The news item in Kenya’s leading daily was so terse it smacked of an emergency. The government was importing “an extra 41 million male condoms…15 million in the next two weeks…the remainder in the first week of December.” But no, nothing untoward had suddenly visited upon this beautiful land. It was just a good government preparing to meet its peoples “demand for contraceptives during the festive season.”
At first, I was aghast at my compatriots choice of celebrating Yuletide. Priding myself for remaining true to the covenant I made upon marriage 10 years ago never to lust after another woman, I was beside myself with horror at the manner in which Christ was fast losing relevance at Christmas in “God-fearing” Kenya.
Yet upon closer examination, right there in black and white were my very own footprints on the path down this decadence! For Christmas to me has certainly not been about Christ either. It has been about lots of food, lots of beer for the relatives who drink, lots of pretentious laughter, lots of meaningless indulgence.
It is time Christ occupied His rightful place during Christmas. “He must become greater and greater and [we] must become less and less” (John 3:30 NLT). After all, it is His birthday. —Willie, Kenya
jeGeddes on December 3, 2010 at 12:58 am
That is horrible!!! Imagine people doing this on your birthday. I definitely wouldn’t want it to happen.
AManofGod on December 3, 2010 at 11:52 am
This is a sad expression of a joyous time but what struck me is how we all are guilty of this to some degree. We should be celebrating the birth of Jesus and His saving us from paying the debt of sin that we all owe. Instead we buy toys and gifts, spend more money than we should and go to parties where we consume way too much of things we really shouldn’t be indulging in. Some of us will even go to church for 1 of only 2 this year (the other time being Easter).
We all need to reassess how we celebrate the birth of our Saviour!
cuddles on December 3, 2010 at 7:34 pm
In our community most do celebrate the birth of Christ but I have to say that many parishioners from different churches say that the minister no longer visits their home any more. They have too many other commitments. This is not good for the moral of the community in these churches. I remember our minister visiting our house frequently as a child and encouraging us to attend our church. This is no longer the case and it is reflecting in the fall off in church attendance. The ministers of the past would have gotten their priorities right.