Christmas will be different for many families this year who may only be able to gather in part due to Covid-19. Some may be mourning the death of a loved one due to the virus while others may be trying to overcome their loss of income. Henrietta Decruz knows what it is like to overcome grief at Christmas by finding a reason to rejoice.
I recall a Christmas when I had every reason to mourn and to cry my heart out because my brother had died in an accident that year. Tradition said, “Don’t celebrate Christmas because there has been a death in the family”. Some of my family members followed this tradition so there was a shadow over our home and the gloom of mourning. However, I refused to live under that shadow. Now you may ask, “Didn’t you love you brother? How could you?” Before you condemn me, let me explain…
My Lord Jesus came into this world for our salvation. Salvation is the gift that gives mere mortals like us ‘eternal life’. If it were not for Jesus every one of us would have perished – meaning that when we died – our souls would be destroyed and have no more hope. But Jesus changed all that.
He, who lived in the unimaginable splendor of Heaven and had all power and authority over everything on earth, didn’t have to come down and become a mere human being at all. But He did. He did it because that was the only way to save mankind from the consequences of the sin of Adam and Eve.
God created man to live forever eternally but sin disqualified him from it. God made a plan to save us from eternal destruction and that is where Jesus fits in. He came to be the blemish-less sinless ‘sin offering’ – the ‘Lamb of God’ who would be offered on our behalf, for our sins. We all know that a man like Jesus who didn’t do a single thing wrong had to die the death of a criminal on a cross – condemned and humiliated.
He who had power over everything chose to die that day so that His death would become the atonement for us. The good news for human kind was that three days after his death He rose again. Death came into the world after Adam and Eve’s sin – it was a consequence of their sin. Jesus hadn’t sinned at all so that consequence had no effect on Him.
Death had no power over Him and He rose again! With His rising from the death He became the beautiful door through which anyone who wishes to forsake his sinful nature can walk through and go to Heaven blameless!
My brother Noel had accepted the Lord Jesus as his Savior. Just days before his accident he had stood up in church and asked for forgiveness of his sins. In doing so he was washed in the Blood of Christ. If it were not for my Lord Jesus, my brother would have been dead forever – but he is not dead…his soul lives!!!
All of us are going to die sometime or another. But I can now live with the hope that when my time on earth is over I can meet him again in Heaven and I rejoice that I haven’t lost him forever.
What Christmas means to me
It was on that first Christmas night that the beautiful miracle of Salvation began to unfold through the birth of Christ. How can I not celebrate the birth of the Saviour of all mankind who gave His all so that we could live? If Jesus were not there, I would mourn all my life because there would be no hope for me or for anyone else.
But Jesus is here and He is alive, He is my hope, my joy and everything to me. He has wiped my tears every time I have cried… though I have lived among family, none of them knew the grief and pain I have borne in the years gone by but Jesus knew and He was with me!
He has answered countless prayers I have prayed for all my loved ones… so who am I that I should complain to my Lord? Hasn’t He done all that could be done to save our souls?
Yes I grieve… I grieve for all the countless people who live without hope because they do not know Jesus. I grieve for all those people who have no idea about this wonderful gift that Jesus has given them freely. I grieve that there are people who say they know Him but live like those who don’t know Him at all.
Knowing Jesus personally changes you forever… you will never be the same again. If you want to know Him for yourself you just have to say this prayer and mean it.
A prayer to receive Jesus
Dear Jesus, come into my heart. Please forgive me for all my sins. Thank You for Your gift of salvation. I accept You as my Saviour, please reveal Yourself to me and teach me to live a life that is pleasing to You, Amen.
Friends, this Christmas and always, let’s remember that He is the single greatest treasure of our lives… a treasure we would love everyone to experience. Let’s celebrate Jesus, the one blessing that is the fountain of all blessings in our life!
Also read:
Bereavement: His hand is on yours in your loss
Pandemic doesn’t stop Christians from giving generously
Henrietta Decruz
Henrietta is a writer, singer-songwriter and social worker based in Kerala, India. Having encountered God closely through life's many ups and downs, she has a passion to use her God-given talents for His glory and to see social change across her nation.
