Make sacrifices to impact lives - Clergy to Ghanaians
Christian leaders have called on Ghanaians to resolve to use the Easter festivities to make the needed sacrifices to make the country and the world a better place.
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They challenged Ghanaians to boldly confront the social ills and practices that threaten their unity and identity as a nation. Furthermore, they entreated Ghanaians to reach out in love to the marginalised, the weak and the dying.
The clergy who shared their Easter messages with the Daily Graphic were the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC), the Presiding Bishop of the Western West Episcopal District of the AME Zion Church, Rt Rev. Dr Hilliard Dogbe; the Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, the General Overseer of the Evangelical Church of Ghana (ECG), Rev. Maxwell K.K. Liwangol; the Founder and General Overseer of Life International Church, Rev. Dr Gordon Kisseih, and the Chairman of the Ghana National Council of the Great Commission Church International (GCCI), Apostle Dr Samuel Vincent Ansah.
Others are the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, Most Rev. Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt Rev. Dr Abraham Nana Opare Kwakye and Founder of Supreme Gospel International, Gospel of Christ Ministerial College and Faithful Ministers Network, Bishop Dr Samuel Ohene Ewur.
Catholic Bishops
The GCBC urged Ghanaians to eschew all ethnocentric tendencies, actions and statements that would not promote peace in the country. It also called on the citizenry to avoid saying and doing things that would bring about religious intolerance and conflict in the nation.
"We urge people of different religious persuasions to continue to live together in peace and use peaceful and legitimate means to resolve all differences and challenges that may arise," it said.
A message issued and signed by the President of the GCBC and Bishop of Sunyani, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, said: "We must pray for and work towards the realisation of peace in all sectors of our lives and ensure that we put an end to everything that does not promote peace, especially conflict and violence."
"The celebration of Easter should make us realise that as Ghanaians, we are one people. The peace that Christ gives at Easter should make us rise above all negative or harmful tendencies and see ourselves as members of one nation," it said.
AME Zion
Rt Rev. Dr Dogbe said Ghanaians should make their resources available and work together to make the country great and strong and the world a better place. "And as we prepare for national elections later in the year, let us resolve to follow the path of peace, tolerance and respect.
"I also urge that we continue to pray fervently for the Presidency and the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary, and indeed for all others, that they will discern God’s will, find courage to take bold decisions and implement same, and that each of us will be imbued with sincere love for one another and for our nation Ghana," he said.
Easter, he added, was an embodiment of God’s unfailing and unconditional love for humanity and His desire to reconcile mankind to Himself and thus enable the best in them to be made manifest.
Church of Pentecost
For his part, Apostle Eric Nyamekye said the celebration of Easter - the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ - would forever be etched on the memories of Christians. Easter, he said, was the foundation of Christianity and that, "it is the reason for our confidence in what we believe: that Christ died for our sins, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4)".
He said because Christ had been raised from the dead, Christians shall also rise from the dead. "Our faith is not futile; our preaching is not useless; our witness about God is not false, and our brethren who have fallen asleep in Christ are not lost. We have indeed been cleansed from our sins," he emphasised.
He said as Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ, they needed to intentionally share the good news with the people around them.
Evangelical Church of Ghana
Rev. Maxwell K.K Liwangol called on Ghanaians to use the Easter season to reflect on the peace and security of the country ahead of the December 7 polls. Rev. Liwangol observed that just as the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ brought the hope of salvation to Christians, Ghanaians needed to be optimistic that the country would come out of the elections more united than ever.
However, he stressed that maintaining peace and security in the elections would require all actors in the electoral process to prioritise national interest by shelving parochialism. "The Electoral Commission must play its crucial role of a referee very well; the political parties must play to the rules of the game and be aware that if they win elections, they cannot rule over a country that is in ruins.
The youth, in particular, must know that they have a future to build so they should not allow themselves to be used to commit atrocities during the elections," he stressed.
Life International Church
Rev. Dr Gordon Kisseih said the resurrection of Jesus should teach Christians a moral lesson of leaving a legacy for generations that would come after them. He said even though God allowed Jesus to be crucified, He raised Him (Jesus) up to a higher glory.
"As a nation, the message of Easter should give us hope that things will get better. Let us take up the virtues of patience, integrity and commitment to God and country. Let us do away with greed and corruption. Let us protect our environment, our water bodies, and our cultural and family values.
