Christmas celebration is that time of the year when city dwellers make a beeline to their homes in rural towns. It is time for family’ reunions as people return to their ancestral homes to celebrate the Christmas festival. Every Christmas will witness a mass return of people to their hometowns.
But how do we know that Christmas is at hand? We know that Christmas is around the corner when the airwaves are filled with melodious Christmas songs and carols. And Christmas parties will be held, too, at which young people will belt out popular Christmas songs, zestfully and happily.
Another telltale sign that announces the arrival of the Christmas period is the onset of the harmattan period. It comes with the chill in the air. And during the harmattan period, it is bitingly cold at night. So people will wrap themselves in heavy clothes to keep warm. But then, when we spread our washings on the clothesline, they will dry quickly.
Again, at that time, our lips will become chapped, and the soles of our feet will crack from the dryness that characterises the period. So our lips and bodies will yearn for the caress of Vaseline creams and other body creams that can mitigate the effects of the harmattan season on us. And at that time, people tend to suffer cough and catarrh resulting from their inhalation of dust particles.
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More so, during the period, cars travelling on untarred village roads will cause rain of dust to spiral skywards, eddying and making the atmosphere hazy. That is why houses, which are built near the roadsides, wear the colour of ochre, the earth’s colour during the yuletide period.
But what is Christmas? Simply put, Christmas is the commemoration of the birthday of Jesus Christ, who is our lord and redeemer. His birth was foretold hundreds of years before the Virgin Mary gave birth to Him in a lowly manger in Bethlehem. Jesus, who was born into poor and humble circumstances, descended from the lineage of Jesse, the father of King David.
The birth of Jesus Christ is known as the immaculate conception because Virgin Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph, became pregnant without having coitus with Joseph. While Joseph was contemplating how to put her away, an angel of God appeared to him and counselled him not to take that course of action. Matthew 1:19-20 says this about that: “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of God, fear not to take unto Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.”
Again, Jesus Christ was a remarkable, renowned, and influential religious figure who walked the face of the earth more than two thousand years ago. During His sojourn on this terrestrial sphere, He espoused and propagated the messages of salvation and love. And He performed miracles such as raising people from the dead, calming a tempestuous sea, healing the sick, walking on water, and feeding a multitude of people with five loaves of bread and two fish(es).
More so, Jesus Christ’s radical and revolutionary teachings, which had profound effects on people who lived in different human epochs, put Him on a collision course with the Jewish rulers of His time. He was accused of saying that He was the son of God. And His statement that he would destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days baffled people. For His teachings and utterances, which were disharmonious with the extant Jewish laws, He was crucified between two thieves, one of whom was Barabbas. The records of Jesus Christ’s birth, childhood, and earthly ministry are contained in the synoptic gospel.
However, while some religious scholars hold the opinion that Jesus Christ was a historical person who actually lived, others posit that he was a mythical figure. They said that the biblical stories about Jesus Christ are allegories, which are concocted and designed to instill good morals into people and make them believe in God. Their exegetic disquisitions and postulations portray Jesus Christ as an unchaste man who had a sexual liaison with Mary Magdalene. It is said of him that Mary Magdalene was His l’amour.
But the indisputable fact is that the teachings attributed to Jesus Christ have had a revolutionary impact on peoples of all races. His teachings, we all know, centre on God’s kingdom and the centrality of charity in our interactions with one another. If we possess the virtue of love and demonstrate it in our daily interactions with other people, our earth will become an oasis of peace.
For example, a man who loves other people will not strap bombs on his body and detonate them in a place crowded with people. If our political leaders are actuated by the feelings of love, they will not loot our exchequer to enrich themselves at our own expense. And the ritualists who mindlessly kill other people for money-making rituals do not possess the virtue of love.
But it is saddening that love is a scarce commodity among people who profess the Christian faith. As Christians, it behoves us to emulate Jesus Christ’s exemplary lifestyle, especially His character trait that has got to do with the demonstration of empathy. And this yuletide period, which is about the commemoration of the birthday of Jesus Christ, is an auspicious time for us to start reenacting and demonstrating His teachings in our daily living.
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So during this Christmas period, it is incumbent on well-heeled people to look at the ways of the poor and the underprivileged in our society and give them financial succour to enable them to celebrate Christmas. We should also visit the orphanages and correctional centres and offer material gifts to their inmates. In addition to doing that, we should lift their depressed spirits and moods with soothing and encouraging words. They should not be forgotten; neither should they be left to their own fate.
We should also note that the anniversary of Jesus Christ’s birth ought not to be marked by our bingeing on food and drinks and indulging in illicit sexual promiscuity. Rather, it should be time for our engagement in the act of sober reflection and soul searching so as to amend our evil ways and become better human beings. Jesus Christ’s acceptance to incarnate in human form in order to become the sacrificial lamb and ransom for our sins was a great act of love and selflessness.
Therefore, let us celebrate His birthday by rededicating our lives to God, upholding and propagating Christ’s teachings on sundry matters, and choosing to be our brothers’ keepers.
Chiedu Uche Okoye; Uruowulu-Obosi, Anambra State. 08062220654 and 09125204141. Okoye is a poet.
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