Sayings of Samuel Godfrey George - December 2015, Part 2

Children should know the meaning of Christmas, and the way Jesus Christ entered into this world to better understand and appreciate God.

Celebrate what you have. That will take your mind off what you do not have.

We need to remember the blessings of God, and we should make a habit of giving thanks to God. Our faith is directly proportional to our thanksgiving, and it is our faith that enables us to receive from God. So the more we remember the blessings of God, the greater will be our thanksgiving, and the greater will be our receiving. Such a habit will also help us give thanks to God in difficult circumstances, when it is least natural to thank God.

A certain question is being raised. Should Christmas be celebrated? Is it really the time when Jesus Christ was born two thousand years ago? This may well be a serious question to some people. This is what I think. If people celebrate the love of God and Jesus Christ who came to convey that love in concrete terms, then there is nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas. At least there should be nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas. If it is God’s love that people remember at Christmas, if it is Jesus Christ who is celebrated, then there should be no regret regarding Christmas.

There are more questions that we should ask ourselves as we celebrate Christmas. Do we convey a message to the world when we celebrate Christmas? Do we say something about ourselves when others see us celebrating Christmas? Are we affirming something when we celebrate Christmas? Are we sharing someone when we celebrate Christmas? Christmas should not only be a time of celebration. It should also be a time for reflection. Above all it should be a time for sharing. We share with one another our love for God. We show one another how much God means to us. We particularly show those who do not believe in God how much God means to us. Christmas should be essentially a time for sharing. And we should share Christ during Christmas. And we should share him especially with those who do not know him. We should share him with those who do not believe in him. We should share him with those who are antagonistic to him. We should share him lovingly. We should share Christ as he would share himself with us.

At Christmas time, other questions need to be asked. What does Jesus Christ mean to the people of the world? What does Christ mean to you and me? What did Christ bring into the world? What did he achieve through his life? What did we gain on account of Christ? Christ came into the world to convey the love of God to the people of this world. Christ came into the world to wash away the sins of humankind. Christ came into the world to reconcile God and human beings. So it is important for us to share Jesus Christ with others so that they may know what Christ did for all of us. And all of what Christ did started to happen one night in Bethlehem many years ago. Whether that night happened exactly at this time thousands of years ago is not a crucial question. Are we thankful for this night, are we thankful for Jesus Christ, these are crucial questions.

It was God who chose Mary. God chose her before he told her anything about Jesus because he knew that she was the right choice. Mary worshipped God and cared about God. She was in agreement with God. Though she did not offer her womb to God before she was told about Jesus we can say that in a sense she eventually offered herself to God. Mary is known for her remarkable words of acceptance. She said, "May it be done to me as how God has willed. I'm the servant of the Lord." She offered herself to God because she was honoured to be considered by God. So Mary received the honour of being the mother of Jesus while she was unmarried. Though it was risky for her to carry a child in her womb in an unmarried state, Mary took that risk for the sake of God. So when I see Mary, mother of Jesus, I see a woman of faith and daring, who was willing to be pregnant before her marriage, because she trusted in God. We must learn from Mary and show faith in God even when he seems to lead us to a dangerous path.

Mary phobia is as undesirable as Mary worship. We are never asked to worship Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ in the Bible. Nor are we asked to neglect the role of Mary in the story of God. Mary played a major role in the story, and without her readiness to be a servant of God, and submitting her virgin body to the working of God, Jesus Christ may have never entered the world. Even her son recognized the importance of his mother on the cross, and gave her another son to love, and assigned his own disciple the task of taking care of his mother. It is the belief of some that John alone was not given this sonship, and that all disciples like him were given the same role. I don't go as far as that. But I believe that Mary should be honoured as a servant of God. Indeed she is the most blessed of women, for blessed is the fruit of her womb. Honouring her in this way is not worshipping her.

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, thank you for agreeing to be the handmaiden of God. Thank you for submitting to God's will. If you had not submitted to God's will, we would have never seen Jesus. We would not be where we are today, justified in the eyes of God. Mary, you are an example of daring faith. May we have the courage to believe in God, as you did, and may we submit to him today, as you did. Thank you.

A friend remarked to me earlier this month, “Should I celebrate Christmas? I just heard that it is not the birthday of Jesus Christ. I’m saddened by it. I don’t know whether I should celebrate Christmas or not.” My response to this person is, “Celebrate Jesus Christ every day in your life. We need to celebrate Jesus every day in our lives. And if we choose to do so on the 25th of December, it is not something, which we should be troubled by. We need to celebrate God every day, even on Christmas Day. If we have this attitude, if we choose to celebrate God on a daily basis, if we choose to remember the love of God every day, then Christmas Day is not different from any other day.  

God should be celebrated every day, even on Christmas Day. And there is nothing wrong with that, as far as I am concerned. And I have no problem with celebrating Christmas this year, on the 25th of December. And I recommend the celebration of God on a daily basis. That’s what we need to do. We who have received God’s love graciously, we who are benefited by the grace of God, should celebrate him every day.

If Christmas is special, it is because the whole world celebrates the birth of Jesus on a certain day. So when we join with others in celebrating Christmas, it feels special. Celebrating God on Christmas Day feels special. But in truth, we need to celebrate God every day. And I see Christmas Day as not different from any other day. I see it as just another day to celebrate the goodness of God.

