GLOBAL SCHOOL OF OPEN LEARNING Christmas Greetings

HE WONDER OF CHRISTMAS The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel which means, God with us. Mt. 1: 23 What do we celebrate at Christmas? We celebrate the birth of a baby. As the song says, "A Baby changes everything". To me the wonder of Christmas is that God the Son, the Creator of the Universe ( as shown in John 1 and Col. 1:15-17) came as a helpless baby at the mercy of humanity to care for him. Imagine trusting himself to fallen humanity! And it was not an easy time. He had to travel a long and difficult journey in his mother's womb. Then there was no room for him in the inn and he had to be placed in a manger. The infant was just growing when Herod decided to kill him. So there was another difficult journey fleeing to Egypt and then going to Nazareth. What trials he allowed himself to go through for us?. This came to me very strongly 35 Christmases ago when I held my baby son in my arms. A human baby is the most helpless thing on earth. You have to feed him, clothe him,. wash him and care for him in every way or he will die. And yet God the Creastor came to us as that! That is what Phil. 2: 5-19 means to me. Paul says, "Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature as God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness" (Phil. 2: 5-7). Not just a "human" which we usually think of as an adult, but as a helpless baby! Yes, we do not as evangelicals worship an "infant Jesus".He grew up and became a man. The Nativity looks towards the Cross and the Empty Tomb. But the wonder of Christmas is still that he came as a helpless baby. Unto you is born this day a Saviour A baby boy was found there in a manger The blessed truth of Christmas let us hear Let's put Christ back into Christmas this year
Christmas is the Birthday of our King The greatest gift of all He came to bring He's the Prince of Peace Let's show Him that we care Let's put Christ back into Christmas this year On this day three wise men saw a star They followed it with gifts and traveled far And praised the baby Jesus lying there So let's put Christ back into Christmas this year Let within your heart His praises ring And celebrate the day our Saviour came May peace on earth at Christmas time appear Let's put Christ back into Christmas this year Let's put CHRIST back into CHRISTmas this year

(Directly licensed for internet public performance sung by Tammy Wynette) Wishing you a Christ-centred Christmas and a New Year filled with his blessings!! Dr. Peter S. C. Pothan Associate Dean