The greatest gift was found in a Manger

J.I. Rosairo

It was anything but can idyllic, silent and holy night on that cool little town of Bethlehem over 2000 years ago, when a young maid, Mary gave birth to a little babe who was to be King and Lord.

The greatest love story ever told in the unending history of mankind is the fascinating, yet heartrending enactment of that unestimable love of the Creator God towards His people.

The Holy Bible tells us, with stark precision that after God crated the heavens and the earth, His last and final act in the lien of creation, was the creation of man, in His own image and likeness. But man in his utter disobedience earned the wrath of his Creator. "Of every tree in the garden," God said," thou mayest eat freely, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it....." (Gen.2, 16-17).

Though God punished the threesome, Adam, Eve and the serpent, who is the devil, God being the embodiment of love, having always had in mind His great love for creation, brought about a reconciliation between Him and His people. John.3.16 tells us "God so loved he world that He gave His only son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." And so was Jesus born into this world, on that first Christmas Day.

It was anything but an idyllic silent and holy night, on that cool little town of Bethlehem, over 2000 years ago, when a young maid, Mary, gave birth to a little babe, who was to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Mary, in youthful surprise, watched the arrival of her first born, sans any aid other than from joseph, her betrothed. That night angels sang songs of praise and joy, perhaps serenading the shepherds who were watching over their flocks in the nearby fields that night, unconcerned of what strange things were happening, but Mary and Joseph would have heard or seen none of these, but only the sounds of the cattle, while a bright star illuminated the entire place, and so it was in this backdrop that God was born into this world.

Christ's birth had been predicted thousands of years before he was born. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a child is given. The government shall be upon his shoulders and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." (Is.9,6.)

Jesus' birth, therefore shows, God's true nature. His decision to be born into a poor family, not in a mansion, but in a stable with only cattle as guests, and humble, illiterate shepherds as the first visitors.

Let us therefore allow that great light of Christmas to penetrate and illuminate our hearts and minds when we recognize the greatness of God's infinite love towards us, mere humans. This indeed is the real meaning of Christmas.