Christmas

A Merry Christmas to all of you..


So Christmas day has jst passed here in Malaysia..
I think it has jst turned 26th in the UK as well...

How did you celebrate Christmas this year?

Did the joy of Christmas spread to your household?

Were the songs of carols tickling your ears wherever you went?

What about the spirit of sharing?
Gifts, presents, toys, socks, wine, Christmas turkey - were they present in your Christmas setting?


So how was it for you?


Well, to some.. it may be the same ol', same ol'.
Some may be experiencing their first ever Caroling / Christmas party..
While there may also be those who may not be having a very good time, and may want to just get past this Season as quickly as they can..


For me?
Well, it wasn't really any different as compared to previous years.. maybe lesser presents.. *hinthinttothosegoingawayforholidays* .. LOL!
And oh, I made someone puked... not a very nice way of ending a Christmas day.
Aside from that, the Christmas dinner was good (sorry got no pics to show as I didn't bring my inferior camera with me.. will be waiting for those with power DSLRs to upload them).. the singing was good... the technical team was great... right (joking only!).. LOL!


So what significance do all these have?

Was Christmas significant for you?

What does Christmas really mean?

Why all the hard labour into making it such a huge celebration?


To some, it's a time to cash in BIG time..
Exploiting the over-advertised 'Celebration of the Year' to get as much as they could before the economy turns for the worse..

Was Christmas meant to be turned into a profit-seeking time of the year?


Well, if it ain't so, what is the purpose of Christmas?

What does it mean to those who are searching for hope, for comfort, for joy?


While the 25th of December may not be the exact date of when Jesus Christ was born, Christians all over the world have always considered it to signify His birth.

Alrite.. so what's so significant about this?

Well, prior to the coming of Christ, people have tried to find their way to God through many ways and methods - perform sacrifices, building high towers with the hope that it may reach up to the heavens, etc. etc.
But they just could not, as none could match God's standard of holiness.. and as sinners (in which all of us are), we just can't come face-to-face with such a Holy God who cannot tolerate sin - can't, unless God did something about it.
And He did do something about it.

He left His glory, and came down to Earth to be one of us.
There was no other way.
In order for us sinners to come to God, God's wrath (against sin) had to be turned away from us as none of us can ever face the wrath of God without perishing.
And only One person is able to do so, only One such person who could match the holiness of God, only One person who could pay the price in our place - God Himself.
Indeed, there was no other.
Thus His coming in the person of Jesus Christ has created a path for us, given us a route, provided us a way to come to Him.
Christ' sacrifice on the cross ultimately and fully paid the price for us all.
He took God's wrath upon Himself at Calvary.

And that is what Christmas is all about.
Such love.
Such grace.
Such mercy.
Such humility, that He was to be born in a lowly manger and not in a grand palace.

It was the beginning of the end of God's redemption plan for us all.


If not because of His love, there would be no Birth,
Without Birth, there would be no Death,
Without Death, there would be no Resurrection,
Without Resurrection, there would be no Redemption,
And without Redemption, there would be no Hope.


Thank You, Lord.. for at Christmas, You have given us hope. Given us joy. Given us comfort. And with this comfort, comes forth peace.


Merry Christmas

Christmas?

It's come already?
Christmas is here?
How do you know? --> There.. all the decos in all the shopping complexes around KL/PJ lor...


Yeap.. decos were up early again this year... seems like they're setting the decos up earlier nowadays.

And that is usually how people realise that Christmas is near..

Anything wrong with them?
I don't know.


Anyway, for those studying overseas or those back here who haven't been doing much shopping, here are 2 Christmas decos from 2 shopping complexes - namely 1Utama and MidValley..

What do you think of them?



Venue : 1Utama, PJ

Theme : Alice in Wonderland
(I think.. but I don't see Alice anywhere..)




























Venue : MidValley, KL

Theme : Circus
(Ironic isn't it? That Christmas is associated with a circus.. )

Feliz Navidad!

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Forgotten Man

Hey Everyone,

A Merry Christmas eve to you..



So how has this Christmas season been for you this year?

Hope it's been a joyous one..



Anyway, just some thoughts over Christmas..


Was having QT this morning and the title was about "The Forgotten Man".
Any guesses about who this 'forgotten man' could be?

No no.. it ain't a Baby, whose birthday we're celebrating. We rarely forget about Him, although we do have troubles letting Him play the main character in our Christmas celebrations sometimes.

Well, it's actually the man who was given the responsibility to help bring up this very special Child.
Yes, it is none other than Joseph, the husband of Mary, the young virgin who took upon her shoulders the responsibility of carrying in her womb the Saviour of the world.

Why are we talking about him? His role ain't as significant.
You think so?

