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With the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, Herod felt threatened by the news of a new kingdom. The wise men came all the way from the East to offer him gifts and pay homage to Him. On his part, Herod attempted to kill him. To save this “tender” incarnate saviour, the angel of God instructed Joseph to take the child with his mother and escape to Egypt. But amidst this attempt from Herod Jesus began his ministry with the motto of bringing good news to the poor, proclaiming liberty to the captives, ……(Lk.4:18). And today, he still remains the central figure of history whose birth we commemorate yearly with the: C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S. The Message of Christ: Christ in his coming turned upside-down almost everything, which we hitherto cherished. He came so that the children of men can live more fulfilled lives and be saved. He tells us that the poor, contrary to our scale of values, would be first, and the pompous and oppressive rich the last in the kingdom. He told us to resist hate by loving the hater, resist violence by surrendering to it for real strength does not come from kingly throne but through vicarious love. Nevertheless, Jesus was a non-conformist God. He oppressed every manifestation of structural and institutional injustice. He could not condone it. Little wonder then that the legalistic and hypocritical Pharisees could not but perceived him as “an outlaw”. Indeed, his word soothes some while hurting and challenging others. For instance, the woman caught in adultery went away happy after meeting Jesus (Jn.8:1-11) but her adversaries on the other hand retired one after the other sad. What a contrary to a popular opinion! Jesus should be seen as the ideal for the African Leadership. The hope Africans prepare to commemorate and celebrate the birth of the incarnate savior Jesus Christ, is high. But of what relevance is it especially when considering the irresponsible and insensitive state of our rulership. Jesus gave his life as a ransom so that all may be saved, particularly the downtrodden and the oppressed. But some of our rulers preserved and enriched themselves at the expense of our collective impoverishment. In recent times, Nigeria for example, the price of petroleum products produced here in our country Nigeria is ringing the bell. And this is done in order to feed the greed and satisfy the insensitivity of our leaders and increase the suffering of the rest of us. Today, our leaders and representatives in government talk of the rehabilitation of our infrastructures and the making the society better a top priority yet; the implementation and putting to action these words are not effected. Pensioners pass through untold torture before receiving their due pension and some even die in the bid to queue for clearance. Furthermore, our leaders in their respective cadre refuse to pay worker’s wages and salaries instead they ensure that they keep whatever money that comes in terms of statutory allocation for themselves and their political thugs and “god fathers”. Educational sphere has been castrated and the society with most of its youths left in intellectual darkness because of incessant strikes by teachers and lecturers for lack of payment of their salaries. Following these, one may ask, of what relevance are the constant overseas trips made by our presidents, governors including our elected and appointed political leaders? To woo ghost investors I may believe. Indeed and in fact, the financial costs of these trips are simply appalling, scandalous and alarming to the poor masses eyes and ears. Really, Christmas is worth celebrating because God now lives with his people. He is Emmanuel. He is God with us. He wants and is able to lift us from the debt of humiliation and the pit of shame, which our insensate leaders and politicians have conspired to dump us after their ruthless and selfless aims are achieved. With the celebration of Christ’s birth, we are once again lifted to the height of dignity, to the glory of God. Of course, the oppressed people cannot remain forever as their justifiable anger will be redressed sooner of later. Concluding, the founding fathers of this our society or nation did not bargain for a bleak future. We do not pray for it. Something must be inherently wrong with an “adult” generation that sees leadership as citadel of exploitation, exploration and silencing the led (The people). The truth about Christ is that his entire life is a protest against evil in all its ramification and guises. Our leaders must go beyond aid and charity, and demand and embrace justice, which will definitely bring about total peace and great development. In fact, the injustice and poverty imposed on the rest of us in this part of the world breeds misery, which is degrading and destroys the image of God which residence in us. Let us as people cooperate and act together with God to shape our destiny. Happy Christmas and a great new year!! |
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