The Eternal Message of Christmas: Love Beyond Borders, From the Sanatana God

 

Warmest Christmas greetings and heartfelt wishes to you all on this holy eve. Today marks a Thursday steeped in reflections from years of pastoral experience and social service, but as we stand on the threshold of Christmas, let's pivot to the timeless joy of this season. Everyone knows Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Yet views differ on why He came to earth. Some say God's Son descended from heaven solely to free humanity from sin, ensuring our ticket to paradise. That's not wrong, but it often stops there—self focused salvation, with little thought for others. On the flip side, many cite Jesus' command: "Love one another." They love, yes, but confine it to their own kind. Did Jesus preach such bounded love? Absolutely not. He challenged the status quo: "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Mt 5:43-44). Every faith echoes calls to destroy the wicked and protect the righteous. Jesus, however, left a message of forgiveness. He urged transforming evil through love and mercy—not vengeance. He didn't just speak it; He lived it. Nailed to the cross by His tormentors, He prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). Thus, Jesus loves not only believers but non-believers and even enemies. He calls us to mirror that boundless love. This is religion's true essence: not a weapon of division, but a bridge to unity. Whatever faith we follow, let's transcend its boundaries, loving all and fostering peace, love, and harmony in society. In our divided nation today, this unity is our greatest need. I trust you'll agree. Once more: Merry Christmas filled with love and joy, plus warm New Year wishes ahead. Now, let's delve into Christmas' eternal message.

The Prophetic Light in a Chaotic World

Our world teeters in unrest—violence, hatred, and self-righteous clashes everywhere. People spill blood to prove whose faith or ideology reigns supreme. In this spiritual decay and moral darkness, we turn to Isaiah's prophecy from 2,700 years ago: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). "Everlasting God" (Sanatan Creator), according to Pastor Emmanuel Singh, isn't mere title—it's God's core identity, transcending time. We often limit "Sanatan" to cultures or rituals, but it means eternal, without beginning or end. The Bible attributes this solely to God: - Psalm 90:2: "Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." - Revelation 1:8: "I am the Alpha and the Omega... who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." - Revelation 22:13: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Sanatan isn't a human invention with a founding date—it's God Himself, the "Great I AM" above past, present, and future. On Christmas, we worship this Eternal God Almighty. And Micah 5:2 foretold: "But you, Bethlehem... out of you will come... one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times" (echoing John 1:1, Ephesians 1:4).

The Infinite Becomes Finite: Incarnation's Marvel Christmas' greatest wonder?

The Mighty God, Everlasting Father, became a vulnerable Son. Imagine: the Creator of stars humbles Himself into a virgin's womb, cradled in Bethlehem's manger amid animals. This isn't ordinary—it's the eternal Word made flesh. John 1:1,14 captures it: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." Why did the Infinite enter time's limits? Why did the Creator take created form? One word: *love*. God didn't dispatch rules from afar. He descended to rescue sin-stained humanity personally.

Bridging the Divide Through Presence

Love demands closeness, not distant commands. Laws might enforce obedience through fear, but only presence melts hardened hearts. Sin built an impassable gulf between God and us—no book or decree could span it. So God became the bridge: Immanuel, "God with us." He didn't rule from a throne; He served in our dust.

The Immortal Tastes Death

God is spirit, immortal, without blood. Yet Scripture demands blood for sin's atonement. No human could pay humanity's debt; no pure spirit could die. Solution? The Eternal took flesh—to die in our place. Bethlehem's manger led to Calvary's cross, where His blood f lowed for us. Immortal became mortal, paving our path to eternity.

A Sympathetic Sanatan Saviour

Distant gods hear cries as reports; this God shares our pain. He hungered, thirsted, wept, endured rejection. When you suffer loss or injustice, know your God isn't a cold judge— He's a compassionate friend who walked weakness to victory (Hebrews 4:15).

 Visible Revelation of the Invisible

We crave tangible refuge from abstract voids. The unseen God became visible in Jesus: "No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son... has made him known" (John 1:18). Jesus embracing sinners shows God's mercy; touching lepers reveals His touchable holiness.

Humility's Revolution: From Manger to Service

In our power-hungry world of religious one-upmanship, Bethlehem flips the script. The "King of kings" (Revelation 19:16) claimed no palace. He came to serve, not be served: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). At the Last Supper, God incarnate wrapped a towel around His waist and washed feet: "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet" (John 13:14). True eternity teaches no hatred, only humble service. If God stooped so low, why do we strut in pride?

Our Eternal Identity: Chosen Before Creation

Christians aren't a 2,000-year startup. Our roots predate time in God's plan: Ephesians 1:4-5: "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world... In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ." 2 Timothy 1:9: "[He] saved us... not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time." We're no accident—part of the Eternal Father's timeless design. Our identity transcends race, nation, or creed; it's rooted in Christ's everlasting love.

Surrender at the Eternal Father's Feet

Christmas isn't just lights and cake—it's homecoming to the Sanatan God the Creator. The Wonderful Counselor untangles life's knots; the Prince of Peace calms our chaos. Gaze at that manger child. Forget pride and divisions. Dedicate your life anew to the God who was, is, and is to come—our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Eternal Father, You are the Beginning and the End. You took human form to banish our sin's darkness. Fill our hearts with Your humility this Christmas. Empower us to carry Your timeless love into this violent world. Amen.

