Here Comes Christmas Again

Two thousand years ago, give or take a few years, a man and his wife, found their way into Bethlehem. As the story goes and it has been well told for 2,000 years, the couple was turned down by every innkeeper in town.
So the new born child found his new home on earth in a manger for animals. However, his birth was marked by the Star of David which shines on earth forevermore.
He was the messiah as promised by the prophets and as foretold in the Bible. But he brought no army with him, and raised none. In his wake, as a man around 30 years old, he brought forth another message.
It was a message of peace unto mankind and forgiveness for enemies. On top of that, he says all men are brothers, and that includes the women as well. So it came to pass, that his end should come at the cross where he was crucified and nailed.
It was a death, he foresaw and shuddered but as all righteousness shalt be fufilled, he walked steadily to meet destiny and the future of mankind.
Now in the third millennia of civilisation of mankind, the symbol of the cross has spread across the world, across the lands where he had never walked. But the message is the same: love thy neighbour, forgive your enemies and walk in the light of the Almighty.
It is now the evening of the year 2006, and we are standing on the threshold of the dawning of 2007. But before all that, Christmas is upon us again. As citizens of this modern world, quite unlike that which was Nazareth, Jerusalem and Bethlehem of the days of yore, we celebrate Christmas in bright lights, good food and family dinners.
The carpentar who came, saw, preached and died, left his teachings in books and elsewhere in printed form for all of us to remember and learn. This Christmas as in all the past Christmases, we strive to remember others, even as we can't forget ourselves.
Christmas in its true spirit is all about caring for others. Afterall, God has already taken good care of us. The others have not been forgotten by God because we have forgotten them.
The little acts of kindness that we remind ourselves that we must do have been forgotten in the loud cheers of a spirited pub or boisterous restaurant. How many more die quietly and perish in hunger thousands of miles away without our knowledge.
It is Christmas for them, too but where are we? It is time we remember these brothers and sisters of ours in faraway lands. These are the people we have not met and probably won't meet for the rest of our lives.
Modern media have brought their plight to our living rooms. As we partake in our God given festivities and blessings, we should strive to say prayers for our fallen brethern. These are the women, children and the infirm who can't fend for themselves.
Their prayers, if they know how to pray, seemingly go unanswered. But their prayers have been heard by God and now it is our turn as fellow members of this human race to do all we can for them, as much as we can, and as long as we can.
There have been thousands of Christmases over the ages. Each year when the occasion comes, most of us fortunate ones end up partying till the wee hours of the night and into the early hours of the morning.
Even though enjoyment is not a sin itself, perhaps somewhere along the way, we have forgotten what the true spirit of Christmas is all about.
Do we remember the troubled and hungry people of Darfur, do we care for the angry inhabitants of Gaza and West Bank, do we spare a thought for our brethern in North Korea, in every land that has been struck by natural disasters of magnitudes that easily claim lives?
The message by the Nazarene has been the same for two millennia, and it is we must look after our own kind, no matter where they are on earth. Only when these "lost sheep" have been found and cared for, will our own woes begone.
Our future is tied to their worrisome present. Christmas is not so much about celebrating the arrival of the Messiah. He has come and gone. He has done his job and is now back with his Father. We are still on earth, and our duties are not over.
Perhaps it may be unfair to ask each man to do the job of world leaders, perhaps it is too colossel a task for most of us to venture forth and extend a helping hand to all troubled souls in every corner of this earth.
But it won't be difficult to help our next door neighbour who may be unhappy for reasons known only to himself. If we can't help him in a concrete manner, we can extend a ever ready listening ear to his litany of woes.
Help comes in all forms. It is helping an aged citizen to cross a busy road; it is that smile that is unexpected by the stranger; it is the unannounced gift for someone who needs it badly; it is the voice that speaks up for the meek; it is those legs that help seek succour for others too tired to walk: and above all it is that willingness to help total strangers in every way possible.
This is the Light, the Way and the Truth that have been spoken and echoed for ages. We do not belong to the Legion of the Deaf. Why do we not hear? We are not members of the Army of the Blind, why do we not see the misery of others?
The spirit of Christmas is once again sweeping across the world. It is supposed to lighten the burden of our hearts and lift that weight off our minds, and yet we do not do anything to help ourselves.
As we help others, we alleviate our own load. Blessed are they who help others more than they help themselves, for they are the true children of God.
The road to kindness is narrow and winding. The highway to the pursuit of happiness is long and wide. The road to love and compassion is obscure and untarred. The highway to avarice is a dual carriageway.
It's time to rebuild the smaller and much neglected roads because they are the highways to heaven. Unless we get back on the right road, we will forever wander in darkness and in sorrow.
Christmas descends on us once more so that we remember that we are a race of superbeings. That we can do better, because we are better. The light has always been in us. It is part of us, and it is us. Yes, the Star of David shines in perpectuity, but the light in us shines for eternity.
Merry Christmas to all you good folks.