The Anglican Bishop of Ibadan North, Rt Rev Williams Aladekugbe, on Sunday, called on Nigerians to celebrate the season in moderation and keep their hopes and dreams alive.
Aladekugbe, in his Christmas Day message in Ibadan, Oyo State, entitled, “Significance of Christmas,” further advised them not to punish themselves due to their inability to achieve certain dreams or desires between the last celebration and today.
He said, “Christians celebrate Christmas each year to show their gratitude to God for what He did, to remember the birth of Jesus Christ by giving gifts, worshipping Him and thinking of the poor and less fortunate.
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“It reminds us of the Saviour who gives us salvation. It should be celebrated to reflect the reason(s) Jesus came into our world. To erase the curse of sin, to bring salvation to man and to restore us back to God. We should reflect on our relationship with God and our neighbours.
“My advice for Nigerians at this season is that we should do things moderately. If there is anything we cannot achieve before Christmas this year, there will always be another Christmas.
“We should not be involved in evil or dabbling in crimes. We should adopt cost-cutting measures as a way of addressing the current economic challenges in the country.
“We equally appeal to the Federal Government to make good its campaign promises of making life better for the people. The government must be sincere with us. The government must be considerate in their politics, actions and decisions by walking the talks.
“Frivolous spending should be avoided. Our appeal to Mr President is that he should fulfil his campaign promises to us. He told us to put our minds to rest and that everything will be fine.”
On why the season is celebrated, the Bishop said, “Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the word.
“Christmas is celebrated to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. The name ‘Christmas’ comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). A Mass service (which is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians remember that Jesus died for us and then came back to life.
“It reminds us of the importance of giving and sharing with friends and family. Through Christmas, we know that the birth of the Lord Jesus is symbolic of new beginnings. It is an opportunity to think about nature and the reason for our existence.”
(Punch)
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