What does Christmas' call to universal love mean for you this year? Share in the comments—let's build unity together.

RELIGIONS AND SPIRITUAL REALITIES

 

In spiritual life we seem to seek truth as if it is available in the proximate near-experience of the Ultimate Truth. In the realm of spirituality, like all other realities, it is not so. According to Sumit Paul, Einstein’s theory of relativity applied to spiritual realities, finds that every faith, religious code, doctrine, dogmas, belief system, ideology is subjective ‘truth’ (so called!) (timesofindia.com/speaking-tree, 14.4.2024). In the present situation, the majoritarian’s absolute faith-claim to be the only truth, is false and bigotry.  Nothing that is earthly is perfect. A religious faith system cannot be called the ultimate truth. When each religion asserts itself to be  the only ‘true’ belief system and every ideology claims to be the only perfect way of life, the post-modern principle seems to hold good: there exists only subjective truths and relative realities. My belief in my faith ideologies is my subjective interpretation of the reality. It is my ‘truth’ which can be non-truth in other’s interpretation of the same reality. If we cannot accept this relative reality of our understanding, we cannot empathise with other’s ‘truth’ as well. Absolute truth in this physical world is an enigma. As our knowledge and understanding is limited, all that we live through, think through and feel through, is out of a subjective experience or partial interpretation of the same reality. Therefore, when we recognize and accept the principle of relativity of truth, we will stop claiming absolute or superior ideological and religious ‘truths’ over others.

Consequently, there is no Universal Truth within human existence. No single theory, idea, ism, doctrine, or belief is acceptable to every individual. The foundations of a claimed and established truth can never be universal, as one or the other will doubt it’s veracity. We only interpret reality which we do not know in its totality. This unknown or partially known reality is the only truth. The subjective interpretations are all individual’s or a groups’ perceptions, which come only in fractions, and not in its entirety. We see realities from our possible and perceived ‘angles’, and they are only partially true.

No man-made Religions (faith-system) are universally true. Yet, we all within our  partial truth-experience, claim them to be the best and the absolute.  It is quite natural to do so, because we all suffer from spiritual worldliness and religious pride, claiming that which is mine is the best.   We can never be certain about the  objective  truth, except that we believe  it to be so. This  belief is in some systems, codes, creed, rituals and norms. Therefore, we can only acknowledge and claim that these systems and codes are true. If this is so, human limitations in knowing the Truth should make us humble. We need to look at our faith experience and belief, as a part of the reality, and not the only reality. We cannot insist on our view of reality and forcefully load it on others. The fact is, truth as a continuous process, it evolves and expands.

Let us consider the concept of divine revelation in religions. The interpretation of these revelations found in the Sacred Scriptures, believed to  contain revelations from the Almighty, significantly vary  according to diverse religious traditions. These texts are considered absolute truth by the believers. However, different biblical scholars and theologians interpret the Scripture contents differently based on different criteria and methods. Some passages are understood as metaphorical while others, as a direct command from God. The interpretations of passages on morality, salvation, and prophecy (exegesis, hermeneutics) contained in the believed-to-be divinely inspired Bible, diverge across denominations, e.g. creation story in Genesis—whether literal or allegorical. Again, within the Religion, the countless sects/denominations emphasize in varied measures the different aspects of the texts. These variations arise due to socio-cultural context, personal experiences, and individual perspectives. Each believer’s understanding of divine truth is shaped by their upbringing, traditions, education, and spiritual journey which is ever evolving with time and space. Thus, while the core texts remain constant, the subjective prism through which they are viewed, leads to diverse interpretations. In short, the concept of universal Truth in the light of varied interpretations of revelations, exemplifies how religious truths are inherently subjective. What resonates as profound and absolute for one person may differ significantly for another, highlighting the relativity of spiritual understanding that constantly evolves and expands.

Similarly, we recognize and acknowledge Jesus’ uniqueness in so far as it evolves and expands in its understanding of the Truth in our present situation.  His pre-eminence flows from his uniqueness, in as much as his words, actions  and the experiences of his disciples/followers evolve with the present interpretation of his actual life, words and works. Yet, the extent of understanding of such interpretations is only partial. Christians believe, Jesus is the Wisdom, he is the Message. But they are understood and interpreted in our partial human ways. Christianity may deny to be a system of ideas, even though there are gradually developed doctrines, system, norms, codes and creed. It is also claimed that Christianity is not a moral code of conduct for human behaviour; that it is not an "ism,” (monotheism). To say, on the contrary that Christianity is a person, – that no idea can substitute for the person of Christ– is contradictory and erroneous, because it is a man-made religion with a developed system of belief, relied upon some doctrines codes, creed, customs and rituals.  The person of Jesus, believed to be ever living and active in the Church today, itself is an idea out of our memory, – a belief in the notional idea of Jesus, as a person. In reality, he is a distant figure of History who lived and died, but made alive through the Christian belief, that through a divine power he is living and active in the Church and in the world. This is only a fraction, a partial belief of an individual or a community of the Absolute Truth, called God, Allah, Parameswara, the Almighty, Mother, or ‘Father’ as addressed by Jesus.