A Christian’s view of Christmas |15 December 2017

Mervin Pool grew up in the Roman Catholic Church and today is the national director of Youth For Christ (YFC) Seychelles. The 36-year-old joined full-time missionary work in 2002 and served with "Cru" in Uganda, Kenya, Mauritius and Seychelles till 2015 when he joined Youth For Christ International (YFCI) - a worldwide Christian movement working with youth globally.

YFC reaches young people everywhere, working together with the local church and other like-minded partners to raise up life-long followers of Jesus who are characterised by godliness in lifestyle, devotion to the Word of God and prayer, boldness in evangelism and commitment to social involvement.

With Christmas approaching, Mervin shares his thoughts about this annual celebration using his knowledge and experience from many years of studying the bible and observing Christianity.

*Mervin’s opinions are not necessarily those of YFC*  

Q: What can you tell us about your own background as a Christian?

A: Being an inquisitive child, I was always questioning the faith that I was born in. At the age of 12 when kids our age have their ‘confirmation’ I was denied confirmation by the priest. Their reason, if my memory serves me right, was because I was not attending church enough but I thought it was due to the fact that I once told them during the confirmation class that I did not believe in God. Basically I was an agnostic. It was only at the age of 18 after understanding the message of the Gospel that I personally accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.

Being a Christian is being a follower of Jesus, not a denomination. It is not about observing special days. It is about walking in obedience to God. I respect people who celebrate December 25 as the birth of Jesus, but personally it does not make any difference which day one picks. The tragedy is to miss the most important part; knowing, loving and obeying Christ.

Q: In your opinion, what is the most meaningful way to celebrate Christmas and why?

A: If Christmas is what it claims to be -- celebrating the coming of Jesus Christ to the world to save sinners -- then the best way to celebrate it or indeed honour it, would be to do things that Christ himself would approve.

The word Christmas does not appear in the Bible. The birth of Jesus is narrated in the Gospels as a very important historical event. In theology, it is known as the incarnation. God became man. The ramification of which changed history forever so much so that the calendar is now divided in two parts, before and after the event.

The coming of Jesus was the culmination of prophecies made in the Hebrew Tanakh about a coming Messiah that would deliver God’s people. The coming of Jesus ushered in a new era, God with us (Emmanuel). Jesus himself started His ministry by declaring that the Kingdom of God is here.

If Christmas is really about celebrating the coming of Jesus, then we cannot divorce the teachings of Jesus from it. We can have a big party anytime we want. One can always have an excuse to celebrate anything. But if Christmas is about Christ, then it should be celebrated in a way that speaks of Him, His teachings and His Glory.

I do not celebrate Christmas with trees and lights and by lying to my children about Santa Claus. Indeed, I am a believer in Jesus, the person, and He impacts my life on a daily basis. I believe that as the world claims to celebrate Jesus’ birth on that day, then it is an opportunity to proclaim the real story about Jesus and the implication thereof. I usually spend the day with my wife and two children or with other family members and friends for lunch.

Q: Based on your observations, what is your opinion of how Christmas is celebrated in Seychelles?

A: In Seychelles, Christmas time is almost a paradox. It is a mixture of ‘spiritual’ celebrations, family gatherings and fun times for children. On the other hand, the celebrations that go on during this time leave a lot to be desired. Characterised by alcohol abuse and other frivolities, sometimes one wonders where Christ fits in all of this. Sometimes I even wonder if Jesus would show up if he would know that it is ‘His birthday’ that we are celebrating.

That having been said, it is not all bad. I know that for many Seychellois, Christmas is a time to spend with family and loved ones. Even non-Christians usually see this time as one promoting peace and goodwill.

For many, Christmas is a time of giving characterised by the exchange of gifts. Some people argue that since Christ came to give His life for us, we should follow the example and be a blessing to other people during this time. This is very good as I believe we should live with an attitude of being a blessing to others. However, the Christian life should be a daily devotion to doing good and giving sacrificially and not just on special occasions.

Q: What are your opinions about the worldwide commercial aspect that is growing around Christmas?

A: Christmas is usually a time we spend money. We do not have to buy things that we do not need to fill a void which no material thing can fill. It is the tragedy of our time. We indulge in things that are so far removed from the teachings of Christ; even an antithesis of what Christ stands for. If we take sometime to ponder about Jesus, his lowly birth, simple life and sacrificial death we will see how far removed He is from all the commercialism that so characterises the modern day celebration of Christmas.

It is my opinion that this gets worse every year as we become more materialistic and our children (and ourselves) are lured by the ever increasing power of marketing, enticing us to grab the newest gadget on the shelves and tempting us to keep abreast of the latest fad and technology!

The festive season is also a time characterised by increased consumption and abuse of alcohol, drunk driving and fatal road accidents. It is usually a time of nightmare for law enforcement and not surprising they step up their patrols and presence during this time. Can you imagine?

A time supposedly dedicated to the greatest man who ever walked the earth, doing good, healing the sick and calling on people everywhere to repent and to take up their cross to follow him and yet somehow we miss the point ‘celebrating him’.

Q: Considering our differences in religion and how we celebrate Christmas, what is your opinion on how we can still unite, respect each other and live in harmony around this time?

A: In general, Seychelles has always been a place where people are free to practice their beliefs. In Seychelles today there are many different religions each with their own special days and occasions. We now have different religious groups here and everyone is allowed to celebrate their holy days. 

During Christmas time, people who do not observe the day can still appreciate the universal appeal to love one another and to live in peace with each other.