Christmas festive season is one of the holidays that is diversely contextualised by the many groups of people, who in one way or the other feel connected to it, either followers of the gospel or non-followers alike!
It is a great honour to celebrate the season with a form of newness and fellowship. The newness could be in the form of giving and or receiving gifts, sharing a meal before/on/after the day (this is a common way of celebrating together in fellowship for colleagues, friends, neighbours, etc), having Christmas carols and so on.
As seen in the photos below, we have all appreciated the more ‘common way’ of demonstrating our unity in faith and our fellowship with one another by sharing a meal, as compared to other ways each one of us would have celebrated owing to our ethnic and cultural background. The expectation is to plug in to the group which shares the same values because we can see our identity among ourselves – that we are all Christians, from different Christian traditions and denominations. The celebration too identifies one who is the reason for the season – Christ Jesus, who by His divine purposes gathered us together in a foreign land – ladies and gentlemen from different nations of the world! These things make our Christmas celebrations quite different, exciting, and full of joy.
Although our meal may not fit exactly the Leviticus description of the Meal offering (Leviticus 3), one remarkable thing is that we are in fellowship with Jesus Christ and with one another. Since we started celebrating Christmas at our campus, we have appreciated the different Christmas celebrations we have all enjoyed by comparing them. Each time we celebrate our hearts we filled with joy because we have Him, who makes the difference in our lives. This is the message we bring out there as we fulfil our calling even through our training.
There are other differences that make the occasion interesting too. For instance, during last year’s Christmas season, there were lockdown restrictions due to covid-19 pandemic, and perhaps this year’s too, similar restrictions may apply. However, the joy of the celebration is not determined by the freedom of movement – as much as that brings some level of excitement and happiness. The most essential thing I would argue would be to make the celebration different for others, so that they can see the difference Christ brings in one’s life.
From us all at the Manchester Campus we wish you a different Christmas full of joy and a happy 2022.
Paul Makau, Manchester Campus Leader
