IN the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and on behalf of the entire members of the Christ Apostolic Church (worldwide), we hereby heartily rejoice with all brethren and other Nigerians both at home and abroad on this happy occasion of Christmas and pray for abundant blessings and divine protection for you in Jesus’ name - Amen. Let us briefly re-examine the special circumstances of the birth of Jesus Christ, together with the significance and lessons which the incarnation brings to all humanity.

The birth of Jesus: In Matthew 1:21, Angel Gabriel declared unto Joseph concerning his spouse the Blessed Virgin Mary who was conceived of the Holy Spirit saying, “She will bring forth a Son, and you shall can His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Then in Luke 2:7-14, the Bible says, “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now they were in the same country shepherds, living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night, And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them. “Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.”

The greatest event in history had just happened! The Messiah was born! And there was joy in heaven and on earth. For ages the Jews had waited for this, and when it finally occurred, the announcement came to humble shepherds. The Good News about Jesus is that He comes to all, including the plain and the ordinary. He comes to anyone with a heart humble enough to accept Him. Whoever you are, whatever you do, you can have Jesus is your life. Don’t think you need extraordinary qualifications - He accepts you as you are. Christ came to save, and not to destroy or condemn. He came to give us divine love, joy and peace, which we as children of God should be fully prepared to share with others (John 1:29; 3:16; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20; Psalm 51:12,13). As Christians, we should cultivate Christian joy and radiate same to all people in our neighbourhood not only during Christmas but at all times (Phil. 4:4-6).

Therefore, let me conclude this year’s yuletide message by urging you to start experiencing victories, abundant blessings and other miracles that normally follow genuinely thanking and praising God even in the midst of storms. I fervently pray that the Lord God will give you the grace to believe fully this Gospel of Christ Jesus, repent from your sins and accept Him as your Lord and Saviour, and thereby qualify to reign with Him in eternal happiness at His imminent return, in Jesus’ name. Amen. Merry Christmas and happy prosperous new year in advance - Amen