Christmas is about God’s glory, not just celebration — Presiding Bishop

The Presiding Bishop of The Methodist Church Ghana, The Most Rev. Prof. Johnson Asamoah Gyadu, has urged Christians to move beyond the surface celebrations of Christmas and rediscover its deeper spiritual meaning as a revelation of the glory of God.

He made this call during his sermon at the 2025 Nine Lessons and Carols Service held at the Wesley Towers on December 18, where clergy, staff of the Conference Office, church leaders, choirs, and members of the Methodist family gathered for worship and reflection.

Speaking with warmth, theological depth, and personal reflection, the Presiding Bishop reminded the congregation that Christmas is not merely about festivity, food, or fashion, but about God stepping into human history to restore His glory in humanity.

Opening the service, the Presiding Bishop expressed gratitude to God for sustaining the church and its people to witness another Christmas season. He welcomed staff of the Conference Office, guests who do not work directly within the office, church leaders, and those joining the service online through social media platforms.

He acknowledged the presence of the Lay President, whose attendance had not initially been anticipated, as well as bishops, their spouses, former church leaders, and members of the Accra Diocese. Special recognition was given to the junior choirs featured during the service, a deliberate decision, he explained, to place children at the heart of the Christmas celebration.

According to him, involving junior choirs was a reminder that Christmas carries a message of innocence, hope, and renewal, values that children naturally embody and that adults must recover.

In a reflective moment, the Presiding Bishop shared a personal story that has shaped his theology of Christmas over the years. He recalled his early days as a young lecturer at the seminary in 1994, when he was invited to preach at a Christmas service. The theme of that sermon, “I Love Christmas,” later became foundational to his reflections on the incarnation and eventually inspired a chapter in his book, Jesus Immanuel.

He narrated memories of his childhood Christmas experiences, when the season brought joy through simple but meaningful moments. For him and many of his generation, Christmas meant wearing shoes for the first time in the year, sewing new clothes, enjoying special meals, and sharing moments of excitement with friends.

While those memories remain precious, he noted that maturity brings a shift in understanding. Drawing from the Apostle Paul’s words about putting away childish things, he explained that while he still loves Christmas, he now loves it for deeper reasons rooted in theology, faith, and God’s redemptive work.

The Presiding Bishop emphasized that the story of Christmas is consistently framed in Scripture as a revelation of God’s glory.

Referencing John 1:14, he reminded the congregation that the Word became flesh and dwelt among humanity, and that in Christ, the glory of God was made visible. According to him, this passage makes it clear that Christmas is not simply about remembrance but about divine manifestation.

He explained that glory appears repeatedly throughout the biblical Christmas narrative. It is present in Mary’s Magnificat where she declares that her soul glorifies the Lord. It shines through the angelic visitation to the shepherds when the glory of the Lord surrounds them. It is proclaimed in the angelic chorus announcing peace on earth. It echoes in the shepherds’ response as they glorify and praise God. It is declared prophetically by Simeon in the temple when he describes Jesus as the glory of Israel and a light to the Gentiles.

These repeated references, he stressed, are not accidental. They point to the central truth that Christmas is about the restoration of God’s honor, light, grace, and favor in a broken world.

The Presiding Bishop cautioned against endless debates over the exact date of Christ’s birth, describing such arguments as largely unproductive. He stated that Christmas is not primarily about marking a birthday but about celebrating an event that transcends time and space.

According to him, Christmas marks the moment when the eternal God assumed human form, entering history to redeem humanity and restore the divine image distorted by sin. In the incarnation, eternity embraced temporality, and the immortal took on mortality, yet without yielding to sin.

This, he explained, is the miracle of Christmas. God did not distance Himself from human weakness but stepped into it, experiencing temptation without surrender, suffering without corruption, and humanity without sin.

The Presiding Bishop further explained that God’s glory carries tangible spiritual outcomes. Where God’s glory is present, there is favor, restoration, joy, power, and renewal. Drawing from the angel’s greeting to Mary, he reminded the congregation that glory and favor are inseparable, as Mary was declared highly favored when God’s purpose rested upon her.

He prayed that the glory revealed at Christmas would rest upon individuals, families, and the church as a whole. According to him, when God’s glory is experienced, shame gives way to honor, sickness yields to healing, sadness turns to joy, and despair is replaced with hope.

Christmas, he concluded, must be experienced, not merely observed. It must become part of the believer’s personal story, just as it has become part of his own journey of faith.

The sermon culminated in a moment of worship through the singing of one of the Presiding Bishop’s favorite Advent hymns, Hark the Herald Angels Sing. The hymn, rich in theological meaning, echoed the very message of the sermon, proclaiming Christ’s humility, glory, and redemptive purpose.

In his closing prayer, the Presiding Bishop asked that the glory Christ laid aside to identify with humanity would now fill believers with hope. He prayed for transformation, healing, restoration, and renewed commitment to live lives that glorify God beyond the Christmas season.

As the service concluded, the message was clear. Christmas is not an escape into nostalgia or celebration alone. It is a divine invitation to encounter the glory of God revealed in Christ and to live transformed lives that reflect that glory to the world.

Watch the full program here: