Zaker ALi Shuva

 Happy Birthday means Happy Birthday of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was born in the cowshed of Bethlehem. Jesus Christ was born in the womb of virgin Mary.

Every day man is small, lowly, lonely but on the day of festival man is great, on that day he is great together with all the people, on that day he feels the power of all humanity and is great. Since 325 AD, Christians around the world have been celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25 every year. In terms of spiritual significance, the Resurrection of Christ is the most important, and since the beginning of the Church, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ or Easter has been celebrated as the most important event. But nowadays Christmas is celebrated with more pomp and grandeur. Jesus Christ is believed by Christians to be God’s promised savior or redeemer to mankind. So observing this day is important to them. The four-week preparation period before Christmas is called Holy Advent. Three comings of Christ are commemorated at this time:

1. In the continuity of history, Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, 2. His arrival in our lives every day in contemporary history and 3. His glorious reappearance at the end of the world. Advent is one of the main preparatory periods of the Christian liturgical year. This preparation is essentially spiritual, and at its core is a change of mind. It is called upon to welcome the Redeemer into the midst of personal life, family, society and world creation with deep expectation in the heart during this arrival. This advent season is celebrated by remembering the preparations that mankind has made for ages in anticipation of his birth. Sinning by disobeying God’s commandment has destroyed human relationships; As a result of alienation from God, people have also become alienated from each other. As a result, the environment of his own heart has also become polluted. Its manifestation is happening everywhere: the hatred, conflicts, disagreements, factions, quarrels, fights, conflicts, wars etc. going on among people is the proof of this.

The whole world has become turbulent. People today are anxious to get rid of this situation. People want peace; The deepest desire of his heart is peace. But the prerequisite for this peace is justice, establishment of basic human rights, forgiveness, healing of broken relationships through give and take, reconciliation and harmony. That is why prophets and maharishis throughout the ages have called the future savior Shantiraj and instilled hope in the hearts of people to welcome him. The prophet Isaiah prophesied about 740 years before the birth of Jesus Christ: “A child is born to us today, a son is given to us. His skandha is vested with the dominion of everything. His name is: Unique Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, King of Peace Now will begin an age of endless peace based on justice and righteousness, from today as forever.” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

The prophet Isaiah also said, “Listen, the virgin will be with child; She will give birth to a son. One day everyone will call him Immanuel (the name means: God is with us.” (Isaiah 7:14). Christians believe that this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Before the birth of Jesus, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and said, do not be afraid, Mary you have found favor with the Most High. Listen, you will conceive and give birth to a son. You will call his name Jesus. He will be great, he will be known as the Son of the Most High.

The Lord will give him the throne of his father David (Luke 1:30-32). . After the resurrection of Jesus, the angel appeared to the shepherds and said, “Do not be afraid. I have come to tell you good news of great joy; This joy is reserved for all the people of the nation. Today in the city of David is born your savior He is the Christ, the Lord Himself. You will recognize him by this sign: you will see a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger (Luke 2:10-12). Christmas is celebrated around this fulfillment of the divine promise in Jesus. The aim and purpose of the celebration of Christmas is to convey the meaning and significance of the dramatic description of events in symbolic language. Following are the things that Christians meditate on during the festive days of Christmas: 1) Jesus is the second person of the triune God who became human to free fallen mankind from the slavery of sin.

That is why he is called Messiah or Savior. As the Son of God (Luke 1:32), he calls God Father, and he teaches people who believe in him to do the same. In the Lord’s Prayer, which is known as the best Christian prayer, Jesus taught us to call God Father, enlivened by his spiritual inspiration, with a childlike attitude, so that a sense of brotherhood can be born among all of the human family. 2) Jesus is the living word of God. John says at the beginning of his gospel, in the beginning was the Word; The Word was with God, the Word was God. In the beginning he was with God. All things came into being through him, and all that came into being, apart from him nothing came into being (John 1:1-3). When tempted by Satan, Jesus said that man must live not by bread alone, but by keeping every word that is spoken through the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). The late Pope John Paul II, in one of his encyclical letters, said that because the members of the human family do not follow this message, instead of life, people are currently developing.

