula Fredriksen andJohn Dominic Crossan have variously argued that the gospel accounts of the baptism of Jesus, his preaching, and the crucifixion of Jesus, are generally deemed to be historically authentic, while the two accounts of the nativity of Jesus, as well as certain details about the crucifixion and the resurrection, are more disputed. Charles Guignebert (1867–1939), Professor of the History of Christianity at the Sorbonne, maintained that the “conclusions which are justified by the documentary evidence may be summed up as follows: Jesus was born somewhere in Galilee in the time of the Emperor Augustus, of a humble family, which included half a dozen or more children besides himself.”. He adds elsewhere “there is no reason to suppose he was not executed” (Adapted from the Wikipedia).
Jesus, who are you really?
In the history of mankind, many great men appeared in the past to enlighten us on the way to become better human beings. They have made great contributions to the betterment of mankind. One such wonderful man is Gautama Buddha who has impressed me deeply with his wonderful concepts of `awareness’ and `compassion for others’. Another great person is Lao-Tze, the founder of the Taoist philosophy. has given mankind three great gifts- simplicity, patience and compassion for yourself. Other great spiritual mentors include St. Augustine with his insight on the importance of humility; St. Francis of Assissi with his practical simplicity and love for all living things; Mother Teresa who put her great love for the dying poor into practice.
As a human being, Jesus has the claim of being the greatest person who has ever lived because he possessed such great love for mankind that he was willing to be used as a sacrificial lamb. Yet in spite of his greatness, the paradoxical truth shows that Jesus possessed lots of humility e.g by washing the feet of his close disciples in the last days before his crucifixion.
Through his words and deeds, Jesus has shown us that it is more important to be aware of the great unconditional love of God for wounded humanity. Yes, it is important to love God. But it is more important to be aware that God loves us deeply and unconditionally- just as we are -with our sinful or shameful pasts blended with our ideals and our beautiful dreams.
He is the most gentle person I have ever read in history or I have ever known in my life. In my limited ways, I have the privilege of studying comparative religions on Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, etc during my undergraduate days in the university for my B.A. degree (History). Yes, Jesus tells us in the New Testament that he has come specially, if not primarily, for the sinners. Yes, he proclaims loudly and publicly that the reason for his coming is to heal the sick and the wounded (physically and spiritually). Jesus chose his meaning of life and his mission to cover the salvation of humanity in general and the healing of the sick and the wounded in particular.
Jesus likes to mingle and interact with the sick, the poor and the social rejects such as the prostitutes, the publicans etc. When he was attacked for such perceived inappropriate social behavior, Jesus replied pointedly that this was the reason why he came- to heal the sick and the wounded because those who were well and healthy would not need the healing services of a physician. By his conduct and his compassionate attitudes, Jesus made himself extremely accessible to the public sinners and the dregs of society who were the targets of social marginalization and discrimination. The human beings found in Jesus’ world were mostly ordinary people -people who were needy and sick with wounded self-esteems. Jesus did not like mixing and rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty of the Jewish society. In fact, it is narrated in the New Testament that those occasions when he interacted with the high and mighty often led to confrontations, conflicts and eventually his crucifixion.
If we look at Jesus with an open creative mind, we can see that if there were no sinners in our world, there would be no need of a messiah or savior. If there were no sinners, there would be no Christmas. If there were no sick people, there would be no need of doctors. This is how Jesus sees his mission as the meaning of his life- to save the frightened sheep that has gone astray; the despairing soul pondering on ending his/her life; to give love to the social rejects and the hopeless etc. His birth on Christmas is therefore closely intertwined with the destinies of sinners and wounded people. Jesus comes this Christmas with the message of the good news- that there is always hope and love at the end of the tunnel no matter how dark your tunnel may be.
