BISHOP
CHIKWE'S 2005 CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
“And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid;
for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which
will come to all the people; for to you is born this day
in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord”.
(Lk. 2: 10 –12).
My dear people of God and men of goodwill, as we celebrate
once more the birth of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
we share in the message of joy to the shepherds by the
angel. This is the joy of all joys; the Son of God became
man and has since dwelt among us. Jesus came to reconcile
us with the Father and to make us sons and daughters of
God. There can be no greater good news than this. This
in spite of our rebellion from God brought about by our
first parents, Adam and Eve in the first place and secondly
by our own personal sins.
Despite our collective and personal problems, despite
the hardships staring us in the face, despite the so many
disasters which have befallen us this year, be they natural
or man made, we are asked to hold our heads high. If we
reflect on the immensity of the love of God towards us,
we indeed should wake up every morning in great jubilation
and praise to God.
Christmas is a sharing of joy. God intends that we share
in his eternal happiness. He sent his only beloved Son
to share in our sorrows and pains, to share in our nature.
He then brought us to share in his divine life and eternal
bliss. This is a divine example. We are called upon to
share our joys and sorrows with our brothers and sisters.
How can we celebrate Christmas and ignore the neighbours
around who is in want? Hoe can we dress in purple and
gold when the next door neighbour is in tartars? It becomes
more urgent when we are placed in a position of public
responsibility and we do little or nothing with funds
entrusted to us.
Christ came to bring us peace; peace with God, and peace
with our neighbours. First of all, are we at peace with
ourselves? Are we at peace with our neighbours and with
God? Sin is the cause of disquiet in our society. The
infant Jesus, lying coolly in the manger is God and yet
he is so humble.
My dear people let us work for peace and justice in our
communities, in our families and in Nigeria.
May the new born Child Jesus bring us peace and lasting
joy! Amen.
MOST REV. DR. VICTOR A. CHIKWE
Bishop of Ahiara, Mbaise.
2006
New Year Message
