Christmas celebrated in peaceful and calm mood

JAKARTA (JP): Peace and calm was the prevailing mood in local Christmas celebrations conducted from Friday evening to Saturday.

About 100 students of the Doulos school of theology and residents of Cipayung in East Jakarta celebrated Christmas on Friday afternoon on the second-floor of the hall, located in the center of the school complex, which was attacked by arsonists on Dec. 15.

The half-empty room was decorated with paper streamers. A big white candle was set in the center of the stage.

Reverend Mariana delivered a Christmas sermon titled Jesus, King of Peace, encouraging students and Christian residents to live in peace in their communities, including in the local neighborhood.

The students, mostly clad in T-shirt and jeans, sometimes wiped tears from their eyes and held each other hands. They then cheered up the atmosphere by singing hymns and Christmas carols in trios and duets.

In the city of Ambon, thousands flocked to churches and Cathedrals from Friday afternoon until late at night to help with Christmas preparations for Saturday.

Reverends reminded Christians to remember the nobility of Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, as the Savior of Mankind.

They also told the Ambonese to shed all their feelings of hate in order to be saved by the Lord, and to stay away from liquor and gambling, which were the roots of conflict that led to deaths.

In the riot-torn southeast Maluku town of Tual, Christmas celebrations went on peacefully and the town filled with the sound of Christmas carols.

Antara reported that Christians celebrated Christmas in Anugrah Church, which is close to Muhajirin Mosque, where hundreds of Muslims celebrated the revelation of the Koran to Prophet Muhammad.

In the Capital, thousands of Catholics lined up in the rain on Friday to get seats in the 19th century Jakarta Cathedral here, where wet candles were lit and people prayed in celebration of Christmas.

In a moving sermon, Father Lambertus Sugiri SJ told thousands in the congregation that they could spread the word of peace in order to restore faith in one's self and end the chaos the nation had experienced lately.

"In this vacuum, in the absence of true peace, let us all try to revive the love of peace among God's creatures," Lambertus told the solemn crowd, adding that it was the hope the Lord had of his followers, as quoted by Antara.

"To mark the birth of the Lord, we must not live in euphoria, commercialization and the tradition of Christmas alone. Instead, we must keep our commitment to the Lord by reviving peace," he said.

Meanwhile, at the Batak Protestant Church (Gereja HKBP) in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, Rev. T. Simandjuntak MTh quoted several passages of the story of the birth of the baby Jesus Christ.

Simandjuntak said Protestants must struggle to bring about peace, for the better of the nation in the future.

"Because the Lord came to bring us peace, and because He loved His creations so much, He came to this world to give this love to all of us," Simandjuntak said.

The Protestant Batak choir soon after sang Malam Kudus (Silent Night), followed by thousands praying inside and outside the church.

In a show of brotherhood, Muslims provided Christians celebrating Christmas on Saturday with free public transportation to churches in the chaotic town of Atambua, Belu regency of East Nusa Tenggara.

"This is a true example that despite the different religions, there is high religious tolerance among us, and this deserves to be held onto for the future," Belu Regent Marcellus Bere told reporters.

The chairman of the Belu office of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI), Muhammad Hasan, said Muslims were offering their services voluntarily, that Christians had not requested the help.

"Almost every Christmas here, Muslims visit Christians in the area to wish them Merry Christmas and to help out. It's something we've done for a very long time," Hasan said.

In Banjarmasin, Christians celebrated Christmas peacefully, with some feeling that religion was thick in the air, since the holy month of Ramadhan coincides with Christmas.

"This Christmas feels different than those before ... the holy Muslim fasting Month and Christmas have fallen in the same period, and therefore the feeling is quite religious here," said one Christian.

In Bali, Christmas was celebrated with glory by both Protestants and Christians, despite declining numbers of tourists visiting Bali due to the nation's political turmoil.

In the Bali Protestant Church (GKPB), worshipers arrived in droves at the church from early Saturday morning in cars, motorcycles and on foot.

A similar scene was observed at Jemaat Maranatha Western Indonesian Protestant Church (GPIB) as hundreds of worshipers thronged the church, which is next to the Jagatnatha Hindu Temple, since 7 a.m. (ylt/01/imn)