In a powerful Christmas Day service at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, the Most Revd. Emmanuel A.S. Egbunu delivered a message titled “God’s Love and Human Response,” calling on the faithful to move beyond the aesthetics of the season and embrace a life of committed discipleship.
The Archbishop emphasized that while the world beautifully captures the “romance in creation” through carols, decorations, and traditions, the true essence of Christmas lies in a divine reach toward a “depraved” humanity.
Opening his sermon, The Most Revd. Egbunu noted that the global celebrations from “White Christmases” to the historical 1914 “Christmas Truce” point to a deep-seated recognition of human fellowship. However, he cautioned that these celebrations are incomplete without understanding the scriptural narrative of the fall and redemption.
“Many people join in celebrating Christmas without understanding the true meaning. The Carol of Nine Lessons tells the biblical story beginning from with the fall of humanity to the prophesies about the Messiah and then to the nativity accounts of the birth of Christ,” Archbishop Egbunu explained.
The readings are:
1. Genesis 3:8-15, 17, 19 (The Fall)
2. Genesis 22:15-18 (Promise to Abraham)
3. Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 (Prophecy of the Messiah)
4. Micah 5:2-4 (Prophecy of Bethlehem)
5. Matthew 1:18-23 (Mary and Joseph)
6. Luke 2:1-7 (Birth in Bethlehem)
7. Luke 2:8-20 (The Shepherds)
8. Matthew 2:1-12 (The Magi)
9. John 1:1-14 (The Word Made Flesh)
“Christmas is a love story; it is God saying, ‘I love you too much to leave you in your condition,'” the Archbishop stated, citing the classic hymn Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendour.
According to Archbishop Egbunu, the Gospel of John presents two inescapable aspects of the season, God’s Love for Humanity and Man’s Response to God.
Focusing on John 1:11-13, Archbishop Egbunu highlighted a sobering reality: Christ “came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” He reminded the congregation that the right to become children of God is reserved for those who actively believe and receive Him.
“It is wonderful to celebrate Christmas as the expression of God’s love. God came down into the human situation. But our celebration is only complete and meaningful when we have made a response that commits us to following Jesus every day, everywhere, and in everything.”
Addressing the social ills of the day, the Most Revd. linked human behavior to their spiritual response. He argued that the “selfishness, greed, and wickedness” seen in society today are direct indicators of a failure to respond to God’s love.
Citing 1 John 4:19-21, he reminded worshippers that loving God is impossible if one hates their neighbor. He concluded with a warning regarding the “verdict” found in John 3:19: that light has come into the world, but many still prefer darkness because their deeds are evil.
The service concluded with a call for self-reflection, as Archbishop Egbunu asked the congregation, “What response have you made to God’s love, and what response are you willing to make today?”
