Choosing Christmas
John 1:12-14: “ ... As many as received him, to them he gave the right to
become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: who were born not
of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. The
Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the
one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. “
Once upon a time there was a poor fisherman at the Lake of Galilee. He
obviously was not a gold digger. If he had been a gold digger, he would have
been occupied with gold digging and not fishing. However, he patiently and
diligently kept waiting for the appearance of the Golden Fish.
The presence of the Golden Fish in the water was an old myth. He heard it
from his grandfathers, just as they had heard it from their own respective
grandfathers. The myth more than likely originated in China, where it became
the symbol of prosperity and wealth and the abundance that nature provides,
including fertility and the fruitful cycles of planting and harvest.
The presence of the Golden Fish symbol in homes was believed to attract good
luck and positive energy. The Chinese myth traveled far to the West through
the Silk Road and it arrived to the Fertile Crescent, to the Jordan River Valley
and to the Lake of Galilee. The fisherman grew old and finally he saw the
Golden Fish in his net. Nonetheless, he got pity on her, and wanted to let her
go free back to the water.
The Golden Fish told the fisherman, seeing that he is merciful, that in gratitude
I will grant You three wishes, but you have to choose your three wishes wisely.
The Fisherman said, I do not want anything, just as God will provide.
The Golden Fish said, as you learned it from your grandfathers, I have the
power to give you a big pile of gold, a huge amount of frankincense and
myrrh, so you and your family will never be needy ever again.
The Fisherman said: The Gold belongs to the King, the Frankincense belongs to
the Temple in Jerusalem, the Myrrh belong to the healers and the doctors. Give
them to them if you want, I do not want them.
The Golden Fish said, nonetheless there must be something on your Christmas
wish-list, as we are approaching Christmas dearly.
The Fisherman said, oh as you mentioned, we had the very First Christmas
sometime ago, and it was indeed a great day of JOY. It was a pity, that it had
lasted only for one day, or one night. Dear Golden Fish if YOU could make it,
please, l beg You to make everyday Christmas, because we even thought at
the First Christmas, that from that very day, everyday will be Christmas, as the
Savior had already come to the world, then he will save the world from sins,from hatred, from wars, from oppression. But apparently it did not happen, the
good times just did not appear.
And also as I remember, even on Christmas, the family of the Christmas child
and a family of dire need, was not given a place of hospitality, and after that
they were persecuted to kill him, and then the family went into exile.
THE old fisherman was right, the first Christmas should have been an
overarching joy for the globe, and it had been awaited for so long, for
thousands of years, as the patriarchs and the prophets foretold the Good News
to the Earth, it is written by Prophet Isaiah: “For to us a child is born. To us a
son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be
called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. “
On Christmas God made a choice of choosing us, as it is written in the Gosple
of John, when Jesus told his disciples, that You didn't choose me, but I chose
you. God made his heavenly choice visible on Earth as it is written in the
Gospel of Luke, that as it is written in the Gospel of Luke:
Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone
around them, and they were terrified. The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid,
for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people.
For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in
a feeding trough.”
God’s choice was embodied and manifested in the Christmas Child on the
Christmas Day, but it was not momentary declaration, because it is also written
that In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. All things were made through him. Without him was not anything
made that has been made. Thus, God had made his choice of choosing us,
before the Universe was created, but the decision became tangible on
Christmas DAY, when the Word became Flesh.
However, in a the new covenant relationship, God keeps waiting for our choice
to be made, as we should choose GOD too in order that all the Blessings of the
Covenant could come into effect.
It is obvious that we must choose God, but have we chosen God since the first
Christmas in order to have glory to God in Heaven and Peace to the people of
good will on Earth? There is a great tradition, in what a SAGE said, that there
is one rule which applies to everything, when it comes to do the right thing.
This rule is: IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN? IF NOT ME, THEN WHO? That is
the general Christmas message: If You want every day to become Christmas,
then choose God, NOW. AMEN.
