Dr. Lucien Jones, Contributor

THE Christmas season is over. Wow! The year seems to go by so quickly. The Christmas breeze brought a welcome change of temperature. There was excitement in the air as many people were looking forward to see old friends and family again to exchange gifts and more importantly to celebrate the gift of God's goodness to all mankind.

It's very difficult to celebrate the joy of Christ coming to "peace on earth" when there is so much violence and immorality, poverty and injustice, pride and arrogance. Until we remember, or God reminds us, that the baby Jesus came, God became man (Incarnation), because "God so loved the world (despite the prevailing wickedness of all mankind) to die on a cross at Calvary that men would not perish".

So then, there is an inextricable link between Christmas and Good Friday. Between God's eternal love and the persistent rebellion of mankind against His authority.

It is only by God's grace - unmerited love, approval and mercy - that we can escape His eternal judgement, for "the wages of sin is death, but (thank God) the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.

This then, the extent of God's love for sinful mankind, who by ourselves can never stop sinning against a Holy God, is the whole reason for the Advent season, for the first coming of Christ on earth.

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