Jan 6, 2021
It was a pleasantly warm Christmas Eve Night. A gentle breeze was blowing to keep the temperature at a comfortable 70 degrees. The moon peeped in and out from behind the clouds as they drifted by, casting light and shadows on the trees and plants outside. They seemed to reverberate the message that it is time…time to slow down, enjoy the moment, and enjoy being with family and friends. The very atmosphere seemed charged with joy, peace, love, memories, friendship, kindness, gentleness—in a word, sweetness! The birth of Jesus Christ was prevalent. A Christmas carol was playing in the background. My mind moved indoors where my mother had made her usual dozen Christmas Fruit Cakes which were sitting on the dining room table. She made them to give as gifts. They were pristine: shiny, aromatic, filling the entire house with the flavors of orange and pineapple peels, raisins, maraschino cherries, molasses, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla. Each year, we soaked the dried, diced peels and raisins in rum and every year at this time, my mother, a skilled chef and baker, would call all her daughters to help her. We started baking two to three days before Christmas Eve so we would have the cakes ready for delivery on Christmas Eve. It was truly a family affair: my was job to enjoy licking the bowl clean; my father coming later to sample the finished product; my sisters and I washing the baking dishes; my brother coming in and out of the house taking dips in the batter and grabbing a sample or two. We handmade these cakes, blending the rum-soaked fruits into a puree, making a small batch in the mixer and then getting a large bowl to mix the larger portions. Labor-intensive but well worth it.
Our home smelled delicious enough to eat. Now, this type of cake is nothing like the fruit cakes sold in the United States of America. It is so much a part of our culture that they grace weddings as well…very special cake. As part of the season, we celebrate with a sweetened drink called sorrel made from the red flowers of the sorrel plant and spiced with ginger and cloves. Poinsettias beautify landscapes and public areas as the red leaves come into full bloom in mid-December and last for several months. All around, homes are decorated with lights and streamers. The stores and malls are open later than usual to handle the shopping demands. Yet, there was always for me a “sweetness” about Christmas; a healing that soothed my soul and my heart, comforted me, and cleansed me. I felt that Heaven had come to Earth once again.
Born in the beautiful tropical island of Jamaica, I knew Christmas as always being warm. Always! It may have gotten to 65 degrees one year and boy, did we bundle up then. But, no matter where I was, Christmas had a charm that no other time of the year had. It brought with it a healing power that was reminiscent of the Healing Power of Jesus Christ. It made me reflect on Jesus coming to Earth from Heaven, from the realms that are unseen, the realms where GOD the Father exists into the realm of where I exist. Now, that’s a grand statement that I pray we will grasp. He came from the realms where GOD the Father exists into the realm where I exist (worth saying again), where you and I exist. Where is the realm where we exist? The physical, the material, the natural, we call it. But, He also came so we could enter the Spiritual, the Supernatural, the Unseen, the realm where He Lives, even while we are residents on the Earth. Currently, we enter through prayer, through worship, through reading and meditating on Scripture. The Holy Spirit manifests on the Earth in these times and I am persuaded, He can express Himself in our natural elements—senses, thoughts, emotions, and body. We sing the hymn, “He Lives,” where the chorus says, “He walks with me and He talks with me along life’s narrow way. He lives! He lives, Salvation to impart! You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.” I think the songwriter knew something that is very profound and powerful. One day, however, we will enter as citizens of Heaven and behold our Savior and King. Can I get an amen?
The connection of the spiritual with the “unspiritual,” the meeting of the natural and the supernatural, the enjoining of Realms was accomplished through the Messiah, Jesus Christ, Y’Shua. He single-handedly bridged my world to His, granting all who believe in Him access and transmission of His Divine Nature into the affairs of men. Yes, this is what the Baby born in a manger came to do and did do. The minute He was conceived, the Bridge was manifest. The minute He entered this world, He brought the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth and our world would never be the same.
Although it is questionable that Jesus was born in December, even as a child I knew the LORD had put a special touch on this time of the year; maybe because it acknowledges His Son and the Season of His Coming to accomplish GOD’s Purpose of Salvation for all under the curse of sin. When Jesus presented on Earth as a Babe, all the Prophecies concerning Him were being fulfilled in Him at that very moment; the enemy’s attempts could not prevent the Omnipotent. Birth, growth, death, burial, and resurrection were happening at the same time. I have come to understand through the Holy Spirit, Jesus willingly came to Earth. Although this plan meant pain, agony, and suffering for Him and the Father, Jesus knew it also brought joy to the Heart of the Father.
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. —Isaiah 53:10
We know this Scripture is referring to Jesus because the Holy Spirit, the Author of the WORD, mentions here, “when thou shalt make His Soul an offering for sin.” Jesus was the Only One made to be a sin offering for all mankind.
