Cleric gives 10 reasons for celebration at Christmas

Pastor Alex Ogundipe of Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, Daki-Biyu District, Kubwa, during a Christmas Day service on Wednesday in Abuja gave 10 reasons Christmas is celebrated by Christian faithful.

Ogundipe, the senior pastor of the church, said though the day marks the birth of Jesus Christ, one of the reasons Christmas is celebrated is because God kept his promise to mankind.

“Christmas is also the celebration of the fulfilment of the prophesy as stated in Isiah 7:14 that ‘behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.’

“It is the restoration of hope which man lost in the Garden of Eden.

“Adam was chased out of the garden where God took care of man by providing Eve for him.

“God took away all those good things and curse now begin to reign,” the clergyman said, citing Genesis 3:15.

“I can’t imagine the state of mind of Adam; his mind went blank in one day.

“But the arrival of Jesus Christ was the restoration of hope because through Jesus, we were reconnected back to God. That is what Ephesian 2: 12 says.’”

The pastor added that Christmas is a celebration of victory.

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“We are celebrating the impending victory staring us in the face. And when Jesus is fully enthroned in your life, you will celebrate the victory.

“Christmas is also the celebration of blessings released.

“All blessings come from Jesus and it is through him we access the blessings.

“Christmas also signifies that the waiting is over. Our waiting in darkness is over.

“It signifies darkness abolished. According to John 8:12, Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’

“It is the celebration of God’s restored love. The arrival of Christ signifies the restoration of the love of God. This can be seeing in John 3:16,” he said.

He said it is the celebration of goodwill and restored peace, citing Luke 2:14.

“Lastly, Christmas signifies that God’s solution has arrived,” he said.

The cleric, who gave the tips on how the birth of Jesus can be meaningful in our lives, said one must have genuine repentance, accept, know, received and believe Jesus.

“Finally, you must surrender yourself to be led by the word of God.

“Don’t let this Christmas be business as usual,” Ogundipe concluded. NAN