Well, I've always thought so.. I mean, he wasn't the one who was going to suffer the pain of giving birth to a child, who was to eventually die a cruel death on the cross at Calvary.

But then, I forgot one thing... that was he didn't have an easy ride either in this preparation for the most important birth of the world - the birth of Christ.
Having an angel appear before him (though in a dream) must have been a real shock. Not just that. I believe it must have also been terrifying. If I was in his shoes, I would've certainly asked myself, "Why in the world would an angel appear to me now (just before he was going to secretly divorce Mary - so not to disgrace her by making a public divorce)? Oh no, what will God be asking of me?"; I would definitely not be able to sleep well after that.

And if having an angel appear before him wasn't frightening enough, being told to go against what he was planning to do, and to take up the responsibility to be the 'father' of the coming Saviour must have been overwhelming, to say the least.

I would honestly not know what to do if I were in his shoes (probably that's precisely why Joseph was chosen instead of me.. hehe). I would've probably chickened out and let God know that the task was way beyond me, was beyond what I can do.
Well, come to think of it.. it was away beyond Joseph too. But he didn't chicken out. He obeyed. Yes, he OBEYED.

He knew it would not be an easy ride after that. He knew what was going to come.
He knew that people would look at him differently. I mean.. a pregnant virgin? Yeah right..
Well, not everyone believed that with God, all things are possible.
Not everyone knew about Elizabeth, who was at a very old age when she had John the Baptist in her womb.
Not everyone remembered how God brought the Israelites out of Egypt.
And not everyone believed in the prophets, who prophesied about a virgin who were to give birth to our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

With his own strength, he would've failed. With his own efforts, he would've eventually given up. Only God would be able to bring someone through this difficult period.

He had full faith in God. He TRUSTED God.

He trusted and obeyed.




Would you? Would I?

Perhaps, this is something for us to think about...



_______________________



Anyway, a blessed Christmas to all of you!

Merry Christmas!



...

The Thief on the Cross (Justified)

It was as though a thousand layers
Of fraud and murder and affairs,
Each wrapped around his shrinking heart,
And hard as steel, had come apart.
He hung there silent, numb and hoarse
From screaming at the pain. The coarse
And filthy language of his soul
Dried scarlet on the splintered pole.
No strength remained to comprehend
How these few, quiet words could rend
The wicked wineskins of his life
Where every other moral knife
Had snapped like twigs against the rock.

The man had heard the soldiers mock
The Lord, and joined them at the first.
He saw him keep his peace, and thirst,
And with this tongue he whipped and sliced
The folly of a feeble Christ.
And then by some strange providence
Of grace, above his impudence
He heard the word of Life—not preached,
But whispered low; and that it reached
His ear above the blasphemy
Of his own lips was gift, as free
As gifts could ever be. He heard
Above the mockery the word:
"O Father, please, I beg of you,
Forgive, they know not what they do."
A curse, half-formed beneath his teeth,
Fell silent to the ground beneath,
Like slaving ropes and prison chains,
Like fears and rage and guilt and pains.
But then the lurid memories
Like waves from demon-laden seas
Broke savagely against the light
Of hope.

The lad had learned to fight
For garbage just to stay alive
Before he reached the age of five.
When he was nine he stabbed a man,
A beggar, just to have his pan,
Then threw up in the alley where
He ran to count the coins. He'd wear
A holy garment like a priest
When he was grown and rob the feast
And desecrate the holy meals.
And set the stage for his appeals
To lonely women in their grief,
Until they learned he was a thief,
And he escaped to Jericho.
He formed a group called Ganavo
And worked the wealthy routes until
The roads to Jericho were still,
And Roman legions searched the woods
And found him drunk among his goods.

The prosecutor's case was built
With ease. He bragged about his guilt,
And cursed his way from court to cross
Without remorse, as if the loss
Of his own soul to endless woe
Were sealed, and he would have it so.

But now his vicious mouth was still,
And something deep within his will,
Begotten by the quiet prayer
Of this reputed King, was there
As new and strange to wickedness
As orchards in the wilderness.
And from his lips there came a word
That none from him had ever heard.
He turned his head so he could see:
"Jesus, is there a hope for me?"

At first he feared the Lord was dead.
But then he lifted up his head
To see the fruit of his travail,
And softly spoke around the nail,
"Today with me in Paradise
You'll reign beside the feeble Christ."
And when he heard the Savior die,
He gave his agonizing cry:
"My God! My God! How can this be!
Why hast thou not forsaken me?"

And do we not this time of year
Repeat these words with godly fear,
And stand in awe of sovereign grace
That put a God in sinners' place,
And turned his head to hear our plea!
Who is a pardoning God like thee!

The awesome truth of candle three:
A sinner justified and free!

- John Piper