it's the time of the year again... christmas
so what's the first thing you think about when this time of the year comes round? trees? gifts? santa claus? or Jesus?
well, for me, i used to think about trees, gifts, snow and santa claus. that was before i became a christian. yet, i know that gifts and trees do not fully embrace the spirit of christmas. i felt that something was lacking. i demanded for gifts.. insisted that my parents put up a tree.. partied with friends.. but i know that this is not what christmas really means. by 14, my whole family stopped celebrating christmas and when christmas came round, i started to feel real sad.
then praise be to God, i accepted Jesus into my life and when christmas came round again, i found every reason to be joyful and thankful. i saw why people gave gifts because God first gave us the greatest gift. even decorating trees... you know, that the trees being decorated are pine trees? pine trees are evergreen trees. they stay green through the year. and in wintry places, green living trees can't be found. it's green signifies everlasting life because unlike other trees that shed their leaves for winter, they remain the way they looked.
i did some reading up on the tradition of decorating christmas trees and guess what i found? one of the reasons is that which i just stated.. that it signifies life. the other reason, came from germany. the story goes like this, martin luther was on his way home through a forest one night during winter. he stopped to look up in the sky and saw how pretty the stars look through the canopy. in his excitement to share the beauty he saw, he brought a little tree home and lit it up by putting candles on its branches to let his family have a glimpse of what he saw on his way home.
and about santa claus? well, it actually originated from this saint called saint nicholas. he lived in the forth century and was a very generous bishop. legends has it that he heard about an impoverished father was about send his three daughters to a life of shame. nicholas heard about this tragic situation and at night he threw a bag of gold through their window. he also disguised himself lest he be found out. many years after his death, a day was set aside to remember this saint. much like how we have st patrick's day and all the other saints' days. the day set aside to remember this saint is 6th december. and people started to put stockings by the fire place to remember how he so kindly blessed his flock.
many years later, of course, this tradition became something we know as santa claus and somehow it got merged with christmas. of course, we also do not know the date where the story of decorating the tree. we only know that it happened in winter. and so this got merged with christmas too. and there you have it. christmas with santa claus, gifts and trees.
but christmas to me is really about Jesus. about his step of obedience and love to come here to reconcile man with God and give us everlasting life. i think the chinese translation of the word christmas embraces this. in chinese, christmas is 圣诞节. 圣 means holy and 诞 means birth. so if you directly translate that back into english, it really means holy birth festival.
i believe that the people you hear about in the stories experienced the love of Christ as they went about doing the things they do. for st nicholas, the unconditional love of the Father and for martin luther, awe-struck by the wonderful creation of the Creator. it is because they have experienced what the Father has given that they can be filled with the same compassion to give.
so let us not forget the true essence of christmas, a time of giving and receiving and a time of reconciliation and forgiveness... and all because of the One who gave so that we can receive, and because he came to reconcile man with God.
this reminds me of a christmas carol. it's a personal favourite and i'd like to share it's lyrics with you.
O Holy NightO holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and cloudless morn
Fall on your knees, O hear the angels' voices
O night divine
O night, when Christ was born
O night divine, O night, O night divine
Led by the light, O faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle to stand
Led by the light of the star so brightly shining
Here came the wise men from Orient land
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and cloudless morn
Fall on your knees, O hear the angels' voices
O night divine
O night, when Christ was born
O night divine, O night, O night divine
what are you receiving this christmas? =)
{ Friday, December 22 }
hello peoples!! i'm back from shanghai!! it was a great and very very tiring trip... considering that i didn't go there to play but to work so of course it was tiring. hahaha.
i went with a team from a community service organisation to do a training camp for youths. man... the work we did in lesson planning was so intense. it started 2 weeks before take off and the whole time we were there. but the training was great! was very encouraged to hear the chinese people share what they have learnt and how the camp has impacted their lives. many came without knowing what in the world this is about but at the end, they were glad they came. glad to see all our hard work pay off. it was worth it.
i learnt a lot on this trip as well. for one, i learnt how to design a lesson. hahaha. and also, it was great getting to know people on the team... new friends.
i also learnt alot about the chinese people. they're actually very warm people and have a heart for the needy in their nation... quite unlike some we see in singapore.
we hardly had any time for shopping hahaha. which is good because our main aim there was really to serve. and so... i came home empty handed. so i've got no souvenirs for you guys!! sorry! =P
it was a very fruitful trip and a very memorable one... could feel myself growing and learning. looking forward to go for another trip. =)
and.... my hubby will be back soon! hurray!
{ Tuesday, December 5 }