Culture of Death or Civilization of Death. The current world violence, terrorism, traumatic bombings, weapons production and trade etc. are the signs of that destructive culture.

3) Jesus is true. He said, I am the truth (John 15:6). God alone is the source of all that is righteous or good. And only truth can set people free. If you are faithful to my words, then you are my true disciples; Only then will you know the truth and the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32). The injustice and untruth prevailing in the present society can be eradicated only by the truth. It is true that people can be misled by trickery, cunning, eloquence, but there is no alternative to following the truth to establish real welfare or well-being.

4) Jesus is life. He said, I am the life (John 15:6), I have come that people may have life, fully (John 10:10). Life here does not refer to any biological entity, but to human humanity and spiritual or spiritual life, by virtue of which human beings are distinguished from other animals. The source and foundation of this life is God Himself. Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, He that heareth me, and believeth on him that sent me, hath eternal life. He no longer has to stand trial as a criminal, but has already passed from death to life (John 5:24).

5) Jesus is the light. He said, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall never walk in darkness; He shall receive the light of life (John 8:12). The conflict between sin and virtue, light and darkness and good and evil is undeniable. To defeat the darkness, you have to turn on the light. Nowadays many people are heard to say that enlightened people are needed to eliminate Tamsa in the society.

6) Jesus Christ is the High Priest. He is the only mediator between God and man. We have found a supreme High Priest who has passed through the heavens: Jesus the Son of God. This High Priest, whom we have found, is not incapable of sympathizing with our infirmities; Rather, He was tempted in every way as we are, yet remained sinless (Hebrews 4:14-15). Christ likewise did not glorify himself as high priest; He did it, who said to him: You are my son; Today I have begotten you, and in another place he says: You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 5:5-6). He became a priest not by any law of fleshly birth, but by the power of an incorruptible life. Since Jesus is eternal, His priesthood is also eternal. And so he has power to save those who come to the Most High through him, as for ever; Because he is always there to plead with God on their behalf.

7) Jesus is love. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God did not send his Son into this world to save the world; sent, that through him the world might be saved (John 3:16-17). God’s love for us is revealed in that he sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might have life through him (1 John 4:9). He who does not love does not know God. We can understand how to love God and people only by looking at the life and work of Jesus. He gave his life to love people and commanded us to love one another. Jesus’ commandment to us is to love everyone regardless of race, creed and color, even our enemies.

8) Jesus is joy. At the birth of Jesus, the angel said, I have come to tell you good news. This joy is reserved for all the people of the nation (Luke 2:10). The joy of Christmas is only meaningful when we spread it not only through word of mouth, but through fellowship with others. Jesus said, As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Stay safe in my love. If you keep all my commandments, you will be in my love, just as I have kept all the father’s commandments and am in his love. These things I have spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full (John 15:9-11).

9) Jesus is peace. Jesus is God’s promised King of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). On the night of Jesus’ birth, the angels of heaven sang: Glory to God in the highest, peace to the hearts of his beloved ones (Luke 2:14). Only by accepting this peace given by God in the heart can all kinds of hatred and hatred be removed from the human mind. The harmony and peaceful atmosphere which is the utmost desire of people is one of the main blessings of Christmas festival. After Jesus appeared to the disciples after the resurrection, he said twice, Peace be with you (John 20:19-21). But there is a big difference between the peace given by Jesus and the peace given by man. Jesus said, peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; However, I do not give it to you as this world gives peace (John 14:27). The peace that Jesus gives is the result of walking under the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

The opposite is ripu or sin-nature. As a result, chaos and anarchy descends in people’s personal life and society. If the exchange of peace-wishes at Christmas is limited to verbal etiquette, we cannot receive peace-blessings. The Gospels use many symbols and metaphors to describe the birth story of Jesus. The meaning of these symbols is explained during the Christmas festival. For example , the bright star in the sky reveals that Jesus is the light of the world. He is Emmanuel or our constant companion God to remove the darkness of the world. The three verses of the East mean non-Jews. That is, Jesus is not only the savior of a nation or group, he is the savior of all people. Around the world, the form of Christmas celebration also varies due to cultural and ethnic traditional differences. The appearance of Christmas celebrations varies from country to country.

