Stop commercializing Christmas, Anglican Bishop warns Nigerians

As countdown to 2016 Christmas celebration inch closer, the Anglican Bishop of Lokoja Diocese, Bishop Emmanuel Egbunu has warned Nigerians to stop commercializing the birth of Jesus Christ but rather see it as a period to pay the supreme sacrifices on earth, Fresh Angle International can report.

Bishop Egbunu gave the warning during an exclusive chat with Our Kogi State Correspondent in Lokoja. 

While noting that there is no way Christmas can be celebrated without Christ, opined that the day has been viewed all around the world as a period to make big sales and quick money as  emphasis is placed on man rather than God.

According to him, "If at the end of Christmas what we are talking about is bigger bank account, rather than better relationship with God, I think we have missed it. The love of money is the root of all evil. Some of those who commercialise Christmas will do anything just for money. That kind of mindset is not helpful. I think, if some of these things that are being done have a mind to say Christmas is all about sacrifice, sharing, peace and joy, it will be a lot better than what we are doing now.”

On the economic hardship prior to this year Christmas celebrations, the Anglican Bishop maintained that recession has to do with lessening of our economic power and as such should not affect the Christmas celebrations because Jesus was born into a politically unstable situation.

In his words, ”Jesus was born into a lot of economic difficulty. If you see Jesus was born in a manger. This was a manger We were told that it was not pleasant and a place were the beast feed. If we look at all of that you will know that the promise of Christmas, is really promise of hope that Jesus came into a hopeless situation.”

He opined that the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ have been misconstrued as a period where people are inquisitive to  get quick cash, young one's engage in illicit relationship, and partying  which contradict why Jesus was born over two thousand years ago and called for a change of attitude during this yuletide.

The Clergy who is the immediate past Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria,  CAN, Kogi State Chapter, added, "if you are wearing new cloths, you must wear a new attitude, new hearts because is a time to see that life is a journey and we don't know when we will get home which is the kingdom of God."

He emphasized that it is a time for sacrifices and for reflective thinking about the Internally Displaced Persons and the state they are in their camps, noting that they are deprived of their homes and have no means of celebrating and should be given money to celebrate Christmas.

He opined that some of them “are sexually assaulted, so it has been another kind of terror camp. I just wish I could shout it to the whole world that, those of you who have families for God sake reach out to those in these camps. There are children who don't know whether their parents are alive or dead, there are children being born in those camps. Conditions are harsh and so if u think about all of this things and sacrifice, anybody who is wearing new cloths, eating food and throwing it away and getting drunk must remember that in the same world we are, not far from us, there are other people who the story is different and painful.”

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