I hope we, the wounded human beings, can look upon this Christmas with a fresh insight- that Jesus really came into the world to be the compassionate companion of needy people with wounded self-esteems. He really wants to initiate a personal encounter with wounded human beings especially those who are homeless, helpless, hopeless, depressed, suicidal and people are in despair seeing no light at the end of the tunnel. If we can look upon Jesus in terms of a `great friend’ whom you have never really met, you can be sure that if you are ready, Jesus is ready to come into your life to give you some real peace and joy to give your life some meaning and lots of hope and love. This zen quotation will enlighten us more- `if the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear’. So if we keep an open mind and respond with awareness that God loves us deeply and unconditionally, the divine grace will flow into our hearts and souls to give us abundant blessings of real peace and joy. This is the real gift of Christmas. All you have to do is to accept the gift of God’s love unconditionally and humbly.
May this coming Christmas bring you new insights about Jesus, the most wonderful friend you have never met.
Submitted by David YKK
CHRISTMAS RETREAT #2- A SHIFT IN YOUR PERCEPTION CAN CHANGE THE MEANING OF YOUR ADVERSITY & SUFFERING TO BRING INNER PEACE IN YOUR LIFE.
- THIS BLUE GLOOMY CHRISTMAS CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO A PURPLE CHRISTMAS THAT IS FILLED WITH GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
What is the meaning of Christmas for you in the midst of your adversity and suffering? Or what you see is merely bleak gloominess, more suffering and hopeless misery in this season of hope and love. What a paradox! For the healthy and the rich, Christmas is a time of receiving gifts, party, drinking and dancing. But for the poor and the sick, it is a time of blame- blaming others and ultimately blaming God for their wretchedness and their suffering. `Why me, God?’ has become a common chant for mind chatters in the heads of victims suffering from codependency, depressions, broken human relationships, loss of jobs, financial stress, chronic physical and mental illnesses. This negative mindset of blame gets you nowhere. There is simply no real answer to your suffering. Why not look into your soul and search for your answer there.
Yes, Christmas is a time to get out of your mental rut and dump your self-denials. If you are honest with yourself, Christmas is a season full of hope and love. This is a time to transform the quality of your suffering and your wounded life by changing your negative perception. Yes, Christmas is a special time that provides a Gospel moment to see things differently. Jesus brings abundant grace and abundant love to transform your suffering into spiritual stepping stones. As a human being, Jesus provides us a perfect model to cope with difficult relationships in particular and life in general. From Jesus’ perspective,a life full of pain need not be a life in hell. Pain may be inevitable but suffering is optional. Pain and suffering, when born with patience, acceptance, and love, will ultimately be transformed into wholesome and authentic renewal and spiritual growth.
Selwyn Hughes, the author of `Every Day With Jesus’, enlightens us with his wise words to bring the best out of the worst, “disasters are bound to come to everyone – it’s foolish to think that, just because we are Christians, we are exempt. We are part of a universe that has been unbalanced by sin, part of a mortal, decaying world. However, though we may fall victims to life’s disasters, we are able, through the redemptive purposes of God, to turn them into doors of opportunity and step through them into richer, more abundant living… Others are baffled by life’s tragedies. Only the cross has an answer. Out of the worst, Christ brings the best, and makes life’s victims victorious.”
Without Christmas, a life of suffering is just one long interminable period of time that ends with a meaningless life of desperation that is filled with hopelessness and helplessness. With Christmas, Jesus comes to change our perception with God’s unconditional love that promises salvation and eternal happiness. Ask Mother Teresa why she chose a life of embracing the dying poor in Calcutta; or ask Father Damien why he chose a life of embracing lepers and serving them. Because Jesus has come to show us a suffering God -one who uses the cross to save wounded humanity. Jesus was born into our broken world to transform and defines human suffering with a radical meaning. He comes into the world to encourage us to carry our crosses alongside with his. He comes to lighten our burdens with love and meaning.
This Christmas, let Jesus show you that your broken life is full of meaning and potential if you have the courage and passion to dream the impossible dreams. Without love, your life is half-empty; but with love, your life can be half-full. The other half of your broken life can be filled with God’s unconditional love that will repair your wounded self-esteem and give you a new lease of authentic life.
