From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
A senior pastor with The Resurrected Assembly – GROM, Abuja, Pastor Prize Felix Aluko. has charged Christians in the country to imbibe the spiritual essence of Christmas.
Ministering during a carol service organised by the church, Pastor Aluko noted that the real essence of Christmas is that Christ came to the world to redeem mankind of sins.
He noted that what matters is that during the Christmas season, ‘we must reflect on the reasons for which it is celebrated. What matters is that we must get the spiritual essence of Christmas and imbibe it. The season is not just about eating, fun, drinking.’
Preaching on the topic “Celebrating Christmas”, the senior pastor noted: ‘Christmas is the living memory of the greatest gift we have ever been given: that of the Christ-child, Emmanuel, who is “God-with-us”. He is the great gift of hope at Christmas: the gift of a God who is with us, who loves us and binds us together in all that is worth living for – and who remains with us, through thick and thin.’
He further explained that the reason for Christmas is to celebrate the unconditional love of God for man and His unquantifiable gift to man as well as His unspeakable joy in him.
‘We celebrate Christmas for God’s unfathomable peace to man and His unprecedented presence,’ he added.
He enjoined Christians to always live a life of giving and sharing as demonstrated by God who gave His only begotten son as an atonement for our sins.
Pastor Aluko admonished Christians not to live lives of receiving alone, but should also give to the underprivileged and vulnerable.
Before the carol service, the church had recently restored hope to widows and the underprivileged by giving out bags of rice and other items to widows and the less privileged.
Speaking during the annual palliative distribution programme, which was to mark the 8th anniversary of the Church, Aluko stated that the major essence of the programme was to give voice to the voiceless, hope to the hopeless and put smiles on the faces of many, who had been overtaken by the vicissitudes of life.
He said the event was not only for the GROM congregation, adding that it cut across all religious denominations in the country.
While disclosing that the program was self-sponsored by the church, he lamented that the poor kept on getting poorer while the rich get richer day by day, regretting that society does not care for the downtrodden and vulnerable.
He maintained that it was primarily done to give back to society, what it had given to him and the church.
Earlier, the congregation was thrilled by powers rendition and musical spectacle by members of the Voice of Judah.