Embracing the True Spirit of Christmas: Hope, Love, and Light in Christ

Greetings brothers and Sisters in Christ.

Merry Christmas.

The date of Christmas is an inconclusive long debate. However, Christmas is not about dates, but the fact and the reality of history. Christ was born and the purpose of His coming in the flesh was and is, to bring hope to the hopeless world.

I pray and hope that this Season reminds us all of the fact of Incarnation, Jesus Christ, the Messiah was born. Strangely enough, this time is often characterised by depression, not just for men and women in general but including Christians. Some of this is probably due to the fact that we spent considerable time, money and effort making the celebration of Christmas enjoyable, and yet the returns have been minimal. A great cause of this humanity’s depression is the divorcing of the season from its fact and reality; The reality of Christmas is the fact of Christ’s incarnation; God came in the flesh.  

John 1:1-3,14;

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Let us reflect on the following deducible principles from Scriptures;

• The principle of humility: Christ was born, not in mansion or some five star hotels, but in a horse manger (Luke 2:7). God (John 1:1-3, 14) became flesh. There is no comparative level of demonstration of humility than incarnation. Let this Christmas remind us of the principle of humility. Through humility, Christ conquered sin and death and now about 2.38 billion human beings, which is one-third of global population call themselves by His name. Let us be reminded during this season of the principal principle of humility. We can conquer our life’s challenges through humility.
• The Principle of love: Christ became flesh as God’s fullest expression of love; “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life, (John 3:16, NIV). Many people are very uncourteous and go to the extent of killing each other during this season. This is because they divorce the season from its purpose of the unconditional love. Christmas season, should remind each one of us to be courteous, loving, showing concern for family, friends, neighbours, and community.
• The Principle of unshakeable Hope: Christ became flesh (was born), became a human being, identified with human beings in their limitations and sufferings, died and rose again to give humanity eternal life. As such, Christmas, is a season of hope, that no matter what and how life has treated you, you have reason of hope in Christ.
• The principle of Light: Christ is the Light and Christmas reminds us of the coming of light in the world. I encourage you to reflect on the profound truth that the Light has come and that His presence empowers us to shine even in challenging times (Isaiah 60:1). Let us commit to walking in His light as we serve our families, communities, and nations with humility, integrity, and unwavering faith.

As we look forward to 2025, let us remain steadfast, unified, and expectant of greater things to come. May the message of Christmas inspire us to keep shining, keep serving, and keep proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the hope for Africa and the world.
From my family to yours, I wish you a joyful Christmas filled with humility,  love, hope, peace, and the abiding presence of our Saviour. May His light continue to guide us into a new year of impact and purpose.

Merry Christmas.