“The World Needs More Santas”…..This was the tagline of the 2023 Christmas season commercial advertisement for Coca-Cola. In a very engaging 1:48-minute commercial, there was a city full of busy, happy Santa Clauses walking the streets, giving gifts, helping the world, and showing kindness to each other. The captivating advertisement ends with one Santa Claus sacrificing his last bottle of Coca-Cola for another exhausted, over-worked Santa who needed it more. What a heartwarming message—the world needs more Santas—rather, more people showing selfless love.
Indeed! And not just during Christmas but every day and throughout the year.
They say Christmas is a season for giving and forgiving! And John 3:16 says, “God so LOVED the world that He gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” and Romans 5:8 says “God demonstrates His own LOVE for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. Being able to truly love and express it can be learnt only by understanding the unfailing, endless source of love which God showed to His creation. He sent Jesus to the world, who took upon himself all the shame and paid the price on our behalf so that we are able to enjoy eternal life. Ephesians 5:2 tells us, “And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
The world is full of criticism, jealousy, anger, vengeance, and competition. Irrespective of the stage of life we are at, we experience this in our schools, universities, workplaces, neighbourhood and unfortunately, sometimes in our churches also. Once we are a victim, then the fight or flight mode kicks in, so we either join the bandwagon or withdraw into our own shell. And then it’s a vicious cycle. This behaviour is also justified in our heads many times because we are convinced that some people we know are not deserving to be treated with love. Or perhaps, if we show love, we are sure they will not reciprocate but mock us or take it for granted, making us look like losers. By ourselves, our ability to love is limited.
This is the reason we need to look to the manger on Christmas day, where love was born, and look to the cross, where love was sacrificed for unworthy sinners. Love is more powerful when the one at the receiving end is perceived as undeserving.
Giving and forgiving coexist in love.
These are the most precious gifts we can give to anyone, and they are not necessarily wrapped in golden and silver wrappers with a ribbon tied bow on top.
We can only demonstrate unconditional love to others when we are able to understand the full circle from Christmas to Easter – the purpose of Christmas and the birth of Jesus in this world, and then what Christ did for us on the cross.
Even as we celebrated a beautiful season of Christmas and have started a New Year, let us ask God for a renewed understanding of His selfless, impactful, life-transforming love. And just like the moon gloriously reflects the light of the Sun, may we be strengthened and encouraged to passionately express God’s love on this earth through the year.
Photo by Jamez Picard on Unsplash
