Reverend Setriakor Kwame Ametefe, Circuit Minister of Bethel Methodist Church, Tema Community 8, has called for rekindling of the essences of Christmas, which commemorates the virgin birth of Christ Jesus.
Rev. Ametefe noted that in recent times, commercial activities seemed to overshadow the main purpose of the festive period, which was the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ more than 2000 years ago.
He also debunked the perception that Christmas started as a pagan festival stressing that even though the celebration of the pagan festival in Rome, served as the grounds for Christians to begin Christ’s mass festival, it was to ensure that Christians marked one of the pillars of Christianity ‘birth of Christ’.
Rev. Ametefe in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema on the essence of Christmas, explained that the significance of the festive season was ceremonial remembrance of the birth of Christ.
He also mentioned that over the years, a lot of things had been added to the celebration of Christmas, which had no bearing or relationship with the purpose of the celebration.
Rev. Ametefe reiterated that the real story of Christmas was to give and cited John 3:16 where God gave His only begotten Son to the world.
He urged Christians to look at Christmas from the perspective of the work of God as a Christian and added that, “Christmas without showing signs of care and giving is no Christmas since Jesus Christ was also given to us”.
He called on the church, society, and people to give gifts to others without necessarily expecting something back; “the essence of the celebration of Christmas cannot be overlooked”.
He noted that the Methodist Church has lined up a series of activities towards the Christmas celebration including the presentation of gifts, the festival of nine lessons, and carols.
Other activities include: Vacation Bible School for the children on the theme, “Discipleship: Teaching Everyone to Live Like Jesus Christ” slated for December 17th to 21st.
The Christmas season activities would be crowned with a revival towards the end of the year to usher members into the new year.