Christmas

Eugene and I are spending Christmas in Singapore this year - the first time since 2003. Christmas in Singapore is not much more than a commercial celebration with lights, food, shopping and gifts. Streets are busy, shops are crowded, and people are rushing around.

It is easy in such a frenzied environment to forget what Christmas is all about, or if it is anything more than a fuzzy feeling. Christians are people who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. God created man to have a relationship with Him. But man is separated from God as a result of man's sin. We have all rebelled against God. The bible tells us that our hearts are hardened against God and are only seeking after selfish desires rather than acknowledging God as the creator and king - this is sin. We live in a world that is filled with so many things that compete for our attention. Our good health, material wealth and comfort give us a false sense of security - that we can control our life. Our identities have become very much wrapped up with what we do. However, we forget that none of the things that we live for in this world lasts forever.

At the end of the day, we will all have to give an account to our creator. We can only face Him if we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ and trusted in His death and resurection to save us. We cannot save ourselves because none of us have have lived the perfect life that God demands. Only Jesus lived a sinless life and only Jesus' perfect sacrifice on the cross could pay the penalty for sin. Instead of punishing us, God punished Jesus on the cross. Our sins were laid on Jesus so that we can be righteous before God and come into His holy presence. Our dirty hands have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

If you know Jesus as your Lord and saviour, only then will this well known Christmas carol bring true joy to you.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.