Christians all over the world are observing today as Christmas. It is the commemoration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour of mankind, Jesus Christ. Christmas is one of the most important festivals for Christians.
Observed with great pomp and pageantry, Christmas which marks the end of Advent season is a moment of sober reflection. Jesus Christ was born at a time when ignorance, superstition, greed, hatred and hypocrisy prevailed upon the land. Also, at that time, purity was undermined and morality was at low ebb. People lived life of lust, anger, greed, delusion, attachment, pride and jealousy.
In the midst of these unfavourable conditions, Christ was born which brought a change upon the land and new dawned to the world .
The real Christmas is when the divine element begins to express itself in the heart of men which enables light to dispel darkness. The significance of Christmas is that Jesus Christ was not born in a grand palace. He was not born to very wealthy or elite parents, but in a simple lowly place, at a corner of a stable. Jesus Christ was born to humble and poor parents, who had nothing to boast about, except their own spotless character and holiness.
This significance aptly tells us that the spiritual awakening comes to the seeker, who is humble, meek and poor in spirit. The quality of true humility is one of the indispensable fundamentals of a Christian life.
However, the basic message of Christmas is that God, the Almighty creator of the universe, has come into the world in human form. This is the news of God’s incarnation in human flesh.
The primary and most important gift is God’s gift of His one and only son, whom he sent into the world to save mankind.
Without the gift of His son, Jesus, for the salvation of the world, the celebration of Christmas by Christians or anyone else is just another secular festival among many on one’s calendar of annual holidays. Truly, there can be no peace on earth or real joy in a human’s heart without the spirit of Jesus Christ.
The gifts of these blessings, through the birth of Jesus Christ, are worth celebrating and the sharing of God’s love to the world is worth repeating over and over again in gifts and contributions.
However, Christians should ensure that Christmas celebrations are for the Glory of God and not for self glorification .
Christmas should bring, not only families together, but also the entire ethnic groups in Nigeria.
The commemoration of the birth of Christ should be a time to say no to terrorism, armed robbery, prostitution, religious bigotry, Satanism and kidnappings.
As Nigerians expect good things in 2025, our prayer is that the birth of Christ will bring peace, healing and solution to challenges facing the country and touch heart of leaders to make policies that will impact positively on lives .
Merry Christmas and Happy New year!
SIR JONATHAN NZEKWE
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