In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5 in the Bible)
There’s something magical about Christmas. For different people, it means different things and evokes different memories.
The sounds of jingle bells echo even in the malls of Delhi. As a child growing up in Daman, which was then a Portuguese colony, I have memories of attending midnight mass and coming home to hot chocolate and a table laden with goodies. Gifts would be bought and hidden till we could open them on Christmas day. We would all be involved in putting up the Christmas tree and the nativity scene. But Christmas trees really have nothing to do with Christmas. All the man-made traditions are exactly that: man-made.
Christmas is about the Creator God, who was there at the beginning, entering humanity in the incarnation of a man called Jesus. It is about the Light entering darkness.
We know that the incarnation was intentional and purposeful. It was to offer us the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. To offer us transformation through His indwelling Spirit so we in turn become lights to the dark world we inhabit. He can do that because of what His followers celebrate on Good Friday and Easter Sunday – because of His death and his triumphal resurrection.
The world was dark then, and it is even darker now. We are seeing terrible suffering, loss of life and destruction through wars and natural disasters. We are seeing terrible evil. Children killing their own parents! Post-pandemic we are seeing a rise in morbidity and mortality. People of all ages dying suddenly. Heart attacks, strokes and a host of other diseases on the rise. The internet consuming our attention and isolating us from our families. Predators luring our children. Senior citizens being defrauded. The cost of living rising and the poor becoming poorer. Climate change fast destroying our planet.
We may see ourselves as “good people”, but we don’t really know how we might act when we are threatened. It is into this darkness that Jesus Christ, the Light of the world enters. For those of us who are humble enough to confess that we are sinful, to acknowledge our need for His forgiveness, to commit to walk according to His teachings, He offers His Holy Spirit who transforms us from within. Starting with one person at a time, a community and a whole society can be transformed.
In England, a foul-mouthed captain of a slave ship saw the Light, repented of his sins and was transformed into a man of God, whose songs of praise like ‘Amazing Grace’ are still sung today. The transformed John Newton was able to influence a young transformed member of the British Parliament to take up the cause of abolishing slavery across the British Empire, which included India at the time. William Wilberforce’s tireless campaign in and out of Parliament was finally rewarded when, on his deathbed in 1833, he got news of the passing of the Abolition of Slavery Act. Because of some peculiarities in Indian society, the equivalent act for India was passed a decade later.
We are transformed to in turn be little Lights reflecting Him. Serving those around us with love.
Had there been no transforming light of Jesus in our lives, there would have been no Forward Press.
In Matthew 13:33, Jesus compares the Kingdom of heaven to yeast which, though in a very small quantity, can transform a lump of dough.
We have the example of one man, William Carey, who transformed the face of India. It was followers of Jesus who pioneered education, care of the sick, the needy, etc. Jotirao and Savitribai Phule were inspired by the example of Scottish missionaries in Pune to become the first Indian couple to open schools for the girl child and for Dalits and Shudras. Mahatma Phule went on to become the father of the Indian social revolution and an inspiration to Babasaheb Ambedkar, who went on to embed those values into our Indian constitution.
Have Jesus’s followers been perfect? Far from it. Biblical scripture says no one is without sin. We are/were all sinners saved by His grace. And used by Him to bless those around us, in spite of our failings. He created all of us and loves each one of us, irrespective of caste or creed.
This Christmas season, may we look beyond the twinkling lights and decorations, to the Light of the world who has entered our dark world to transform individuals, families, whole communities and indeed nations.
Forward Press also publishes books on Bahujan issues. Forward Press Books sheds light on the widespread problems as well as the finer aspects of Bahujan (Dalit, OBC, Adivasi, Nomadic, Pasmanda) society, culture, literature and politics. Contact us for a list of FP Books’ titles and to order. Mobile: +917827427311, Email: info@forwardmagazine.in