With the divine love, it is possible to transform base metal into gold; hate and conflicts into love and compassion; chaos and anxiety into inner peace; and hell into heaven. The tragedy is that we, mere mortals, are not even aware of this opportunity that comes as a blessing in disguise. Jesus comes in Christmas as our Messiah to teach us the spiritual skills to craft our own master keys to open the doors of our flawed perceptions. Yes, we have often overlooked the psychological law that your individual perception creates your own personal truths and realities. Today, psychologists and practical philosophers have discovered this truth- that we can change our lives by changing our negative perceptions and mindsets. Long long ago, before the term `psychology’ has been coined, Jesus had already discovered this truth and applied it to heal the mentally sick and rejuvenate the spiritual lives of his disciples.
The real meaning of Christmas is the time to let Jesus heal and change our flawed perceptions and wounded self-esteem which are the primary causes of many of our human problems today. Yes, this is the season to take responsibility of our own negative perceptions that are pregnant with wrong assumptions, unrealistic worldly expectations, toxic emotions and materialistic values that give rise to extreme greediness. In Christmas, Jesus shows us that God’s ways are definitely not man’s ways and God’s benchmarks are diametrically-opposed to the worldly standards. The ways of the world are materialistic, seductive, sensually pleasurable, egoistic and self-centered. But God’s ways are centered on unconditional love- love of God, love of neighbor and last of all, love of oneself. This is a wholesome love that is balanced and spiritually enriching and fulfilling. Jesus comes to teach us the Gospel of the Good News that is based purely on God’s unconditional love for broken human beings. What wonderful news! The message is so simple, yet so profound and inspiring. This is the wonder and the mystery of Christmas that makes it a time for personal change, renewal and growth.
This is a time of simplicity; a time of patient waiting and a time of compassion for oneself as well as for others. Today, the spirit of Jesus is alive in our broken world. The Christmas spirit is here to bring hope to the hopeless, love for the loveless, peace and serenity to the broken in spirit, wholesome self-esteem to those shattered by shame and sin, and spiritual salvation to the depressed and despairing souls. This is the real meaning of Christmas because Jesus wants to share his love with you … if you will give God the chance to change your life for the better; if you will give Jesus the chance to comfort you as your best friend; if you will give yourself a chance to grow into a wholesome loving human being who can live harmoniously with your neighbors and with yourself. May the real meaning of Christmas bring more inner peace and joy into your life.
CHRISTMAS RETREAT #3- REFLECTING ON THREE SPIRITUAL INSIGHTS ON THE MEANING OF YOUR LIFE
- GOD HAS CREATED THESE THREE GLORIOUS FLOWERS TO REMIND US THAT HE ALSO CREATED US OUT OF SHEER LOVE.
It has been my great privilege to share with you three interesting quotations that I have just come across in my scrape-book this morning. Hopefully these quotes will provide you with some insights to improve your wounded life and enhance the inner peace and happiness by crafting a unique meaning for your life. The first wise person to share his insight is Elie Wiesel (writer, philosopher & Nobel Prize Recipient). According to him, “Ultimately, life is a gift and meaning is its reward. So is the art and ability of asking questions. The meaning of life is to be found in the question that becomes encounter. Then every moment becomes a moment of grace.” Life is full of mystery. The important thing is life is to ask the right questions so that you can find the right answers- answers that are significant and can make a positive impact and difference in your short wounded life. If you haven’t started asking the right questions, you better start as soon as possible because life is really short. So short that before you realize it, life seems to be stumbling into its last lap (I am speaking from my own experience with life). Why are you here? Why are you suffering? Why me, Lord? But to get the right answers, you must look at your life with full honesty and no denials. Don’t look at life at you are; look at like as it is. This is the key to find the pearl in the oyster. In times of suffering and adversity, the elixir is hidden in the toxin. Or the Chinese philosophers will tell you, pick yourself up at the place where you fell down.
