I love the
Christmas season – the colors, the plenty food, the aura, and of course, the
gifts. I’m not a very big fan of Christmas movies – too mushy for me. But I’m a
great fan of Christmas songs. When I was in college, I usually gathered my
collection from as early as August. These days, so I don’t seem weird, I start
by November. People do different things
for Christmas. In my home country, growing up, I watched parents make new
clothes and buy new shoes for their children at Christmas. Several people
cooked special meals and did special things at Christmas. Although, that was
never the kind of Christmas my siblings and I had. As pastors’ kids, while
others were at Christmas parties on Christmas day, we were camping out in either
a dilapidated school building or some field somewhere in a village. While
others cooked and ate special meals, some even killing chickens, turkeys,
goats, and rams, our special meal was mass-prepared jollof rice with little
piece(s) of chicken or goat meat. Our parents didn’t buy us Christmas clothes,
or make us a banquet, or treat Christmas the way others did. We put up a
Christmas tree in our home every year, but the wrapped up boxes under the tree
were empty, not containing gifts for us. Surprisingly, then and now, I have
never felt deprived of Christmas pleasure. We learned in the church my parents serve
as pastors in that Christmas is never about us – it is about Jesus. So on
Christmas day, all of us (believers in all the different branches of our church
body in the country) went out to share the love of Christ to people, to tell non-believers
the real meaning of Christmas, and to plant churches – places of worship –
for these new believers who accepted our gospel message. Simply put, Christmas
for us was purely “missions”.
If everyone took
some time to really think about it, we would see that that’s indeed the best
way to spend our time this season – telling people about what and Who makes
Christmas Christmas. It’s so sad that we all – children, adults, believers, and
non-believers – have made Christmas about ourselves. We have kids expecting new
and cool gifts. There are mothers planning great feasts with family and friends.
Some fathers burst their butts trying to make money at any cost, by any means
this season, so as to make their families happy at Christmas. There are lovers
having unholy premarital/extramarital sex to celebrate a holy, spotless Savior
that, of course, they fail to acknowledge. Even non-Christians, that is, people
of other religious beliefs, also celebrate Christmas. If this wasn’t so sad, it
would have been funny. What are they celebrating anyway? How can one celebrate
the birthday of a Savior he/she openly despises?
See, there’s
nothing wrong with having Christmas traditions (I have mine too). I believe
Jesus would have been happy about all this euphoria going on because of Him.
But I don’t think He’s happy that we have made it about our selfish selves.
Sharing gifts, eating big meals, showing love, etc., are all great if we just
can make it all about the celebrant – JESUS. Let’s share His love with
unbelievers. Let’s make them know that Christmas is indeed the most wonderful
time of the year. And it is so not because of toasted marshmallows or chestnuts
roasting on an open fire. The love we feel at Christmas isn’t because of the
gifts we receive or the people around us. It’s in Jesus alone that true love
can be found. It’s not a turkey and some mistletoes that make this season glow.
It’s Jesus, the one and only Savior of mankind, who brings glow to a person’s
life. And glow, shine, radiance do not have to be only once a year; it can be
every day if one just let’s Jesus in.
So, fellow
believers, let’s take up the challenge. Share Jesus’ love. Make this Christmas ALL
about the Almighty Celebrant.
***
PS: My family always
moved the celebration to January 1st – just so you wouldn’t think we
were such a sad family :)
