Christmas message: A Celebration of Love.

General Superior of Brothers FIC (Bro. Martin Handoko).

Dear brothers, associated members and friends,

Christmas is a yearly celebration of the birth of Jesus. Streets and buildings in the city are filled with special decorations, meanwhile people are getting busy with doing shopping and preparing parties. Despite the fact that many people in the present world celebrate the season with glamour and festivities, I would like to invite you to celebrate the event in a different way, by looking at the essence and spiritual meaning of the celebration.

Christmas should not be remembered just as a birthday celebration or a beautiful holiday or joyful parties. For us Christians, Christmas should be seen as a celebration of God's love. As John the Evangelist says: "For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but may have eternal life" (John 3:16). Imagine, Jesus the Son of God born in a stable. As we look on baby Jesus placed in a manger, we think of the mystery of God's love for us. Let us thank God for revealing his love for us in Jesus, that He who is so big and powerful became so small and weak for us, that he became one of us. Therefore a true Christmas celebration for us is taking place when we bring a gift of love to God and the people around us.