“By determination and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we can rise up and translate the message of Easter into the transformation of our dear nation Ghana," he said.
Great Commission Church International
Apostle Dr Samuel Vincent Ansah said Ghanaians must learn to devote themselves to doing what was good in order to provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives. "For Paul, the Christian must not be eager to do what is good only but also devote himself and life to doing what is good. Eagerness and devotion to doing what is good would be actualised when the Christian meditation is right and reflective of the character and actions of God," he said.
He said since Christians were in the majority, "when our thinking and meditations are right, our actions would be right and our impact in every facet of the Ghanaian society would be good".
Supreme Gospel International
Br. Bishop Dr Samuel Ohene Ewur also urged Ghanaians to prioritise peace and love during Easter and ahead of this year's elections. In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Bishop Dr Ewur emphasised that, "The true essence of Easter lies in promoting harmony and goodwill among all members of society.”
“Let us strive to maintain peace during this Easter and during the elections," he said. He underscored the importance of peace, love and unity in the festive season, calling it fundamental in building a stronger, more prosperous Ghana.
Bishop Dr Ewur also called upon political leaders and citizens alike to prioritise the well-being of the nation above personal interests.
Reflections
Bishop Dr Ewur emphasised the significance of Easter as a time for reflection and renewal. "As we commemorate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us also reflect on the values of love, sacrifice and unity that he exemplified," he stated.
He encouraged Ghanaians to demonstrate compassion and understanding towards one another during this festive season. "Let us extend the same love and forgiveness that Jesus showed to us, especially in times of political tension," he advised.
He, however, cautioned Christians to celebrate Easter in moderation. "As Christians, we must be sombre during the Easter celebration. Our joy must be the eternal salvation that we have received through His death and not be focused solely on the merrymaking aspect of the festivities," he stated.
Methodist Church
The Most Rev. Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo advised Ghanaians to reflect on their attitudes and activities that militate against the growth and development of the nation as they join the rest of the world to celebrate Easter.
These attitudes, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, Most Rev. Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo, explained, included bribery and corruption, which he said was dissipating the meagre resources of the nation.
He said there was also the need to reflect on monetisation in the political landscape, which he described as an axe at the foot of the country's hard-earned democracy. "We need to reflect on the moral decadence leading to issues such as LGBTQI, an abomination as far as our religious, cultural and traditional values are concerned; moral issues of greed, selfishness, disrespect in society, where there is no fellow-feeling; issues of character assassination, blackmailing, extortion and hypocrisy," he said.
Most Rev. Dr Boafo said this at a press conference held in Accra yesterday to deliver his Easter message to Ghanaians. The message was titled: “The empty tomb - a call to life, renewal and peace.”
Describing the Easter season as an opportunity for renewal of mindset and attitudes for change, Most Rev. Dr Boafo said it was also a time of rebirth and new beginnings. “It is a time when we remember that after every ending, there’s a new beginning.
Just as Christ rose from the dead, we too as individuals, communities, churches, and indeed as a nation Ghana, can rise above our challenges, our doubts and our fears. “The empty tomb is not just a symbol of Christ’s resurrection, but a reminder that every moment holds the potential for rebirth, renewal, revival and transformation. Easter is a journey of transformation,” he said.
Presbyterian Church
On behalf of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, the Moderator, Rt Rev. Dr Abraham Nana Opare Kwakye, urged the Ghanaian society to focus on love and sacrifice, forgiveness and reconciliation; hope and faith as they remember and reenact the most significant event in the salvation history of God.
“The circumstances of today in both our country and the world’s history is one where real hope is eluding too many people. Without hope, one cannot live. To live without hope is to cease to live.
“People place hope in things that are elusive — in financial wealth, in science, in status, in fame or in academic achievements; they may appear helpful but these are all very transient. Our true hope in life doesn’t spring from the feelings of our youth, lovely and fair though they are, nor does it emerge from the objective possibilities of history, unlimited though they may be.
“Our true hope in life is wakened and sustained and finally fulfilled by the great divine mystery which is above us and in us and round about us, nearer to us than we can be to ourselves,” he said.
Rt Rev. Dr Kwakye said Easter exemplified the ultimate act of love and sacrifice. Jesus' willingness to lay down his life for humanity which demonstrates the depth of God's love for us.
