JESUS Christ is the authentic Messiah and unblemished signet on the escutcheon of all Christians. He is the generalissimo of the cosmogony and the dymistifier of the tetragramaton. Although, the exact date of his birth remains scripturally hazy. But the commemoration of the birth of the great son of the living God, the Prince of Peace is fundamentally obligatory and critically crucial for all Christians. The total veneration of the messianic quintessence on December 25th, January 6th by some and October 1 by others is in recognition of the Bethlehemic Zeitgeist and the spiritual élan of all Christians and non-Christians alike. But the bacchanalian orgies, unthinkable licentiousness, Dionysian exuberance, moral depravity, hideous consumerism and sexual escapades which has characterised Charismas celebrations for ages, glaringly shows that, there is the complete demonisation of Christianity and Christ. Hence, the Indian and Hindu statesman Mohandas Gandhi said, “I have never been able to reconcile myself to the debaucheries of the Christmas season. They have appeared to me to be so inconsistent with the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.” Yet, Jesus Christ remains the reason for the Christmas season.
Some practising, but wealthy Christians carry their Christmas theatrics so hypocritically that they go as far as Bethlehem or Jerusalem even Dubai to celebrate their Christmas and back it up with a pilgrimage later. Jesus lived a humble and self-effacing life. He told a Samaritan woman who centred her worship at Gerizim, a mountain north of Jerusalem: “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you people worship the Father. Nevertheless, the hour is coming and it is now, when the true worshiper will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for indeed the Father is looking for such like ones to worship him” (John 4:21-23). Christianity and Christmas are completely sunken in the ways of secular humanism and wickedness. They incarnate satanic idiosyncrasies that have completely demonized Christ and all what he stood for. Christians can no more vouch for their faith and have no moral locus standi to parade themselves as soldiers of the Cross. What a shame! Under gruesome Catechization by Pontius Pilate, Jesus Christ firmly asserted that “my kingdom is no part of this world, if my kingdom were part of this world, my attendants would have fought that I should not be delivered up to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from this source.” But so called Christians proclaim the heavenly kingdom and still embody all the rat race of demonic sortilege, spiritual wickedness, pride, envy, greed, oppression, treachery and covetousness.
Christians in positions of authority and leadership do not know what it is to serve and be servants of the people, like Christ demonstrated. They are cocooned in the shameful oubliette of corruption and graft. Christians in the churches, business places, politics, professions and evangelical missions have successfully philistanised and demonized Christ and his teachings. The ethos of Christmas is lost in the thickets of hypocrisy. There is utter christlessness in man. Hence, the essayist William James (1842-1910) posited that “man biologically considered that whatever else he may be into the bargain, is the most formidable of all the beast of prey and indeed the only one that preys systematically on its own kind.” What a shame that God’s own creation man has become a treacherous and degenerate beast to man and his creator. Jesus Christ is the first born of all creation and the only begotten son of the causeless cause of causes, Jehovah God. He is the greatest authority in the universe. This son of God was sent by His father, God Almighty to give his life as a sacrificial ransom for mankind thus opening the way to eternal life for Adam’s offsprings that will exercise faith in God. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is the legality of the indemnity. After the crucifixation of Jesus Christ, He ascended into Heaven and is now restored to heavenly glory and rules as king with authority to destroy all the wicked and to fulfill God’s original plan on earth. Does he not deserve true honour?
In Hebrew the word Jesus means “Jehovah is salvation,” whilst Christ called, Mashiach or Messiah means the “Anointed one”. Jesus Christ the anointed one is not just a vague sham. He is a historical, spiritual and vibrant personality who existed amongst men and carried out palpably tangible acts for all to see. There is no personality and no name that transcends the totality of the universe than the name of Jesus Christ. He is worthy of honour and commemoration. He is truly really deserving of praises and adoration. He is indeed the height of pulchritude and the finest thing that ever happened to mankind. He deserves all the glory. But are men really giving Him all the glory? Has He not been consigned to the cesspit of nothingness by our depraved conduct, through the apotheosization of money, the worshipping of power, certificates and titles? Do we still appreciate his sacrifice and abnegation for us? How do our debaucherous proclivities during Christmas tell on his integrity? Is Christmas a season for godlessness and Christlessness? Are our Christian leaders now the contemporary antichrist and apostles? Will the gospel of Jesus Christ survive given the dwarfishness of our evangelical zeal? And will mankind survive the libidinous holocaust?
Finally, mankind is luxuriating in the St. Vitus Dance and treading on the epicenter of a precipitous precipice. We are running against time. We must make a great dramatic turn around. We are living in perilous times and we need no ghost to tell us to turn to Jesus Christ. We cannot through our base conduct during Christians and after Christmas demonise Christ for darkness cannot overwhelm light. He has done His bit, the rest is left for us to be Christ complaint. As we celebrate Christmas, let us spare a thought for the less privileged amongst us and refocus on the need to serve God and truly honour Jesus Christ. Let us rekindle the spirit of solicitude Rei socialis (concern for the social order). HAppy christmas and a prosperous new year.
- Gbinije, a member of the Mandate Against Poverty(MAP), writes in from Sapele, Delta State.
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