It’s easy for us to get caught up in the cultural approach to Christmas

The spirit of the Christmas season is here. It’s easy for us to get caught up in the cultural approach to the holiday and forget to remember the reason for the season. While there’s nothing wrong with dreaming of a white Christmas, displaying a Christmas tree, or giving gifts to one another, the real meaning of Christmas deals with a much more urgent matter…the birth our Savior and a plan for our salvation. At Christmas we spread His message of peace and harmony and above all love. Many folks express their affection through gifts and warm wishes, but in the midst of all the commercialization, we should not forget the real spirit of the true Christmas. We hope you make more cherished memories this year by spending time with family and friends, singing Christmas carols, attending church services, special cantatas and other musical events, and reflect on the beauty of the season. The Christmas season is an extra special time to celebrate the priceless gift of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His birth, which we commemorate during this season, is so much more than a holiday celebration. We proudly proclaim our gratitude to our Heavenly Father for the most significant gift we will ever receive. Our Blessed Savior is the Son of God, the Redeemer of all mankind, the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, our joy and salvation. The Christmas season has marvelous meaning as we seek to follow His example and live His teachings.

The greatest gift of all is the gift of Salvation. Salvation deals with the fact that sinners need to accept this gift and the gift is Jesus Christ as their Savior. At Christmas time, we need to reflect about the fact that God sent this Savior for us. What a gift! As the angel told the shepherds that night when Jesus was born (Luke 2:11 KJV), “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Salvation means the forgiveness of our sins by God’s mercy. Do you need forgiveness? Because of His tender mercy, God will pardon all who seek His forgiveness. There’s no such thing as sin that is greater than the tender mercy of our God! Thus salvation is God’s greatest gift and can only be received by accepting Jesus Christ as Savior.