By Prim Tumuramye
Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders.
“And He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
The Christmas bells are beginning to ring around the corner street, the countryside folks are probably already eyeing that cow or goat that will go with the festivities of the season.
This is what we have routinely watched, year in and year out. Why? It is simply Christmas!
The narrative that Christmas is just but a season to celebrate and enjoy life as it comes is a gross misrepresentation of the real meaning and power of Christmas.
When we celebrate Christmas, we ideally are commemorating the birth of the savior of the universe.
Restored relationship
The birth of Christ was not a birth like any other. The story of creation is a beautiful account of the Earth and all that is in it coming into shape.
Catastrophe had befallen the world when man sinned, and the merciful Creator was at it again, trying to mend the broken relationship with man.
Jesus, His one and beloved Son, is consequently born to Mary for the redemption of mankind.
The birth of Jesus alone in itself was a mark of healing, providing hope for redemption to a fallen world.
Sin had brought sickness of the heart to the world. Sin remains the leading silent disease that wreaks havoc in the world. Have you ever imagined a world without sin?
Sin is not only sickening to the physical body, but also has eternal consequences of damnation if not properly treated. Jesus is the only remedy to the disease of sin.
Healer of body and soul
The four Gospels give detailed accounts of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death, and victory over the grave.
Key among the many miracles Jesus performed was the healing of diseases, even those that had been presumed incurable.
The lame walked, the lepers were cleansed, and the blind had their sight restored, all a physical manifestation of Jesus’ healing power.
That same power is still at work even today as the world battles diseases like Covid-19, which hit the globe since 2020.
Beyond the healing of the physical ailments that we dread, the birth of Jesus is manifestation of His healing power to the fallen world.
Often we are left perplexed with the cares of the world that put us on a divisive track.
Even as we plan and run up and about in preparation of the Christmas season, we are resolute about not talking with that cousin with whom we inherited a generational conflict from our great grandfathers.
Our hearts are sick, even when the hospitals that treat the diseases that manifest with visible signs might give us a clean medical report.
As we draw nigh to the commemoration of the birth of our Savior, may we embrace that healing power that brings total restoration, not only for the body but also the soul.
Counselor
Prophet Isaiah, prophesying about the coming Messiah, said He would be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. These are not mere honorary titles.
Are you sick with thoughts overwhelming you? Sick at the crossroads of life, not sure of which way to go? In Christ was born a wonderful counsellor.
We live in times when people are sick with lost identity and this may cause mental distress. They not only have lost the sense of who they are, but also whose they are.
Isaiah reminds us that He is the everlasting Father. John, in his Gospel, reaffirms this with the reminder that for those that believe in His name, He also gave the right to become children of God.
We live in times devoid of peace. People have lost peace with themselves and their neighbors. All this takes us back to one fundamental truth, that we live in sick world.
And the Prince of Peace, born to save the world, is the only medicine for whoever feels lost because He is the way, the truth and life.
Jesus healed the blind, paralytics, woman with bleeding issue, the deaf, resurrected the dead and also exorcised.
His birth came with healing power, not only for the physical and visible ailments, but also the sin that so easily entangles us and if not properly treated ends in eternal damnation.
May you experience the healing power of Jesus, even as you look forward to the commemoration of His birth. In Him, we find complete healing.
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