Every year, a hospital in downtown Vancouver holds a Christmas lights decoration fundraiser. The exterior of the hospital is covered in lights to give hope to those battling illness.

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Christmas is many people’s most cherished holiday. As the season approaches, festive decorations fill store windows and public spaces even before the calendar turns December. Everywhere one goes are the unmistakable sights of Christmas trees draped with beautiful ornaments, dazzling displays of colourful lights, and greeting cards and gifts of all shapes and sizes. Also inescapable are the sounds of Christmas carols in the background, wishing listeners all the joy and happiness of the holiday season.

It’s also a very busy time of the year as people frantically prepare to celebrate, party, and feast together. A hectic time to prepare to enjoy the coming holiday cheer and warmth.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, do we know the reason for the season? Are we even aware of what it is exactly that we are celebrating? Or, are we simply caught up in the materialism of the holiday?

To many, the purpose of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. But there is more to this holiday than merely Christ’s birth. Jesus came to the world because of God’s love for us. Out of His unconditional love for humanity, God sent His only son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be born as a man for the ultimate purpose of dying on the cross to take away the burden of our sins and sicknesses. His birth is to give us life, freedom, and deliverance. The real meaning of Christmas, then, is to celebrate and remember the greatest expression of the Father’s love for us: He sent His son in order to give us life.

The Christmas season is full of love precisely because of the love God demonstrated to us by.

On Christmas Day, besides wishing Jesus a happy birthday, take a moment to reflect on what He has done for you and what He has accomplished in your life. Pause and thank Him for His unconditional love and selfless sacrifice.

God has already given us the best gift possible and He hopes that we will share this gift with others. There are many people around us who are waiting and looking for this gift, wishing to have something that could allow them to experience the love and comfort that God meant for us to have. So, go ahead, step out, share this precious gift with others, and let them experience the full and complete life that God intended for us to have through Christmas.

May the love and light of Christ be with you during this holiday season and have a merry Christmas.

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Translated by Haymen Leong.  中文原文

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Carolling, using music to spread holiday cheer and love.