Published: 19 December 2018
Christmas is always an exciting time of the year for most people around the world, from kids excited to get presents from Santa, to families looking forward to spending time with their loved ones; it’s always a cheerful time of the year. It offers people an opportunity to reflect on how the year has been, looking back on all the good and the bad experiences that came with the passing year, appreciating the near dawn of a new year and above all, celebrating the life of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
6 days to go, Christmas is almost here as can be seen from the Christmas decor and music that covers some parts of Ndola’s central business area. A quite reserved metropolitan with a warm community culture, Ndola residents are known to celebrate their Christmas and New Year by hosting family meals that bring family and friends under one roof to celebrate the closure of one year and the beginning of another one.
For most Zambians scattered around this tropical country, this time of the year is also filled with joy and gratitude for having passed through a whole year by the grace of God, and as such, thanksgiving church services are normally held in most all parts of the country.
To have a sense of what Christmas means to the Northrise community, a few members of the Northrise family were interviewed and this is what they had to say:
Dr Moffat Zimba, “For me, Christmas is not just an academic exercise, this is the time when we pause and appreciate and give thanks to God, that He came, Jesus came in form of man to dwell among us, It’s Emmanuel, God with us. That’s what Christmas means; it means I can give Him thanks because he saw it fit to save me, to save us. He didn’t just look at the world and say you sinned, that’s it, that’s your problem. He had a plan, a plan to save us.”
Mrs L Makesa, “For me, it’s a time of giving and sharing. It’s a reminder of God’s love and how he expressed it by giving us the greatest gift ever, Jesus Christ. It’s a time to remind others about God’s love and to reconcile those that are lost, back to him.”
Dr Billy Sichone, “For me, it means a time to remember our Lord Jesus Christ. I know today to some people, means commerce, and so many other things, but to me it reminds me that our saviour was born and came and saved us.”
Mr Peter Lungu, “It means family time, reflecting on the birth of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ, and looking back on what the Lord has done for us, as individuals and as a family and also look forward to the next year.”
Ms Dorcas Simutowe, “We get to remember the time when Christ was born as a symbol of how He has been good to us and loves us, and just to remind us even as we are going into a new year that through Christ, all things are possible, and we have been given that connection to God. It’s a reminder of God’s Love.”
Mr Menson Tala, “To me it means families coming together, spending time with one another and talking about their personal lives and aspirations, encouraging one another, and also to remember what Christ did for us, him being born and coming into this world.”
Mr Mulenga Musonda, “Christmas is remembering the birth of Christ, so for me that’s the first thing I think about. It’s this important event that happened in history, so it’s a historical event that is so important to mankind because the saviour was born to eventually die to save us from our sins. It’s an important thing because God became man and because of that, we enjoy many other things that are linked to that, so, families are brought together as we remember that. Apart from remembering Christ, it’s also a time to spend with family and friends to reflect on the past year and think about all the good things that God has done for us.”
Mr Stanely Kabaso, “Christmas, obviously we remember the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and to me Christmas is all about remembering Jesus and at the same time, to be with my family, kids and wife, and enjoy the holiday.”
So much has happened during the course of the year that has transformed and elevated the university to even greater heights. So as we close the chapters of this year with celebrations, we realise and recognise how good the year has been, how much we have grown as an institution and community and for that, we give thanks to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Knowing that our God is more than able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all we could ever ask or think, we look forward to 2019 as an even better year!
Merry Christmas and a blessed 2019 to you all!
Written by Musa Mukuka
Apply
Today!
Your Northrise story begins with your application, and we can help with the rest.