CHRISTMAS MESSAGE – 2013 THAT NIGERIA MAY BECOME AN AGENT TO RADIATE HIS LIGHT IN OUR WORLD

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light, on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”   (Isaiah 9: 3)
Nigeria, by every stretch of the imagination, is a potentially great nation. Blessed with many geographical regions, the country is capable of feeding Africa with products from the Equatorial Rain Forest, as well as those from tropical, sub-tropical, temperate, semi-arid and even arid environments. Rather than feed Africa, it relies on Asian countries for rice, to name just one. Nigeria’s oil, which places her among the top ten producers of crude globally, is described as ‘a drop in a sea of gas’, which has been flared 24/7 since 1958. Rather than have the factories working, focus is on importation with the resultant high rate of unemployment. What many may not know is that the product known all over the world as Morocco Leather is from the hides and skins of Northern Nigeria. In the last quarter of a century, most of the economies of the developed world had tapped significantly from Nigerian brains. It has even been said that part of the American Space programme utilized some of the research findings of the Physics Department of the University of Ibadan. No wonder, an American diplomat described Nigeria as ‘a rich country with poor citizens’.
Must this situation continue? Is there any hope? Is there anything we can learn from God’s dealings with His people? The scriptures declare that when darkness descended on man and the world and man became pathologically wicked (Gen.6:5), The Lord did not give up but since man lost the privilege of paradise through disobedience, He looked for a man who was prepared to give up, in obedience to Him, what the man had sought for and labored to get over a hundred-year period. That man was Abraham. Because He was prepared to part with Isaac, his only son, born during his wife’s post-menopausal years  and when he was already a hundred years’ old with no likelihood of having another child, God did not only bless him but also decided that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through Abraham’s seed (Gen 22).
Isaiah and other prophets keep the nation’s spirit high by referring them, at critical moments in its life, to this promise, not only to be blessed but to be the source of blessings on other nations. Isaiah, in particular, gave very startling insights into the seed of Abraham through whom not only Israel, but all the nations of the world would be blessed. Just as the post-menopausal son of Sarah for Abraham was born in un-usual circumstances so would this Seed be: He would be born of a virgin, though a-sexual reproduction is unknown among humans (Isaiah 7). Furthermore, this Seed would be associated with names and ranks that place Him high above humans and identify Him as being in the realm of the divine (Isaiah 9). He would be The Wonderful Counsellor, The Mighty God,  The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace, whose peaceful reign would not only be global but universal and eternal.
It is instructive that all three synoptic gospels demonstrated how these  prophesies pointed to no other than the Babe of Bethlehem, whose birth we are celebrating today. Luke, the historian anchored His birth firmed in the history of the Roman Empire (Luke 2). Matthew, who wrote primarily for the Jewish audience, was not afraid to disclose then to his hearers that Joseph, the scrupulous man, was not the biological father of Jesus, but only a social father. He also made bold to show that Mary was far from being a wayward cheat, but a vessel used by the Almighty to bless the world. The fourth evangelist, John, introduced Him as no other than God, come in the form we all can appreciate. He went further to add that though you may not see much visible signs of His acceptability even in present day Israel as was the case in the First Century AD, the inescapable truth is that it is only those to whom He grants the visa that will have access through the Gate of Heaven (John 1: 10 – 13). He went further to indicate that the Visa is given at absolutely no cost to the applicant but at very high cost to God, the Giver (John 3:16). The consequence of not having this visa is however, too great a tragedy that no man should venture into (John 3:36)
The same Evangelist went further to let the world know that the present existence is only preparatory for the real life which starts at the close of this age. For those who have the visa, a place, described as a mansion, has been prepared. John made a very strong claim, for which he had no apology that this Babe of Bethlehem is the Way, the Truth and the Life and, as if that was not strong enough, he added that ‘No one comes to the Father (God) except through Him (Jesus).’ These titles remind one of the prophesies of Isaiah. The truth then is that God has come in the form of the Babe of Bethlehem to fulfill the promise to bless the world through the Seed of Abraham.
As we celebrate, let us remember that the light has come into the world. God intends that we should relocate from darkness and come into this light. More than that, He wants to extend this light to the whole world through those who have come to the light. If you have come into the light, He has an assignment for you; to be a royal priesthood, a member of a holy nation, so that you may declare the deeds of Him who has called you out of darkness into the marvelous light (1Peter 2: 9). Remember, darkness will continue to engulf Nigeria until those who are called by His name depart from iniquity (2 Tim. 2:19), humble themselves, pray, seek God’s face and turn from their wicked ways (2Chron. 7:14).
Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS as you radiate His light to transform the world starting with Nigeria!

Your brother, Vicar & Archdeacon
Igein Isemede