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. —2 Corinthians 5:21
We cannot separate Christmas from Passover; they are forever joined and hence, the Prophecies are substantial to our faith. We have cited a few verses from the Book of Isaiah previously. In this Book, we see the prophecy of His Birth and the Healing Power of the Messiah He brought with Him, indicating He came to do both.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. —Isaiah 9:6
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. —Isaiah 61:1-3
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. —Isaiah 53:5
Isaiah, son of Amoz, was the “visionary” prophet who had a specialized calling to handle the Messiah- ship Proclamation carefully and precisely, hundreds of years before the Incarnate set foot on the Earth. It was apparent the LORD trusted this Proclamation to one whose name reflected His very Heart and hence the Spirit of the Message. The name Isaiah, a derivative of the Hebrew word יְשַׁעְיָהוÌ “Yesha’yahu” means “Yahweh (YHVH) is Salvation/ Yahweh is Generous”. Wow! Incredible! The LORD echoes through the name, Isaiah, and the Message that GOD WANTS TO SAVE, including the natural aspects of man, that is his body. The means through which YHVH’s Salvation will be delivered to man is spelled out in the prophecies, promises, and vows written in the Book of Isaiah and elsewhere.
Many may not have considered these verses as Prophecies and Promises about Christmas or that Christmas has anything to do with healing, health, and wellness. Well, we might have a generic thought that it does. Yet, as I pursue this amazing journey He has called us to live, Salvation in and through His Son Jesus Christ by His Holy Spirit, I am more and more convinced the Finished Work of Jesus Christ is entirely about every believer receiving the Gift of Life Eternal and its impact on our physical, natural world. The LORD reigns! Blessed be the Name of the LORD! He is King over life and the GOD-Sized Blessing Who came as a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothing, wrapped in human skin, bones, muscles, and flesh. He came to die so we could live.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. —Isaiah 9:2
When the LORD made man [Genesis 2:7], He breathed into him His Breath of Perfect Health
with the intention that man would be a testimony of the One Who is Healthy. Jesus Christ, Y’Shua, is perfectly healthy, perfectly healed, perfectly well.
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
—1 John 4:17
Isaiah wrote of the Healing Power of Christmas so those in the immediate and distant future will have hope of life eternal and all that the Savior came to complete through His Atoning Sacrifice. Jesus entered the Synagogue…
And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.’ And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, ‘This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.’ —Luke 4:17-21
As we enter into the Christmas Season, let us remember this Scripture was fulfilled allowing the Healing Power of GOD to be available to us. We have faced a very challenging 2020 and I know His Healing is needed on this side of Heaven. Mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual strains and stresses have put many at risk of becoming depressed, fearful, anxious, filled with worry, confusion, and lack of motivation. THERE IS HOPE! THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE. This season is made for US. The LORD designed it to help us HEAL. I keep hearing from the media, “Christmas may not look the same”—meaning it will be celebrated differently: limited gathering, virtual events, smaller family meetings, and a reduction or elimination of the usual Christmas activities. For the born-again believer, one thing that remains the same no matter what is happening is the focus is JESUS, the Truths of His Coming, and the Fulfillment of His Promises to us. I encourage us to meditate on these verses, allowing the Holy Spirit to minister His Truths of Healing to our hearts, and experiencing the reality of what Jesus’ First Coming to Earth accomplished.
I can say that my Christmas experience was the LORD bringing His Presence to my world, my life, to heal me and set me free from the bondage of sin. I felt Him near. I knew He was near. I understood His Heart clearly. Even the atmosphere, the plants, and the physical environment were affected. That’s the Healing Power of Christmas.
Merry Christmas, family.
By Julia Coleman
Christ is my life. I can say this with veracity and conviction. About 25 years ago, I had an experience of the supernatural kind that gave me a glimpse into the inner workings of the enemy over the lives of those on the Earth and the Supreme Victory accomplished through the Blood of Jesus Christ, my Savior and LORD. I was born in Kingston, Jamaica, a former member of Mountain View Seventh Day Baptist Church in Kingston, currently a member of Shiloh Seventh Day Baptist Church in Shiloh, New Jersey, the last of four siblings, a mother of two phenomenal boys, wife to one very handsome and anointed, Spirit-filled man, and I am committed to serving the geriatric population and their families. I love to sing, read, write music, sew, cook and clean…yeah, I know that is strange to love cleaning. I was 16 years old when I made a sure commitment to make Jesus Christ LORD and Savior of my life. I enjoy worshipping the LORD; there is nothing like it. I enjoy being with Him through singing, art and composition, meditating on the WORD of GOD, prophetic surveillance, interpretive dance and flagging, prayer and fasting, corporate gathering, small group talks, and direction, and any other way He chooses. I look forward to the day I will see Him face to face and give Him the biggest, longest hug ever! May GOD bless you and keep you; may He make His face to shine upon you and give you His Shalom!
