An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Matthew 1:1
Dear members and friends,
The Advent season, or the Holiday season, is the most festive and celebrated time of the year in the U.S. and in many countries of the world, regardless of their religious and cultural background. The undeniable presence of the Christmas spirit creates a magical inspiration in the hearts of people, which motivates them to think of their friends and family in a more loving and kind way than other times of the year. Also, this spirit enables the restoration of broken relationships and healing of damaged hearts. Further, there is the giving and receiving of gifts and appreciation between people.
One thing that seems to sadly disappear both in media and celebrations among the people in this season is the acknowledgement of Jesus Christ, in whose name and character we owe the formation of Christmas, which literally means the day of Christ. When we take the event of Jesus into our hearts, we might acknowledge a deep truth about where the inspirational Christmas spirit gains its power. A deeply inspiring aspect of Jesus’ story is the unchanging and persistent love of the Creator towards humanity. God chose to incarnate as a human baby to reconnect and restore the broken relationship with humanity as it is written in John, “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (3:17) The baby Jesus is the symbol of both the unchanging love of God towards humanity and the divine trust in humans into whose hands was entrusted the nurture, growth, and protection of the incarnated baby Jesus.
My brothers and sisters in God, let us take a moment of time this week and reflect on the spiritual meaning of Christmas and what it means to celebrate the baby Jesus. May the divine spirit guide your mind and enlighten your heart towards the path of light.
Blessings, Rev. Junchol Lee