Christmas is an annual festival observed by Christians all over the world to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind, who is also the personification of Divinity.
This remarkable day in Christendom is observed on the 25th of December every year as a religious and cultural ceremony among billions of people all over the world. It is the most important festival in the Christian region, observed with great pomp and pageantry.
The coming of Jesus in human history, celebrated at Christmas, had been foretold centuries earlier by the prophets in Palestine. The Prophet Isaiah had prophesied that ‘a virgin will conceive and bear a son, and she will call Him Immanuel’ a name which means ‘God with us.’
Christmas is a moment for sober reflection because Jesus Christ was born at a time when ignorance, superstition, greed, hatred, and hypocrisy prevailed upon the land. It was also at a time when purity was forgotten and morality was thrown to the winds.
It was amid these unfavourable but prevailing conditions, that Christ was born and he worked as a transformation in the lives of the people who came across him. Following these developments, he gave a new spiritual turn to the lives of man, which brought a change upon the land.
While this was going on, people started a new way of life. Thus, a new era dawned on the world.
In truth, the real Christmas is when the Divine element begins to express itself in the heart of men. From then, light begins to shine over darkness.
The spiritual significance of Christmas is that Jesus Christ was not born in a grand palace, and was not born to very wealthy or learned parents, but in a simple lowly place, 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 perfectly humble, meek, and poor in spirit. The quality of true humility is one of the indispensable fundamentals of a Christian life expressed during Christmas.
For the celebration, great preparations are made. All Christians, rich or poor, know that the basic message of Christmas is the announcement 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 gifts of the Magi that were given to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in their act of worship, or the gifts that are shared between family and friends in this Christmas festival, should be recognized and emphasized in our celebrations. However, 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 message of God’s incarnation in human flesh and the gift of His son, Jesus Christ, 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 man’s heart apart from 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 repeated in gifts and contributions. All the same, Christians need to make sure that Christmas celebrations are for the Glory of God and nothing else.
The power of the child Jesus is not based on might and wealth, but love. It is a power that gives new birth, pardons transgressions, brings about reconciliation, and transforms evil into good. It is the power of service that inaugurates the kingdom of God in our world, a kingdom of justice and peace, a kingdom of light and truth. The power of the child Jesus is not based on might and wealth, but love.
It is the power of service that inaugurates the kingdom of God in our world, a kingdom of justice and peace, a kingdom of light and truth.
Christmas is that divine occasion in which God became man in order to restore fallen man to his divinely intended purpose. The Son of God voluntarily took initiative in His grace to condescend and come down from heaven as seen in John’s gospel.
As we prepare for the year 2025, which is barely a few days away, Nigerians should use the period of Christmas to pray fervently for the Lord to step into the boat of our lives and change every negative situation that concerns us for abundant good.
On the social impact of Christmas, the celebration brings not only families together but also the entire ethnic groups in Nigeria. As one of the holiest times of the year, the season for the commemoration of the birth of Christ should be a time for sober reflection, a time to say no to terrorism, armed robbery, prostitution, religious bigotry, Satanism, and kidnappings.
Instructively, Nigerians are blessed with diverse cultures and religions that are pointers to the intent of harmony, peaceful co-existence, and assistance to all those in need, especially in this festive season of promises.
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