THE FOUNDER OF KADIFF ISRAEL KASHIM AUDU FELICITATE WITH CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL AT CHRISTMAS

    

 THE FOUNDER OF KADIFF FELICITATE WITH CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL AT CHRISTMAS

THEME: "CHRISTMAS A TIME OF HOPE, LOVE, THANKSGIVING AND RECONCILIATION BY ISRAEL KASHIM AUDU"

Christmas is celebrated to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God.

The name 'Christmas' comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). A Mass service (which is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians remember that Jesus died for us and then came back to life. The 'Christ-Mass' service and not "Xmas" service as some will say was the only one that was allowed to take place after sunset (and before sunrise the next day), so people had it at Midnight! So we get the name Christ-Mass, shortened to Christmas.

Christmas is now celebrated by people around the world, whether they are Christians or not. It's a time when family and friends come together and remember the good things they have. People, and especially children, also like Christmas as it's a time when you give and receive presents.

The Date of Christmas

No one knows the real birthday of Jesus! No date is given in the Bible, so why do we celebrate it on the 25th December? The early Christians certainly had many arguments as to when it should be celebrated! Also, the birth of Jesus probably didn't happen in the year 1 but slightly earlier, somewhere between 2 BCE/BC and 7 BCE/BC, possibly in 4 BCE/BC (there isn't a 0 - the years go from 1 BC/BCE to 1!).

Calendar showing 25th December

The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). But it was not an official Roman state festival at this time.

Christmas during a challenging year like this should give us hope God sees and will wipe away our tears of  hardship, barrenness, Covid-19, insecurity, broken relationships/marriages, etc.

  Light shines brightest in darkness. That’s the heart of the Christmas story, an overriding message of hope that is articulated beautifully in the lyrics of “O Holy Night”: “O holy night, the stars are brightly shining, It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.” God didn’t come into our world at high noon. He entered our lives in darkness showing us the way to light, guiding us towards love, and demonstrating how to overcome shadows and blackness. 

 Christmas teaches us that even when things seem dark, we can trust the everlasting light. 

As we celebrate Christmas I urge us to remember our country Nigeria in prayers most especially our  leaders to do the right thing, let us  love one another even our enemies, those we have lost or seize communication with remember them and avoid evil, enough of the complains, give thanks Remember that Christmas is also a time of reconciliation and a time to exchange gift.

At this time i encourage us to celebrate with loved ones and families, go out to watch movies as films like "Omo Ghetto" produced by Funke Akindele will be out in the cinemas from 25th December 2020 including many other good films and as we do so stay safe Covid-19 is real. 

I love you all. 

Merry Christmas and a prosperous New year 2021. 

Israel Kashim Audu

Founder Kaduna international film festival