It was the Portuguese who brought Christianity to undivided Bengal in the 16th century. The first church in Bangladesh was built in 1599 in the Sundarbans area near Kaliganj in Old Jessore. Job Charnock, the founder of Kolkata, was the first to celebrate this day in this subcontinent. In 1668, on his way to Hijli, he stopped to celebrate the Christmas festival at the village of Sutanuti. It was the first English Christmas celebration in the region. Today, Christmas is not limited to Christians, just like Muslim Eid and Hindu-Buddhist Puja-Parvana. Non-Christian neighbors, siblings and friends are also invited to Christmas celebrations. Sharing the joy of Christmas with everyone increases the level of joy. Christmas can play an important role in strengthening the bonds of peace and harmony among people of all religions in Bangladesh. Merry Christmas to all irrespective of caste and religion.

The Bible is the holy scripture of Christians. It is stated in the Bible that God created the earth, the sky, water and land, day and night, light and air and the solar system. After he created all the living things, animals and reptiles, and the trees and vines, he saw that everything he created was very beautiful and good. Finally, in order to enjoy and protect these things, he created man in his own image, male and female. His first created man was named Adam, then he created the first human being from a rib bone. He designated them as husband and wife. God blessed them and said, multiply, spread throughout the world and have dominion over all things. In this way, human beings spread in the world and God wanted that the best human family created by him should do good deeds, live good lives and be righteous and finally become partakers of the kingdom of heaven.

But people later forgot the Creator and got drunk on consumerism with the worldly things and animals created by Him and went on the path of sin so much that they were deprived of entering the kingdom of heaven. Especially the strong and the rich have filled the world with sins by oppressing the weak, looting, women abuse, illegitimate births and so on. At that time only one named Noah, his wife, three daughters-in-law and their family all received God’s grace because they were righteous and righteous. Now God decided to destroy this sinful world and told Noah to build a big ark 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high, which would have several chambers and floors. Noah went to work building the ark as the Lord commanded but the people started mocking and mocking him. It took him many years to build this ship.

When the ark was finished, according to God’s instructions, one pair of each kind of animal brought their food and other necessary things into the ark, and after all the family of Noah got on board, God closed the door of the ark from outside. Immediately, the water began to rise over the sea and river banks and it started raining continuously for 40 days and 40 nights. In this flood, all the animals of the world drowned but Noah’s ark continued to float in the water. When the earth was thus destroyed, God repented and vowed that he would never again destroy the world by flood.

After hundreds of years, the sins of envy, hatred, selfishness, deceit, lies entered into the world and people of the new generation, so the world was again full of sins and without trust in God, everyone started living a dishonest life. Now God sent prophets throughout the ages to warn them and be honest; But people did not take them very seriously. In the end, the Lord God sent his only son Jesus into this world to free people from the slavery of sin. Jesus was a man of both grace and humanity, in whom all but sin was human nature. He sacrificed his life to save and free people from sin.

Jesus was born in the womb of an ordinary innocent virgin Mary. God chose this girl, whose name was Maria. She was a daughter of Nazareth. God sent to her the angel Gabriel, who addressed Mary as blessed and full of grace. He says that you will give birth to a son who will be the savior and emancipator of mankind. The girl was very upset and said that how would it be possible? I am a virgin. The angel says that nothing is impossible for God, you will conceive by the Holy Spirit and in due time your child will be born. His name will be Jesus, who will be born to fulfill the divine plan as a savior in this world to save people from sin. Maria said, I am the servant of the Lord, may His will be fulfilled in my life.

