Christmas Message: Barbados Evangelical Association

¹² Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12 (KJV)

It would seem to many as if it were only a few months ago that we celebrated the season of Advent. There can be no doubt that for numerous people throughout the world, this is a very special time.  For Christians in particular, it is a reminder that, despite the depravity of mankind, God’s love for all of us was demonstrated through the sending of His Son to bring about our redemption.

In verse Twelve of Chapter eight of the gospel of John, Jesus told His disciples that He was the light of the world. This message is still relevant today.  It is He, that Light of the world, whose birth we celebrate at this time of the year. He came to be the light and to enlighten the darkness of humanity. 

Undoubtedly, it is the darkness – that depraved state of humanity – that has the world in a commotion. Man seems to be as badly off spiritually as he can be. The challenges which we are facing with the climate crisis threaten the livelihood of small island developing states in the Caribbean and beyond; yet, there are some of the large industrial countries that appear to be less concerned about the potential impact of such a happenstance.

But it is the coming of that Light which should be a reminder to all, that we ought to be our neighbour’s keeper; that we need to take care of our planet, that we need to live in an environment of peace, and that we cannot pretend to love a God whom we have never seen while we hate or mistreat our neighbour whom we can see.

Just as the love of God for us was demonstrated through the sending of His Son, love for each other must leave the philosophical stage and be translated into acts of practicability. When love is practiced, the social media abuse, as well as the fake media contents we observe daily, becomes a thing of the past and criminals put down the guns.

Gun violence remains a grave concern in our country. It is the lack of love and concern for each other which cause the prevalence and use of guns in our society. This behavior presents a challenge to the livelihood of many. It hinders to some degree social activities, arrests other aspects of socialization and resuls in the use of many resources which could otherwise be redirected to more essential causes.

It is also remarkable how the lack of that ‘light-experience’ which the coming of Christ brings, has resulted in many who have enriched themselves, while the poor lingers and the middle class struggle. Customarily many families gather and spend the day together but there are still many who are without food, some who have lost loved ones, and others who cannot by reason of ill-health or hospitalization, embrace the sentiment which comes with the Christmas ambiance.

Christmas should be a reminder that the ‘Light of Love’ has brought with it a consciousness of the need to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, and hence the need to live in a world where there is a more equitable distribution of resources, where peace among men can become a relatively better experience, and where concern and respect for each other is commonplace.

Christmas too, is a time which is used as a bench mark for giving attention to certain goals.  Houses receive a general cleaning and reorganization, people select special clothing for the day and people who may not have attended a church service for the preceding months determine that – notwithstanding having to rise early for a Christmas church service – they would prepare themselves and attend.

While the attendance to a Christmas morning service may reflect a passive conscious awakening about His birth, and while this may be a good thing, the extent to which there is an experience of spiritual awakening and practical Christian living is more than intellectual assent.

Active awakening to the light is a function of our acceptance of the love of God which was demonstrated through the sending of the Light – Jesus, His Son.  We need more than ever as a people to be more conscious of the need to be awakened spiritually.

The extent to which our mortality stares us daily in our face should raise our consciousness that dust we are, and to dust we will one day return. However, the coming of that Light as well as the acceptance of that light brings with it a hope that does not only remove the dark exploits of humanity, but also provides hope for our transformation at the personal national and spiritual levels  

Certainly, Christmas is here again, and the Barbados Evangelical Association therefore extends season’s greetings to all Barbadians and visitors in our country.  We challenge all of you to embrace that Light and allow love, peace and harmony to reign among you as we look towards the future.

May your experience be one of joy and happiness, but may you also be conscious that it was the Christ who came – that Light who came to take away the sin of the world. Our acceptance of that Light is needed more than ever, not only at Christmas, but also at this juncture in our nation’s history.

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