Central about Christmas

While it is true that we are unsure about the exact date of Christ’s birth, one thing is central about Christmas—that is, the reality of God being born as a tiny infant.

Christmas is not about the humble birth of Jesus in a manger. It’s not about whether Jesus is a lesser God because He was born as a human being.  Christmas is about a Supreme Being who chose to dwell with us through Jesus Christ—the authentic incarnation of God.

Colossians 1:15-20 says: “He is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation. For. . .  all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the Church; and He is the beginning, the first born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”

It is paradoxical for a Christian to celebrate Christmas while refusing to believe the central truth about the reality of God being incarnated by His son Jesus Christ. Call it a Christmas tree or holiday tree, describe it as idolatrous or what have you, with all its glitters and lights and presents; say it is a pagan tradition that has been Christianized, but there is no denying about the primary reason why we celebrate Christmas—the affirmation that there is God who was born like us through His son Jesus Christ.

REGINALD B. TAMAYO, Marikina City