The second wise person that may awaken your meaning in life is Sue Ellen Radovich with her insight: “If I weren’t here, you wouldn’t have any reason to be here. One human being is pointless without another. We exist for each other. We are interdependent, emotionally and otherwise. God just put us here to take care of each other. That’s how it started; that’s how it’s always been.” Jesus was born into our broken world to give us a new commandment of love- “Love one another as I love you.” If you love Jesus, “Feed my sheep.” (John-21:17). Yes, who are the hungry sheep? Why are the wounded sheep? These are the sinners, the sick, the wounded, the homeless and people who have gone astray etc. This is the real reason of Christmas- Jesus comes to be the Messiah to rescue the sinners and the wounded; he did not come to heal the healthy, or save the saints. If there were no sinners, there would be reason for the coming of the Savior. It is precisely for this reason that Christmas was created by God- to constantly remind us that Jesus needs every one of his disciples to become his channels of peace and his instruments of God’s unconditional love. Yes, God does not need you to dispense your `conditional’ love as defined by your narrow personal agenda. Jesus comes to show you how to break out of your personal flawed boundary of love. Jesus’ gospel of love is really about showing love to the other people; it is not about other people showing love to yourself. Many Christians have assumed wrongly that it is the duty of other people to show them love. NO NO NO! The Good News is about how you can show your love to other people in spite of their wicked ways or their undesirable qualities. And in the process of showing love to others ( the undesirable people), you can sharpen and characterize your life with an edge of unconditional love that is similar to God’s unconditional love. This is the ultimate reality of Jesus’ commandment, “Love one another as I love you; by this will others know that you are my disciples.”
Another wise person, Adolfo Barcella, enhances and enlightens us more on the above concept of unconditional love: “Unrequited love is the meaning of life. We are here to love but not to be loved, to give but not to receive. Our mission in this world is to improve humanity and leave a better history than we found. Only selfless love has such power. Only love without interest or expectation of reward can change human beings.” Great words! Really inspiring words to make a difference in our lives this Christmas. So if you are suffering and stuck in the midst of your adversities, don’t despair because Jesus is suffering with you this Christmas. His spirit is alive and the good Shepherd is waiting for you to call for his help in your hour of need.
X’MAS RETREAT #4- IF YOU FEEL YOU HAVE BEEN UNFAIRLY TREATED BY OTHERS, YOUR MEANINGFUL RESPONSES SHOULD BE BASED ON PATIENCE & LOVE.
- LET US DRAW OUR INSPIRATION FROM ABOVE- THE BEAUTIFUL GOLDEN MAPLE LEAVES THAT MAY BE HERE AND GONE TOMORROW!
Living any life requires courage and at times, it requires lots of courage- so much so that the victims may find the burdens unbearable when it reaches the breaking point. I believe that is the crucial point when the victims decide that death is preferable to life. And no person should be driven to the `suicidal point’ because we are all interconnected in one tiny clod of mud called Earth. All human things in particular and living things in general have a right to live on this Earth harmoniously in peace and love.
I know that many 9f my readers are trying to live a good life but they may find that such an effort is like swimming against the current in a swift-flowing stream. If you find that your burdens are so heavy and you simply can’t live a minute longer, ponder again on the meaning of your life? Look for the seed of your life meaning that may be embedded in your suffering and adversity. Spiritual mentors and wise philosophers throughout the ages have found that it is in the brokenness of a grain of wheat or rice that will bring forth an abundant harvest. The same phenomenon also applies to your broken life. I have also found the meaning of my life when it reached the most broken point about four years ago. This blog is the fruit of that most broken point in my life. What a wonderful paradox! So much brokenness and messiness in a muddy pool! Yet when the seed of the lotus is planted in the stinking dirty mud, it can bring forth a beautiful lotus flower. But beneath the mud, the smell and the messiness of life lies God’s unconditional love that is the inspirational life force that brings about all the beautiful things in our broken world.
Just look at the most recent story of one of the most talented singers of our times, the late Michael Jackson. At the peak of his career, he was hounded by a series of scandals that drove him into seclusion and shame. I bet during that difficult period, he must have felt that he was most unfairly treated by society. I am convinced that all the toxic emotions had a significant role in bringing about the premature death of Michael Jackson. His popularity, wealth & celebrity status could not protect him from such an adversity and brokenness. All of us can learn a lesson from this sad story of how to become a more loving human being.
