“What does Christmas mean to you?” I asked Habiba. She exclaimed how much she loves the holiday
season because of all the lights and decorations, etc. “Do you know the meaning
of Christmas?” I pressed. “No,” she replied. “I just love everything because it
is a happy beautiful time.” I don’t always start right away with telling the
Biblical story of Christmas but talk about the decorations and why we have come
to use them nowadays. It is fun using
Christmas traditions or legends for redemptive purposes with my Muslim
friends. You can read in Woman to Woman, Sharing Jesus with a Muslim
Friend, how, in the Christmas season, I frequently use the legend of the
white, red and green striped candy cane.
This year I am using the tradition of hanging
Christmas stockings. There are different legends which have come down to us but
I like the one when Saint Nicholas went to a function where a servant girl took
his coat to hang up and they got into a conversation. She was sad because she
had to work so hard to help pay off her father’s debts. One day out of
compassion for the servant girl and her father, Saint Nicholas decided to visit
their home. Her washed stockings were hung at the fireplace to dry. He quietly dropped some gold coins in them to
pay off their debts. Discovering the coins in the stockings the next morning
the servant girl was overjoyed because now their outstanding debts were paid
for and she would be free to get married and start a family and enjoy her very
own Christmas.
No one likes to have a debt hanging over their head to pay off. Personally this year, a
major earthly debt was paid off and it feels wonderful. Everyone dreams of being
debt free! There is a debt – a sin debt - that has to be paid but we are unable
to pay it off even with an abundance of good works, praying or fasting, but
Jesus came to earth for this express purpose to pay our debt and set us free by
His atoning death on the cross for our sins. What a huge act of kindness
extended to us by Jesus Christ. I bought
a large red Christmas stocking and had DEBT embroidered on one side of the cuff
and on the other side PAID. This is the
story I am telling my friends this year. For little children I bought miniature sized
red stockings which are meant to hang on the Christmas tree like ornaments. I
will put chocolates in them to give as a small gift and tell them the story,
too, in a relevant way for children to understand.
Witnessing at Christmas time is very exciting for me
because the opportunities are rich.
Dear heavenly Father, it is so wonderful to have my
sin-debt paid for and to enjoy the free gift of eternal life. Thank you from
the bottom of my heart. In Jesus’ name,
Amen. 
