On Christmas Eve... Work hard for country - Religious leaders charge Ghanaian

Christian leaders have called on Ghanaians to use the Christmas period to foster harmony, bury their differences and work for the common good of the country.

They said having gone through a peaceful election, Ghanaians should be grateful and unite to build the country.

The eminent clergymen who made the call included the Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye; the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, Rev. Stephen Wengam; the Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Dr Gordon Nii Nii Odonkor, and the General Overseer of the Life International Church, Bishop Dr Gordon Kisseih.

The rest were the General Overseer of The Lords Pentecostal Church International, Apostle Eric Essandoh Anim Otoo and the Chairman of the Ghana National Council of the Great Commission Church International (GCCI), Apostle Dr Samuel Vincent Ansah.

Conception

In his Pastoral Letter, Apostle Nyamekye said the mystery surrounding Jesus was great, referring to 1 Timothy 3:16.

"From  His conception to His death and resurrection, people are still figuring out who He is.

"But we have come to know who this Jesus is; He is the Son of the Living God, who is before all things and in Him, all things hold together (Col 1:15-20). He is the bread from heaven that gives life to mankind. Through Him, God is reconciling all things to Himself, and God has given proof of this by raising Him from the dead," he said.

Apostle Nyamekye said just like the manna that fell from heaven, Jesus was able to sustain anyone who came to Him by His word.

For those who still wondered about who Jesus was, he said, it was the responsibility of those who knew Him to make Him known to those who did not know Him.

For his part, Rev. Wengam said while Ghanaians made merry and showed love to others, it was imperative to count "our blessings and reflect on our lives as individuals and nation. In a nutshell, God has been good to us, no matter our circumstances".

“In the face of bitingly bitter economic challenges, He lavished His grace on us. And today, our economy is on an upswing," he said.

He said the mighty arm of God was profoundly manifested in seeing Ghana through the high-stake, tension-packed and suspicion-laden elections.

He stated that the loss of lives, pockets of violence, the cases of arson and the spree of looting were deeply regrettable and unacceptable.

Beginning

In his message, Rev. Dr Odonkor said just as the first Christmas was a new beginning for Mary and Joseph on the night when Jesus was born, many others, through generations, who encountered the Lord in His ministry, also experienced that newness.

Thus, he said, Christmas gave mankind all the opportunity to put mistakes and failures behind them, as well as let go of the past and embrace the future to be secured in forgiveness and transformed by His grace.

"As we celebrate the glorious truth that at a point in history God came into our world and lived among us, so with a new government starting after this Christmas - January 7, 2025 - God is giving Ghana a new opportunity for a new chapter in governance.

"We can also affirm in history that every new gift from God offers an opportunity to serve him and humanity better," he said.

Rev. Odonkor said it was his prayer that Ghanaians would use the Christmas and the coming into office of a new political dispensation to straighten up and work harder than before.

"I challenge every institution of the state, worker, political party, politician, church, family member and every other Ghanaian to take advantage of the gift of the season to open a new chapter and to start again," he said.

Bishop Kisseih, for his part, charged all elected leaders and appointed executives to hand over the governance of the country into the hands of Jesus.

"This we can do by using the timeless principles of the Bible: integrity, honesty, hard work, and fellow-feeling, loving our neighbours as ourselves," he said.

Apostle Otoo, on the other hand, said while mankind rejoiced, they should also remember the sanctity of the season since it was time to honour God and desist from indulging in orgies and revelries, and focus on meaningful celebrations that glorified Him.

New government 

"As our nation prepares to welcome a new government, let us embrace the change with faith and optimism. This is a pivotal time to pray for God’s guidance in ensuring a peaceful and fruitful transition. May our leaders govern with wisdom, integrity and vision for the collective good of all Ghanaians," he said.

Apostle Dr Ansah said with the population of the country being more than 70 per cent Christians, it was time for Christ-likeness to show and not be announced by word of mouth only.

“The citizenry of Ghana should see Christians exhibiting their lifestyle in the schools, government offices, private organisations, security services, politics and the behaviour of the clergy.

"Our lifestyle should speak louder than our words and our words should match our lifestyle," he added.