During this Christmas season, I hope that you, my dear wounded readers, would reflect and ponder on the immeasurable value of your special life. Life is a really short period of time – a rare gift given to us by God. Plutarch, the ancient wise philosopher, certainly put it well when he said, “The whole life of man is but a point of time; let us enjoy it, therefore, while it lasts, and not spend it to no purpose.”
Sometimes, when one is suffering and in the midst of severe pain (physically or emotionally), one may feel that life is unnecessarily prolonged and meaningless. If you are in such a situation, let me assure you that Katherine Mansfield, the wise writer, gave us a profound piece of advice- that suffering when blended with patience would eventually and mysteriously become love. Yes, if you feel you have been unfairly treated, bear your suffering with lots of patience so that eventually your painful experiences will become loving experiences. The irony is that we also have to put into our suffering a generous dose of love to act as a catalyst to realize a loving life. Life is a mysterious process. If we look upon our painful experiences with love and patience, they become more bearable because they evoke in us a sense of mystery and wonder of our lives. My favorite author, Marianne Williamson, puts it succinctly: ”The meaning of life is that we love one another. The purpose of our lives, it seems to me, is to learn how to do that, so we can create a world where everyone is in love with everyone all the time. That would be heaven on earth. I would so love my children to live in such a world.”
Let me reinforce this concept of love further by pondering on the wisdom of Laszlo Kardos, a director of a non-profit organization, “For ten years, I travelled all over Hungary visiting the homeless and the poor. I interviewed gypsies living in dire conditions and Hungarian workers… In all, I did some 2000 interviews. The more people I met, the more life stories I heard and the more persuaded I became that it is almost impossible to get to know another man completely. Every man is an island. Each person radiates feelings to others, but ultimately we are alone. For me, the essence of life is how we handle our loneliness. There are moments when we manage to resolve this loneliness through personal relationships, especially through love. But there are also certain situations in which you feel truly alone, when even words and affections cannot erase your fears.”
During this special Christmas season, let us learn to appreciate this special unconditional love of God that Jesus has brought into our life. Love is an indefinite thing to most of us. Sometimes we don’t even know for certain what we mean when we talk about love in human terms. So it is very hard for us to visualize this special divine love that has no limit and no conditions attached to it. What is needed is an awakened awareness with a significant reduction of insincerity, pride and vanity in our heart. In short, mix this awareness with lots of humility to welcome and accept this unconditional love of God in your life. Jesus comes this Christmas to show us that God loves you not because you are lovable, but because it is His nature to do so. Now Jesus recommends that you show the same unconditional love to others by giving us a new commandment, “love one another as i have loved you.” (John 15:12) Let love be your best response to your suffering and the unfairness that others have inflicted on you. And in the process of responding with love, you will ultimately becoming a loving human being. If you have lived a life of love, this will be the best meaning of your life.
X’MAS RETREAT #5- MAY YOUR LOVE MINDSET ADD MORE REAL PEACE AND JOY TO OUR BROKEN WORLD.
I have just come home from a long walk in a park that is located 2 kilometers away. In the park, I have learned some valuable lessons from Mother Nature – the importance of being aware that suffering, renewal and growth are well-blended together. If you look at the pic above, you can notice that in the midst of decaying barks, the new bark appears. This tree seems to scream at us that humanity is wounded because it is in denial- that human beings prefer to focus on their disorders and flaws instead of the lessons of their mistakes. Why do human beings take so long to learn their lessons? Why do wounded human beings simply choose to dwell and wallow in their wretchedness and their sinfulness? And in the process of being absorbed in their wretchedness and disorders, they choose to blame other people for their suffering.
Let us look at the history of the last eighty years and in spite of the phenomenal progress of our scientific and technical achievements, mankind has virtually learned nothing about being more civilized and more loving. Just look at the Second World War (1939-45). Look at the prime architect of the terrible war, Hitler. He was a little man of small stature but he had a gigantic ego with a sense of self-righteousness in his mission to bring about the birth of the `master-race’ that had the mission to exterminate the Jews and to found a European empire. Hitler simply could not understand the meaning of humility or love or the value of human life. In the quest of his egoistic mission, 6 million Jews had been exterminated and many millions of soldiers and civilians lost their lives. Just imagine, one small man could bring about so much of brutality and suffering to mankind!
