We are in the season of the year that some Christians call “Advent,” which means “a coming” or “a happening.” It refers to the greatest birth that ever happened in the history of the world—the birth of Jesus, the coming of the Christ into the world. Most believers and people who don’t even accept or acknowledge Jesus, refer to this time of the year as “Christmas” which is a Latin term that means “a mass celebrated in honor of Christ.” This season is about Christ.

I have heard some people say that you can’t celebrate Christmas without Christ. This I believe is true. But there are a whole lot of people who do not acknowledge the birth of Christ, but salute Santa Claus; they decorate Christmas trees, but ignore the tree of life; they give gifts, but reject God’s gift to us, the very best that He has, His Son, Jesus the Christ.

Even among Christians, Christmas sometimes seems to have little to do with Christ. This year Christmas Day is a Sunday, and there are some churches that have had debates about whether to have church, whether to have service early, or whether to have both services if they have more than one on normal Sunday.

These are difficult times in which we live, but the birth of Christ—Advent—is encouragement to us as we face the challenges of life. The circumstances of His birth, the adversity of His life and His ultimate triumph teach us several valuable lessons as we continue on our life journey.

First, the birth of Christ teaches us that none of us are accidents of birth. There are no such things as illegitimate children or accidents of birth. Each of us is born for a purpose. God intended for us to be born and He has equipped us to be able to achieve the purpose for which we were born. It does not matter whether we were born of a single parent, raised in poverty, have to overcome discrimination, whatever it is, God has a purpose for us. Like Jesus we must discover the purpose for which we were born and declare, “I must be about my Father’s business.”

Second, the birth of Christ teaches us that we can overcome the adversities that we face. Everyone has some adversity in their life, some more than others. Jesus had to face the oppression of Rome, the opposition of His own people who rejected Him, the doubts of those He came to save and the reason for which He came into the world, i.e., to sacrifice His life on the cross.

Even in the midst of adversity, we are still in God’s care and under His protection. Therefore, in the midst of adversity, we must continue to press on and trust God for our journey.

Thirdly, the birth of Christ, and the life He lived, teaches us that ultimately we will be triumphant if we remain faithful and do not lose heart. Jesus was born to go to the cross and pay the debt for our sins, but He also knew that He would rise again. In the Gospel, Jesus never talked about His death without also talking about His resurrection. He knew God would raise Him up.

Likewise, we are assured ultimate triumph in Christ. Victory will be ours. In any event, as we celebrate Advent, the coming of Christ into the world, we also celebrate our triumph. This season with all of its commercialism and materialism is still about Christ, and all that He brings to our lives. Jesus is God’s gift to us. He is the gift that keeps on giving blessings on top of blessings, more blessings than we are able to count. As the angels said to the Shepherds watching over their flock, “Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”

May this Advent season be for you and your family a time of love, joy and peace, which have no end, and a closer and stronger relationship with God through Christ Jesus.