“For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

24 December 2018, 12:00AM

His Highness Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II 

Head of State

Christmas Address 2018

My beloved people of Samoa

Let us give thanks and praise to our Heavenly Father who has brought us safely in our journey this year to this Christmas day 2018.

This is the season that we have been looking forward to all year long in our hearts and in our minds. It is the culmination that sums up the great love that God has for all people, for all time, and for all eternity. With joy, let us celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the most extraordinary gift of all, the gift of God’s love for all humanity. There’s hardly an aspect of our lives that Jesus’ life has not touched, as in art, music, culture, law, and love, and respect for the dignity of every person everywhere in the world. This gift of Christ is the reason we lift our voices in praise, bow our heads in thanks, fall to our knees in adoration, and the reason we bring gifts to each other in memory of the greatest bestowal and exchange of life, love, and prosperity for the people of Samoa and all the earth. This is the reason we celebrate with all our hearts as a nation founded upon the unchanging truth that the love of God has tangibly been sent to us in the person of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Lord, and King. Forever as a people we will bless His name, for the greatness of the gift that has been given to us and the things he has done for us.

Very often it is easy to conclude that no one wants to give, no one cares or no one wants to do anything for us, but Christmas reminds us of the spirit of giving as God has done for us through His gift of Jesus who willingly stripped himself of his Glory for us, and became a servant; he took on our form so He could die for us because of his great love for us. The Holy Scripture says: He became sin for us, He became a curse for us, He became poor for us, He obtained eternal redemption for us, and now He ever lives to make intercession for us, What then can we conclude: if God be for us what can be against us and if He gave His only son for us, there is nothing else He would not do for us.

This Christmas let us accept with all our hearts this gift of Jesus that has been given to us and for us. Let the world know that we are signing His Praises in the islands of the sea, in Samoa, because our hearts are for the heart of the great king over all the earth, Jesus! 

We recognise that the true spirit of Christmas is not what we have, its about who we are — each one of us is a child of God. Each one of us has been given a gift that makes us want to give in return.

This is the true source of joy this time of the year.

We are called to serve one another, to love one another, and to pursue peace in our hearts and in all that we do.

I thank Samoa’s leaders in the Government, Churches, Villages, and Businesses for your leadership and contribution to the welfare of our communities, society and country. I thank the Diplomatic Corps for your support and assistance for Samoa. I thank all our people who are serving in various fields and callings to develop our country and make it safe and secure. I thank also our people who reside abroad for your contribution in kind to your families and villages in Samoa.

At Christmas, we are reminded more than ever that the family is the foundation of Samoan life. I ask for God’s blessings for our families and I pray that our country will be a place where every home is filled with love, rich with hope and peace and founded upon God, and blessed with faith.

Let us remember the spirt of Christmas not only now, but throughout the new year, by giving in every way to our beautiful families, our villages and communities, and our country. Let our love and our prayers and fasting be a blessing to other nations of the world also, especially Israel who needs our prayers for peace.

“For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” May we all be blessed in God’s gracious love, and let us rejoice in Jesus, the greatest gift of God for us all.

Merry Christmas Samoa and God bless.

 

SOIFUA

24 December 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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