Pastor Ellie Sworo of the Glory Baptist Church in Juba. December 23, 2024. (Photo: Lou Nelson/Eye Radio).

A religious leader encourages the public to avoid overspending and envy towards wealthy neighbors during the festive season to avoid family conflicts and save money for sending children to school in the new year.

Christian families across South Sudan normally observe the Christmas holidays in expensive ways through buying new clothes, decorations, and gift-givings.

However, Pastor Ellie Sworo of the Glory Baptist Church in Juba, discourages South Sudanese from engaging in extravagant practices associated with Christmas.

Pastor Sworo said Christmas is not only about eating fancy food, wearing new clothes, decorating houses, and other traditional means of celebration.

Speaking on the Dawn Show on Monday, he stated that the event should not deviate from its purpose of remembering God’s love for mankind.

“Christmas is not about eating furnish food or buying new clothes for your family. It is not about decorating your house and all those usual traditions that we normally do,” he said.

“Sometimes, we spent so much on Christmas day, it is just a single day and we forget about the day to come, many families will spend everything on Christmas day reaching even to the new year.”

“They don’t have anything then children are going back to school, you need to pay school fees, you need to buy scholastic materials, I really want the World to know that we should not allow the pressure of this season to pressure us down, don’t go beyond your means.”

The clergy also advised the public against looking at their rich neighbours with envy and wish to enjoy the same luxuries.

He said such situation can only bring conflict among the family members.

“Families should actually not compare themselves with the neighbors because when you even look at your fingers in your hands, you find that your fingers are not equal.”

“There are other fingers that are long there are others that are short so don’t look at your neighbor and say my neighbor has ABCD and then you don’t have this and then you use that as an opportunity to fight one another.”

“You fight your husband, children fighting their parents, you need to understand your limits and don’t compare yourself be contented that is the message I can be able to tell us, be contented with what so ever you have.”