Closing remarks - Xmas 2001

Why do we make such a fuss about Christmas? Is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ really worth all the trouble?

Not if you regard Jesus to be just another religious figure, like Mohammed, Buddha, or Moses. That’s why our public schools and civic institutions are trying to downplay Christmas – because they regard Christianity as just one of many religious options open to Canadians today.

But if Jesus really is who he said he was – the Son of God become a man – then maybe his birth really is something to celebrate. Because it marks the entrance into the world of the Creator of the world. It marks the time when the Author of history stepped into the pages of history. And that’s the most extraordinary thing that ever happened!

But what difference does it make that Jesus was born? We’ve heard from two great men – Napoleon, a man of great deeds; and C.S. Lewis, a man of great words. And each of them came to a conclusion about who Jesus was, and what significance his life had for theirs.