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Merry Christmas and joy to the world
Harold Acemah
What you need to know:
- Nostalgia. Christmas is a season of joy, hope and love and reminds me of the good old days of the 1950s and 1960s when real peace prevailed in Uganda, not what a dear friend calls “peace of the graveyard.”
In Church calendar, today is the 4th Sunday in Advent, which means Christmas is round the corner. As popular Christmas carol by Isaac Watts proclaims, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King.” The Lord, the King and the Saviour is Jesus Christ, Son of God and Prince of Peace whose birthday will be celebrated worldwide on Wednesday, December 25.
Jesus Christ’s birth was prophesied by Micah 700 years before he was born in Bethlehem while shepherds watched their flocks by night. Of Christ’s birth, prophet Micah writes:
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.”
“Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labour gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace” (Micah 5:2-5).
Isaiah’s prophecy of the Nativity of Jesus, made famous as lyrics of Handel’s Messiah, reads as follows:
“For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
Christmas is a season of joy, hope and love and reminds me of the good old days of the 1950s and 1960s when real peace prevailed in Uganda, not what a dear friend calls “peace of the graveyard.”
My father ensured that Christmas was a special family occasion which we looked forward to with excitement. As a parent, I have tried to do likewise.
The birth of Jesus is the centrepiece of the Christmas story and the accounts which will feature prominently as readings at Church services on Christmas day are those contained in the Gospels according to Matthew and Luke.
Let us believers tell the truth boldly and shame the devil. The birth and exemplary life of Jesus Christ on earth is not fake news, but a historical fact which, in addition to what is written in Scripture, was the subject of the works of eminent Jewish historian Josephus and records of the Roman Empire.
Significance of Christmas
The birth of Jesus is an event whose significance is beyond words. His name in Hebrew, Yeshua, translated into English as Jesus or in my mother tongue, Lugbara, as Yesu, means “the LORD saves” and Messiah or Christ in Greek means “the anointed one” because kings and priests of Israel were anointed with oil as a sign of divine appointment. Jesus Christ’s other name, Emmanuel, means “God with us.”
Christmas is a time of joy and peace, but not for everybody. The shepherds were frightened by what they witnessed. King Herod, like many contemporary African dictators, was terrified when he heard that a small child born in Bethlehem would be King of Israel. He panicked and reacted irrationally and brutally, as Matthew records in chapter two of his Gospel.
“When Herod realized that the visitors from the East had tricked him, he was furious. He gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its neighbourhood who were two years old and younger” (Matthew 2:16 ).
According to Matthew, the outrage Herod committed fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning; Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted because they are no more.”
As for the shepherds, it took an angel of God to calm their nerves. The lesson for wananchi is that, God is with us and will never, ever abandon His people to ruthless dictators, conmen and oppressors. So, don’t fear dictators who, like Herod, intimidate, torture and kill innocent and law -abiding citizens. I tell you, their day of reckoning is coming.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Mr Acemah is a political scientist and retired career diplomat.
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