Christmas in the context of global circumstances By Dr. Emanuel Adil Ghouri

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The famous Greek philosopher Khalil Gibran, in his book Ibn.e insan  while mentioning his imaginary conversation with the Lord Jesus Christ, writes: "On a cold night of December 24, I was wandering in the hills of Lebanon.

Suddenly I saw a man walking barefoot on the snow, dressed in tattered clothes, panting from the cold. I went closer and saw that the condition of his body indicated that he had been hungry and thirsty for many days.When I looked into his eyes, there was an ocean of sorrow, worry and pain hidden in them. When I asked him who he was, he replied, "I am Jesus Christ." I looked at him in surprise and then asked, "If you are Jesus Christ, what are you doing here today?"Under these mountains, this entire city that is sparkling with lights, these church bells that are ringing, these songs that are being sung, these people who are wearing new clothes and driving around in shiny cars, Christmas dinners that are being organized, cake cutting is being done, all this is for you and you are sitting here alone and depressed.He writes that he sighed and said, "they are  not doing all this for me, but for someone else. If they were doing all this for me, I would not be wandering here in the wilderness, but they would have taken me in and settled me in their home."

Although this conversation between Khalil Gibran and Jesus Christ is just a fantasy, it contains the true meaning of Christmas. Even today, God in human form, hungry, thirsty, naked, sad, and troubled, knocks on our doors, but returns disappointed after receiving no answer.

We forget that when we go to Him, He will say, "I was hungry and you did not feed me; I was thirsty and you did not give me drink; I was in prison and you did not release me; I was sick and you did not visit me."and then we will say, "Oh God, when did you come to us and we did not help you?" But at that time, all this will be in vain. Time will have passed. Today, we have to find people around us who are weaker, helpless, and forced than us, embrace them and share our happiness with them.

Christians living in the free Christian environments of Europe, America, and Britain should pay attention to those Christians who are suffering state oppression and repression in non-Christian states because of their strong faith in Jesus Christ.  Those who are in prison simply for their faith in Jesus, awaiting decisions on death penalty appeals, who are being killed extrajudicially, whose homes and churches are being burned down. Today we must pledge that we must free them from oppression and injustice so that the name of Jesus will not be a cause of suffering, mental anguish and pain for them, but rather a cause of religious and worldly happiness.

Today we must remember the 50,000 to 70,000 Christians imprisoned in North Korean camps who are enduring imprisonment and confinement for their Christian faith, and we must think about what Christmas will be like for them today.

Will we be the ones to announce their release today? Today, we also have to think about the women in North Korea who are being subjected to sexual violence and forced abortions based on religious prejudice. We must take this opportunity to think about the families of the 53,000 Christian martyrs in Nigeria whose sponsors were martyred for their strong faith in Jesus. Do his widows, wives, and orphaned children deserve to receive new clothes and two good meals on Christmas Day?

Just think about the 165 churches in Sudan that were burned or demolished. Will there be Christmas services there today? Will the Sudanese church, which has been persecuted for its oppression, be able to celebrate the birth of Jesus as usual? If this is not the case, then our Christmas joys are incomplete and devoid of the true meaning of Christmas.Today, Jesus Christ will not come to my house in a decorated manger. He will not be interested in the good food I have prepared, the decorated house, or my expensive and beautiful clothes. He will celebrate his birthday with believers who are on death row for their faith in him. He will celebrate his birthday with the children of Christian martyrs in Nigeria who today have no new toys, no new clothes, no shoes. Those who are hungry, thirsty, and fighting for the survival of their faith in the cold of calamity. Although their homes are dark, their walls are broken, and hunger and disease surround them, the candle of faith is burning in their hearts. Above them on the weak walls is the canopy of Jesus' love. The cure for their hunger and illness is that which has been born in the manger of their hearts. These children are more credible to Jesus Christ than the presidents of the United States, Britain, and Canada.

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