Staying for Christmas in Sweden, I couldn’t even imagine how nice and fulfilling this experience will be!
I celebrated Christmas at Lugnet Church in Falun. There were great people, fika, traditional food, and Christmas music. After the church event we joined a very nice family for further celebration with Santa, presents, and another fika! At that time I wished I could speak better Swedish, to be able to talk with the kids, who were showing me all their toys and were trying to get me involved in their games. That was a good incentive to improve. In the evening we played a game, in which we needed to guess the names of the person and place, which were stuck to our foreheads. This seems to be quite a popular game in Sweden:) The whole atmosphere was very pleasant. I was feeling absolutely happy on that day and met amazing new friends!
For me Christmas is not only a holiday when people have fun and exchange presents, but also a reminder of what actually happened on that day and why Jesus had to be born at all. For those who are not very familiar with the original meaning of Christmas, here’s the main idea:
Initially God created human beings for a happy and abundant life in His presence. After the fall of Adam and Eve, the human nature became sinful, separating people from God. This is the reason why Jesus was born, to give a second chance. The Bible says: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Christ came to die for sins and pay the price, so that people can be with God again. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Bible calls it a gift of salvation that a person can receive through faith, regardless of how righteous their previous life has been. This is the good news that Christmas brings. And this is what Christians are celebrating.