Meanwhile there was Maria, the betrothed wife of a young man named Joseph from the town of Bethlehem, a descendant of David. These words especially the news of Maria’s pregnancy, he became very worried and decided to leave her in his heart. But an angel of God appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, do not hesitate to take Mary as your wife.” Because by God’s will, Mary became pregnant by the influence of the Holy Spirit. In this, Joseph took Maria home as the angel said brought Later, as usual, on a very cold winter’s night when the Roman emperor decreed that the people of all his kingdoms be counted, they set out for the city of Bethlehem and on the way Mary gave birth. Joseph tried door to door with Mary for some shelter but all failed. Finally went to a Panthshala for shelter, but was not successful there too and was forced to take emergency shelter in a cowshed.

It was there that winter night that Jesus was born and Mary wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger. What a cruel irony of fate! Not finding a place in human society, God’s only son, King Jesus had to be born in a cowshed.

At this time, a new star rises in the sky. Shepherds tending the flock in the fields are the first to see the star and realize that something new has happened somewhere. As they were thus entangled, an angel appeared before them, and the shepherds were greatly frightened. The angel told them, ‘I have brought you good news of great joy. He whom you have been waiting for so long, was born today in the city of Bethlehem. Look at that new star, that star will guide you there. You come to see him and bow down.’ After that, the Eastern scholars came to Jerusalem and asked King Herod where the King of the Jews was born? We saw his birth star and came to greet him. King Herod thought, I am the king! Apart from me, no new king was born in this region.

Herod cunningly learned from them the details of the star and the birth of the supposed king and led them there. Herod also told the scholars that you should take good care of the child and find him on my way back, so that I too can pay my respects to him. The Pandits duly saw the baby Jesus and offered gold incense, myrrh and bowed down to him. At night they were commanded in a dream not to see King Herod again. For the cunning Herod must kill the child. So they go back the other way. Meanwhile, the next day an angel appeared to Joseph and told him to flee to Egypt with the baby Jesus and his mother. Because soon Herod will be looking for him in the region to kill the child. Thus Jesus continued to grow day by day in physical and divine wisdom.

Later, Jesus took twelve of the common people as his disciples. During his lifetime, Jesus healed many seriously ill people by his divine power, healed the blind, lame, deaf and dumb. He even gave life to the dead. Finally the four-day-dead gravedigger asked a man named Lazarus to be raised from the grave (at the request of his special relatives) and to undress his coffin when he was raised from the grave. After that he brought him back to life. He also gave healing powers to his disciples. When the news of raising Lazarus spread around, the Jews of Jesus’ people saw that if this man is not finished, then our honor and reputation will all go to hell.

Because people will now flock to him, to his party. They accused Jesus of various crimes, treason, falsely claiming to be the Son of God, and sought judgment from the priests, high priests, high priests and even the king, but no one found in him a crime worthy of the death penalty. Meanwhile, the time has come for a great festival for the Jews. The rule was to acquit a person sentenced to death on the occasion of that Parwan. The judge acquiesced until some soldiers and mobs shouted to acquit the condemned man and execute Jesus by crucifixion, and the mob executed him in a gruesome crucifixion. But surprisingly, Jesus resurrected three days after his death.

Scholars researching the Holy Bible are of the opinion that since the birth of Lord Jesus took place on a very cold winter night (i.e. in winter), therefore they fixed this auspicious birthday on December 25, which has been celebrated all over the world for centuries. Nights are long and days are short during winter days. Thus 23rd December is the shortest day everywhere in the world (except for the continent of Australia) and from 24th December the day gets longer by a few seconds. Therefore, the main festival of Christmas is celebrated on the night of 24th December. There is no scientific explanation for this, at least I don’t know. In fact, as God has given us so much mercy, sending Lord Jesus to the world is one of his great gifts. Therefore, large donations can be considered Christmas.