Rosalind P. Ngullie
Asst. Professor, St. Joseph’s College, Jakhama.
The rich centuries old tradition of Christmas is here once again which commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is the time to look into meaningfully about Christ birth and life, His message and His mission and His sacrifice for humanity. As is with any other festival Christmas too has been observed by families and world over. It gives an appealing environment, bringing you feelings of light and joyous celebration that marked Heavenly Father’s gift of his beloved son as our redeemer. Many wonderful things direct our attention to the sublime where ordinary things become captivating. It has always been a special time for both young and old, the rich and the poor, a time the aged renew their youth and smile in the old glad way. A time to forget the things that are small and wretched.
The celebration of Christmas is often accompanied by the giving and receiving of presents and cards, stockings on the wall, decorated Christmas tree, and not forgetting the mythical figure Santa Claus and his sack of presents and many more. We also need to look into his life not forgetting his very first day on this earth, a baby born in a stable wrapped snugly in cloth and who was laid in a feeding trough on a cold winter night. Even as we reflect His life on earth, He was a saviour who kneeled down humbly and stooped for the outcast and His life was the quintessence of truth, love, bliss, contentment, justice, obedience, forgiveness and reconciliation.
As we prepare way for Christ, this Christmas. Let us consider the many trifle things we often used to adorn this season. Dinners with family and friends, putting up lights, pressure of buying the perfect gifts, decorating homes, attending parties which became a distinctive part of this sacred time. Sometimes we fail to accomplish the perfect picture Christmas, we fail to set up or put on what we really wished for and the need for money to do justice for everybody. Somehow, the magic shatters and the and the season becomes a time of stress, fear, anxiety and frustration and even disappointment preventing what could have been a wonderful experience. Even more, Christmas celebration became an increasingly a commercial interest, popular holiday pastime and much of immoral indulgence of pleasure and money. We have little time to actually enjoy the real meaning of Christmas. How cold and condemning, ungrateful and unholy we are to have an incomplete understanding of what Christmas really is. Although Jesus is the reason for the season, He is often overlooked, overdone and overpriced. The person whose birthday we are supposed to be celebrating is completely ignored.
Today it is worthy to retrospect the inveterate misconception about Christmas celebration. God gave us wonderful news that has caused us all to celebrate and rejoice. Christmas is a time to celebrate that God loves you, a beautiful statement from the Bible: “God loved the world so much that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” the entire reason for Christmas is the love of God. How blessed to commemorate His birth meaningfully. It is usually something we read a verse of scriptures, we hear a sacred carol and really listen to its words or we witness a sincere expression of love and kindness, perhaps by willing to open our hearts and minds to the true spirit of Christ life and transformed it into extraordinary spiritual experience, in one way or the other the spirit touch our hearts and we see that Christmas in its essence is much more sturdy and enduring than the many minor things we too often used to decorate it. He came to earth as a human so you could get to know him and trust him and love him back, live like Him. We can do something different this Christmas which would bring greater emotional fulfilment than just the usual merry making of things to do, places to go, people to see, presents to open. His birth was a gift to all of us. Let us celebrate with humility and thankfulness rather than being too worldly. In this marvellous dispensation to the fullness of times, we can ask ourselves what would have the Lord have me give to Him or to others at this precious season of the year. Well you can give a great and wonderful Christmas if you remember the gifts God has given you and as best you can, offer them to others as He would, that is the spirit of Christmas and of true happiness everyday. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you have done, or where you have been. May we understand Christmas rather than just enjoying it.
