The incarnation and humanity of Christ means nothing to unbelievers. I heard a conversation between two hindu boys. They were asking each other: "what did you receive for Christmas?" Sadly, so many celebrate Christmas, and yet they are completely oblivious to the reason Christmas is so special. The past months of being in Mauritius has reminded me that the incarnation is a stumbling block to some. Indeed, many muslims reject the idea, and to them the incarnation is synonymous with blasphemy. That is tragic, but then again, they are blinded by the god of this word. I have also realized that to hindus the incarnation is not a big deal. The idea of avatars is entrenched in hinduism, and to them Christ is one of many others; he is simply another avenue of salvation.
But God, who said: "let there be light", has shone the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ upon us. The Spirit opened our understanding, and we have come to see Christ for who he truly is. The honor is truly for us who believe. We have seen the glory of Christ, and he is precious to us. In Christ we have the right to be called children of God. I am overwhelmed with wonder when I consider the incarnation. O the blessing and the joy of belonging to Christ; o the joy . . . that some will never know.
Our task, then, as Christians is to rescue the meaning of Christmas from secularism and commercialism. We accomplish that task by sharing the true message of Christmas with unbelievers so that, by God's grace, they would celebrate Christmas for the right reason. May Christmas be a celebration of the redemptive work of God in Christ and not merely another expression, howbeit on a grandiose scale, of the human plague of selfishness.
