Christmas - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 1999 - 100 Pfennig

The birth of Christ changed the world. Looking at Christmas today, the first impression seems to contradict that. Although many people know the name "Christmas feast," the content and form of Christmas are often determined differently. Accordingly, everyday life often continues immediately after the holidays. In the process, the special aspect of the birth of Christ is quickly experienced on closer examination. The outer, historical story tells of the birth of a working-class child whose parents were poor people and at the same time homeless. Like many other families, she was on the run, her child was unwanted with the king. There was also a lot of shadow on Jesus' later life. Finally, he was executed as a troublemaker of the company in a quick trial. The inner story is more meaningful and not at all commonplace. Very different people - reported by both shepherds and wise men from the East - engaged intensively with the newborn and later herald of the Kingdom of God. They were open to announcing new experiences, even if these announcements did not fit into the world at the time. One of Jesus' most important statements is that no one, no matter how despised, insignificant or useless, is lost to God. This became apparent in Jesus' own way of life, in the fate of the nativity scene in the crib, and in the resurrection of the one apparently abandoned by God on the cross. Thus, the events on the path of Jesus between Christmas and Easter determine the meaning and purpose of all human life.