Every day is a good day to give thanks to God. And we should give thanks to him every day for Jesus, and for all the other gifts he has given us. Christmas Day is not a special day to give thanks to God. It is just another day. There is nothing wrong in giving thanks to God, and there is nothing wrong with celebrating the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, on Christmas Day. Some people may find it uncomfortable to celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. But I don’t. I celebrate Jesus every day. So Christmas Day is just another day to celebrate Jesus.

Christmas Day is another day when we can rejoice in what God has done for us. Let us not be concerned with the idea of the appropriateness of observing the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day. Let us give thanks to God on Christmas Day, just as we would give thanks to God on any other day. Let there be no hesitation in doing this.

Let those who are grateful for Jesus Christ give thanks to God every day. Let every day be a good day for giving thanks to God. Let no day be an inappropriate day to say “thank you” to God for the great gift of Jesus. Without Jesus there is no access to God. He is the only way to God. He is the only one who can justify us. He is the only one who makes us right before God. So let us give thanks to God every day for Jesus. Let us do so also on Christmas Day. The origin of Christmas Day is debatable. Yet it is another day to give thanks to God. Yet it is another day, when we can say confidently, “We are new creations in Christ. Christ has saved us. He has made us right before God."

Someone said to me this year, “God is displeased by the celebration of Christmas. He is saddened by it. Christmas Day is not really the birthday of Jesus Christ. It is pagan in origin, and therefore it should not be celebrated by those who love God.” I see no harm in remembering the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day. Jesus is God’s greatest gift to human beings. And humans have chosen to celebrate this gift on a certain day. And they do it regularly every year. I see no harm in this as long as Christians remember Jesus, and celebrate the love of God, which is expressed in Jesus.

Let us see God during this Christmas. And let us remember that God will surprise us as he did two thousand years ago. We can never ever claim to know him. We just know that he is essentially love. And he expressed his love through Jesus Christ. Let us be grateful for that love. Let us thank God, and let us truly celebrate Christmas by celebrating his love. I wish you all a blessed Christmas.

This is the truth. This is the Truth whom we call the Lord Jesus Christ. When we see him, we see the one who sent him. We don’t know the one who sent him. This world doesn’t know God. But Jesus came into the world to reveal God to us. He is the Christ. He is the Messiah, who came in a way in which no one expected him to come, and who went away in a way in which no one expected him to go. Everything about him was remarkable. This is the Christ that we will remember during this Christmas. He defies our expectations. His love is beyond description. His grace is beyond our belief. He loves us beyond measure. He forgives us of all our sins. This is Jesus. And he represents God. When we see Jesus we see God.

This Christmas I have this message to convey to the world: we have certain expectations of God. We believe that we know God. Those who have studied God and have read about him have this idea that they can work out God. Jesus proved to everyone that God’s mind cannot be worked out. He was an exceptional manifestation, he was a shocking manifestation of God. One of his own disciples asked him at a certain time, “Show us the Father”. And Jesus said, “How can you even ask such a thing? The one who has seen me has seen the Father.”

The message of the Lord Jesus Christ was nothing like the message that was preached by people before him. It was remarkable. He preached forgiveness. He preached loving one's enemies. He preached that people should bless their enemies and pray for their enemies. This is a remarkable message. One doesn’t hear this message in anything that came before the Lord Jesus Christ.

Enjoy this moment. The next will come in due time.

Last year I witnessed another Christmas programme involving children. On that occasion, I was surprised to find a priest who was very appreciative of the children who performed. He was smiling continually and cheering the children on. He even danced with them later, as they played a popular film song. This priest greatly impressed me, and today I cannot help thinking, after being at another kids' Christmas programme, officiated by a rather strict and judgemental priest, that the jolly young priest I saw last year could be more similar to Jesus Christ who lived two thousand years ago than the severe one I saw today.

Today I was at a church to witness a children's Christmas programme. There were very young, earnest children trying to do what they were taught to do. And they did a good job as far as I was concerned. Some others may not have found their singing tuneful or their performance well rehearsed. But I found them genuine and sincere. And I was delighted by just being there to witness them. However the priest, who was in charge of the proceedings, spoke unkindly about some of them. And I couldn't help wondering whether Jesus would have spoken his words or acted like him today. I have always maintained that God looks at the heart and is not moved by outward performance. I believe that our performances will not matter in the end. It's only our hearts and the longing for God contained within them, that will truly make a mark in the eyes of God.

Be healed in the name of Jesus Christ. Let his health flow in your body from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. Say this, "By his stripes I am healed." And believe that you are.

My greatest weakness has led to my greatest strength. And even now the weakness remains, though I have tried to cast it out many times. It still keeps me going towards the only strength that overcomes it bit by bit day by day. It also keeps me humble for I know who I am deep within, and if I have done anything of note, it is because of someone else who stirs within me and rises to the surface every now and then to give expression to something more characteristic of himself than of me.

The thing that you believe that most hinders you may well be the one that spurs you on to something truly good. So accept the undesirable behaviour that keeps you going on the right road.

Try not to make impulsive decisions. The thing that you discard today may well be the one that you need tomorrow.