As the old song goes “It’s the Most Wonderful time of the year”. I love the Christmas season with all it’s traditions and festivities!
I remember my very first Christmas. I had received the Lord Jesus in early December 1975, and not long after that I found myself in the Psychiatric Ward of a Military Hospital for leaving Islam and coming to Jesus.
Being a new believer, all I knew was that Christmas was the “Birthday of the Lord Jesus”. I had thus saved up a little cupcake and a couple of cookies to celebrate the Birthday of my Savior.
Christmas morning came, Dec 25th 1975. I took out the Cupcake, the cookies and a glass of “Rooh Afza” (A sweet fruit drink) to celebrate the Lord’s Birthday. I first read the Christmas Story from the Gospel of Luke, then I just “talked to Jesus” (I had not yet been taught on this thing called “prayer”, so I just used to “talked to Jesus”!), thanked Him for saving me. Then I sang “Happy Birthday” and bit into His “Birthday Cake” (The cupcake).
As I did so, the Presence of Jesus suddenly filled the cell that I was in. There I was, surrounded by iron bars, but in fact I was Free! I was soaring high above my difficulties; they seemed to be like nothing because Jesus had set me Free!
Today, 35 years later I have a home, a family and we are blessed to live in a land where nobody is going to imprison me for believing in Jesus or for preaching the Gospel. My circumstances have changed, and the Lord has blessed us with material things. I don’t have to use an old cupcake to Celebrate Jesus; I can go and get a nice Christmas Tree and cook up a big feast if I wish to.
But it was not in a nice home with a big Turkey on the table, but in a Cell in a Mental Hospital with an old cupcake that I experienced the powerful Presence of Jesus. It just tells me one thing, it is not material things or outward circumstances, but it is the state of the heart that God looks at. It is our love for Jesus, the passion and the zeal for Him that brings the Glory and the Presence down into our circumstances.
This Christmas is going to be a tough one for many people who have suffered financially. Instead of complaining, let us be Thankful that we are Saved, that we are Free! Free to worship Jesus! Free to serve Him! And after that, let us go a step farther and think of others. At Thanksgiving Dinner last month Britta and I sat down with our children and we decided that this year we would forego Christmas Gifts and instead give all the money to families in our church who I know cannot afford to buy nice gifts for their children.
You see, we are a Blessed people, we know Jesus, He loves us and we already have so much in this life. Let this be a time when we return to our First Love, when our hearts are re-ignited with a passion for Jesus and for His Gospel, when “things” don’t mean that much to us anymore!
Let us be thankful, thoughtful of others; let us rise up to take the Gospel of our Wonderful Lord Jesus to the ends of the Earth, to those who have never experienced Him, to those who have never experienced this wonderful Joy and freedom that Christmas brings!
Thank you for your love, prayers and generous support of our ministry this year
In Christ Jesus
Christopher and Britta Alam
With Immanuel, Gabriel, Victoria and Luke,
And our Teams and Office Staff in the US, Africa, Burma and Sweden
