Come Lord Jesus!

Introduction
Hurray, it is Christmas again, a time we commemorate the birth of Our Saviour, Jesus Christ. It is a time marked by celebrations and festivities of varied types. It is a time of mass return to ones native villages for there are many who visit their native villages only on Christmas time. It is also a time of Town Union meetings, Family meetings, Youth meetings, Age-grade meetings, Kindred Annual meetings, etc. It is usually a time for Traditional marriage and Ozo title taking. The list cannot stop without adding that it is a time of buying new things, ranging from clothes, shoes, handbags, foodstuffs, to mobile phones, cars, etc. The lists could go on for Christmas is really a time looked forward to. In fact, Christmas has already become part of many cultures. Recently, a Nigeria priest on mission in Austria, recounting his experiences, remarked that though the average Church attendance is around 12 persons, the attendance on Christmas and Easter Vigil Mass is above 5,000 persons with their Christmas lights and hymn books. All these festivities are correctly part of Christmas celebration, but a problem arises when the main crux of Christmas is never mentioned. The fact that Christmas is celebrated towards the end of the year brings up more confusion about this Christian solemnity. Thus, it is worthwhile to pause awhile and reflect on this important celebration, to reflection on the actual meaning of Christmas. For an appreciation of the meaning of this celebration, a glance at its development seems worthwhile.

Historicization of Christmas
For a long time, Christmas has been associated with the ancient Dies Natalis Solis Invicti which means "the birthday of the unconquered Sun." Modern scholars have argued that the Christmas festival was placed on the date of the solstice because it was on this day that the Sun reversed its southward retreat and proved itself to be "unconquered." Several early Christian writers connected the rebirth of the sun to the birth of Jesus. "O, how wonderfully acted Providence that on that day on which that Sun was born...Christ should be born", Cyprian wrote. John Chrysostom also commented on the connection: "They call it the 'Birthday of the Unconquered'. Who indeed is so unconquered as Our Lord . . .? However, the celebration of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti has been the subject of a great deal of scholarly speculation. "[W]hile the winter solstice on or around the 25th of December was well established in the Roman imperial calendar, there is no evidence that a religious celebration of Sol on that day antedated the celebration of Christmas" according to modern Sol scholar Steven Hijmans. The earliest known reference to the date of the nativity as December 25 is found in the Chronography of 354, an illuminated manuscript compiled in Rome. The prominence of Christmas Day increased gradually after Charlemagne was crowned Emperor on Christmas Day in 800. Also, King Edmund the Martyr was anointed on Christmas in 855 and King William I of England was crowned on Christmas Day 1066.

Why Christmas?
The quest for the raison dtre of Christmas is embedded in the cause for the incarnation. In a word, Christians celebrate the Christmas to relive the wondrous fact that at the appointed time in history God took our human form and allowed himself to be born on earth as one of us. The Gospel narratives of the birth of our Messiah has for long been ingrained in our minds. We all remember how Angel Gabriel visited the Blessed Virgin Mary, how Mary, in the midst of some difficulties, trusted in the provident will of God and surrendered her fiat, and how Christ was born in a manger. We celebrate Christmas to remind ourselves, at least once every year, that since the Fall of our first parents, God did not abandon us, rather He started planning for our redemption. Reading through the Old Testament, one discovers many prophesies about the coming of the Saviour of mankind. This is a dominant refrain one encounters throughout the history of the people of Israel until that appointed time when our

God came too close to us by taking our flesh (Gal.4:4). That is why He is called Emmanuel. We, therefore, celebrate Christmas to reassure ourselves of Gods infinite love for us (cf. Jn.3:16). Perhaps, stressing the expression of the great love of God in Christs coming, theological anthropologists strongly posit that even if our first parents did not fall, Christ will still come. He will come to show us the face of the Father, to show us what we are already, to divinize our humanity. We celebrate Christmas to express our thanksgiving to our God, who first loved us in Christ. In the light of all these, it is very obvious that we have every cause to celebrate Christmas.

Christmas in our Lives

The annual celebration of Christmas should not merely be a perfunctory exercise for us. Our lives need to reflect this great mystery we celebrate. Because in Christmas we have a glimpse of what we are imago Dei we are thus exhorted to align our will to the will of God in whom alone we can realize our real existence as human being. Since we come from God and were made in His image, we cannot live meaningful lives outside God. The very words of Christ re-echoe continually in our ears: Cut off from me you can do nothing (Jn.15:5). Also, this celebration challenges us to a new outlook in our relationship with our neighbours. If we sincerely practice what we profess, we will hardly treat our fellow human being, created in the same image and likeness of God as we are, with reckless abandon. Then, we will be fully Christians in words and in deeds. In addition, when we recollect always that the King of the Universe was born in a lowly manger, it challenges us to be humble and self-effacing. Furthermore, Christmas reassures us in the midst of all our fears that our God is Emmanuel; He is not just near us, He is with us always. If the people of Israel can testify in wonder: What nation has their God so close to them as God is to us? Christians have all the more reason to make these words theirs. Christmas assures us of this. Finally, while giving us a surety of Gods love, it reminds us of the costly price that was paid for our salvation.

Conclusion:
Surely, Christmas is a period of festivity, marked with varied celebrations ranging from wedding ceremonies, Ozo title taking to annual meetings of different hues and shades. The time of the year in which Christmas falls also contributed in no small measure to its popularity. Yet, just as the planets in our solar system lose their bearing without their centre, the Sun, so will all the festive ceremonies around Christmas period lose their real meaning and import. This is a time for us to pause and reflect a moment about this mystery we celebrate. Come Lord Jesus, do not delay. This is a prayer at the lips of the early Christians and today it is still ours. As we are weighed down by evils and hardships in this present world, we earnestly pray for the second coming of our Messiah. Wishing you the merriest Christmas and Gods bounteous blessing in the coming year.