Realising the Significance Of Christmas

Tomorrow is Christmas and expectedly Christians and indeed the entire humanity are commemorating the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ with fanfare, carol rendition, shopping, travelling and visits to amusement sites.

To believers, the coming of Jesus Christ is worth celebrating as it symbolises the total Salvation of man from sin. Jesus came as a ransom of redemption out of God’s love for mankind, even when our sins at the Garden of Eden distanced us from Him.

However, instead of appreciating God’s sacrifice and honouring Jesus Christ, some Christians and non Christians alike embark on mere hysterical celebration of Christmas without recourse to its essence. By their action, Christmas is synonymous with religious fanfare and excessive indulgence in unworthy lifestyle.

But if the reason for the season remains constant that Christ came as a saviour of mankind and must be celebrated, Christmas therefore, amidst the usual festivities, must be a time for sober reflection. It is a time to show appreciation for God’s goodness in our life and a time to proclaim Him, through our actions, as the author and creator of the universe.

Indeed, the significance of the birth of Christ must not be lost within the Christmas frenzy. This, the holy book explains as (i) the need for preparation for encounter with Jesus Christ (ii) the knowledge of God which was not possible until Jesus Christ came as a revelation (iii) the essence of forgiveness which was derived from the birth of the son of God, and (iv) walking in the way of peace, a virtue attained by His birth.

Against this backdrop, the 2009 Christmas celebration should be a dream come true as The Tide calls on our esteemed readers to join Christians the world over to make the best of the season by touching lives positively, especially the less privileged ones in our society. Only this way can we ensure that God’s love for us is not in vain.

Nevertheless, we are not oblivious of the determined efforts of some individuals and corporate organisations to alleviate poverty in their neighbourhoods and eliminate hardship among the poor, but we urge all Nigerians to imbibe the true Christian value of being our brother’s keeper.

At Christmas, we should seek God’s face and ask for forgiveness of sins of omission or commission arising from our selfish actions. Let us use this period of Christmas to ask for God’s special grace to lift our country away from any form of stagnation and under-development.

Despite human frailties and infirmities of character, God’s ever forgiving disposition has been exemplified through Jesus Christ. But on our own let us take stock of our national lapses since independence and resolve that as individuals we can change our fortune and begin to make things work.

Obviously, the lessons of Christmas can be the much needed solution to, not only our domestic problems of ethnicity, religion, greed, corruption and other societal vices, but an antidote to a world full of hatred and devoid of the spirit of forgiveness.

It is indeed worrisome that human race is held hostage by excruciating and dehumanizing policies of some nation states and even more worrisome that human beings have taken it upon themselves to exhibit wickedness by exterminating lives at will through various violent means such as suicide bombings.

For the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us sheath the sword and refrain from robbery, cultism, drug addiction, kidnapping or militancy and cease to shed blood of innocent citizens.

If God can show us love and forgiveness despite our sinful nature even when our actions, positive or negative, cannot reduce or add to His sovereignty, why can’t we as human beings exercise restraint and accommodate one another no matter the provocation?

If nothing, Christmas should be a time to reflect and redress human shortcomings from January to December, and a period to equally make plan for the New Year, more so, as the world struggles under the weight of the current economic meltdown.

From the family units to the communities and the states to various countries, the message of Christmas remains the same, and as we say merry Christmas to the good people of Rivers State and Nigerians, let us know that for any selfless contribution we make the society is better for it.

At Christmas, we should emphasise more on things of God and de-emphasise materialism. God has shown us mercy and we should be kind enough to extend same to our neighbours since the measure we give is the measure we shall receive.