Let us look at our current world problems and the scourge of global terrorism and counter-terrorism. The terrorists believe sincerely that self-righteousness is the valid rationale behind their destructive bombing and killing of innocent lives. And in response, the Western governments believe that they are equally justified in launching wars against the countries harboring the terrorists. This tit for tat, ‘an eye for an eye’ or `tooth for a tooth’ kind of approach is based on the platform of self-righteousness again. This is the rationale behind virtually all the wars and religious conflicts in history based on self-defense or preemptive strikes that means offence is the best defense. This is the political philosophy that is justified behind most wars.
Now let us take a look at the micro view behind most interpersonal conflicts and killings. Again it comes down to the same point- self-righteousness or `my way is the right way’. There is no other way except my way. My way is the basis of the right answer or the right solution. In short, to use famous words of a world leader, `Either you are with me or against me’. If this is the common mindset of our many world leaders, then it is not surprising that this is also the mindset of the vast majority of their followers. `Self-righteousness’ has become the popular culture behind most conflicts or aggression. No wonder the weaker gender or the poor or the children suffer under this kind of self-righteous mindset. Why? Because power or control is behind this self-righteous attitude. There is obviously a lot of truth in this popular saying, `Absolute power corrupts absolutely.’
Christmas is the time for the birth of a most remarkable man- Jesus Christ. He came to transform our flawed perception about the path to peace and brotherhood of man. Jesus was sent by God to be the Messiah by changing the basically-flawed mindset of mankind- that love is the key to the kingdom of God. Political control or power is the fake key that would never give real peace and joy to human beings. He came to condemn the religious leaders of the Jewish society of his time-the Pharisees and the chief priests- for their hypocrisy and their self-righteousness. Instead, Jesus came to proclaim the powerful message of love- God’s unconditional love for man and in response, man is to show similar unconditional love to his/her fellow human beings as a right response to God’s love. In the eyes of God, all human beings (regardless of their creed or race or social status etc) are really precious children of God. In other words, all human beings are interconnected by this common heritage and linkage of divine genetic makeup. That is why Jesus commands all his disciples to `love one another as I love you; by this will others know that you are my disciples.’
Based on his innovative gospel of love, Jesus came to highlight on the other much more important aspect of God- His unconditional love for man. The Old Testament focusedon the righteous justice and strict judgment of God as proclaimed by the prophets. Jesus was sent on Christmas day to assure all mankind that God’s love for us is much more important than his other qualities. This is the ultimate truth- God is love and his essential basic nature is love. How do we reconcile the two seemingly diametrically-opposed yardsticks of the infinite God? We don’t think we can comprehend this great paradox of God’s complex nature in our little finite minds. That is why there are lots of things we don’t understand about God such as the mystery of suffering and God’s love etc. Jesus, as the Son of God and as our Messiah, came personally to teach us about the great love of God for wounded humanity. Jesus came to teach us this wondrous great truth by his authoritative teaching that were confirmed by his miracles of healing. All his thoughts, words and deeds pointed to the paramount importance of love in life.
Would you believe if I were to tell you that Jesus Christ loves sinners more than his saints? Would you believe if I were to tell you that Jesus Christ loves the non-Christians more than his Christian disciples? Let me give you an analogy to clarify this point. Imagine God has ten children. God loves everyone of his children equally. But if one of his children goes astray and becomes a black sheep, God would be very concerned about the black sheep and he would spend more time and attention to seek out the black sheep and bring it back into his fold. Once the lost child returns to the fold, the Father would be filled with great joy. This is the basis of the parable of the lost sheep that Jesus tells us in the Bible. God loves the sinners or the non-Christians as much as if not more than his saints because Jesus has been sent as their Messiah to save the sick or wounded; to save the sheep that has gone astray. This is the main reason why Jesus has come on Christmas Day- to bring hope, faith and love to the wounded despairing human beings . Surely this is the relevant meaning of Christmas!
Submitted by David YKK
