By KEN HERAR
Black Press Dec 22 2005
As the days edge closer toward Christmas the excitement builds in the air. Christmas is a special season a moment where family and friends get together. The concept of family is an important fabric of our society something we must protect and cherish. Without family our world would be full of challenges and hardships. Christmas brings people together from all walks of life. The last couple of weeks, I had many people approach me and ask do you celebrate Christmas? The answer is yes. I always have and always will. Born and raised in Canada Christmas has always been for my family and me a special time to rest and reflect. A vast majority of Indo Canadians do celebrate Christmas in a number of ways. Many Indo Canadian families put up a Christmas tree and lights, exchange gifts with family members and others celebrate it in their faith through Jesus Christ. We must not forget that it is this day that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ the Son of God.I am proud of the fact that many Indo Canadian families celebrate the Christmas spirit being that many are non-Christians. It is nice to see everyone coming together under one umbrella in the Celebration of God. This is a sign of mutual respect and understanding despite our religious beliefs. The majority of Indo Canadians who reside in Canada come from Punjab who practice the Sikh religion. Christmas is celebrated in various parts of India where many Christians reside. Here in Canada many Indo Canadians participate symbolically in the Christmas season in their local communities by donating food or money helping families in need. Some Sikh Temples are open on Christmas day for people to attend and pray. Indo Canadian families have the same wishes as anyone else during the Christmas season peace and hope.I have always enjoyed attending various Christians churches throughout my lifetime and always been impressed with the Christian message. As someone who is not connected to any particular religious belief, I applaud the Christian community for getting the message out in understanding Jesus Christ and why he came to earth. Messages like forgiveness are empowering and helps connect with the real issues of life. Every Christmas an elderly women who reads this column phones me and shares her knowledge on why we celebrate Christmas. I appreciate her kind gesture knowing she is expressing her love through Christ. I enjoy studying different religions learning about things we don't know keeping an open mind spiritually. What is unique about Christmas it erases hate and discrimination and the fear that exists in our society.Speaking with Cam Stuart Pastor at Mountain Park Community Church in Abbotsford I asked what Christmas meant to him. He said: To me Christmas is about hope, wonder, and community. Many people live with little hope and a forboding sense of darkness within their hearts. Jesus Christ repeatedly offered hope to lonely, hurting, struggling even evil people who honestly wanted help. Also Christmas is about wonder. It boggles the mind to think God cared enough to enter our world as a child in order to help humanity. Lastly, Christmas is about Gods heart to have a relationship with people. The Bible teaches he knows every person by name and he longs to have a personal relationship with each one. The entire message of Christmas points to Jesus Christ who came to restore that relationship.Then I asked him how it is viewed if non-Christians celebrate Christmas? Stuart said: The Bible ultimately explains Gods attitude towards people despite how those people feel about God. People who reject God and people who embrace God are all loved by God. Gods ultimate expression of his love for humanity is revealed in the meaning of Christmas. Christmas is built around two words Christ and Mass. Christ obviously refers to Jesus Christ and Mass means celebration. So Christmas means the celebration of Jesus Christ who was given by God to humanity. He was given to explain the purposes and heart of God. John 3:16 says that God so loved the world (meaning humanity) that He gave his only Son (Jesus Christ) that whoever believes on him will have everlasting life. This Christmas make Jesus Christ the center of your celebration. We are all Gods children let's make this world a better place to live for everyone.
KenHerar@gmail.com
Ken Herar is a reporter/columnist for the Abbotsford News.
© Copyright 2005 Williams Lake Tribune
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