President, dignitaries attend Judicial Service carol festival

The Judicial Service of Ghana on Wednesday night thrilled dignitaries and selected people from all walks of life when it held its maiden edition of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.

The service, which took place on the premises of the Supreme Court, was in the form of carols and readings from the Bible by justices of the High Court.

Melodious tunes from five choirs spiced up the evening as they sang various Christmas carols and gospel songs to the delight of the guests.

Choirs

The choristers of the Voices of Resilience of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Voices of Democracy, the Parliamentary Choir, the Ambassadors of Justice, the Judicial Service Choir and the Legal Angels of the Ghana School of Law were adorned in splendid robes and looked beautiful.

Also in attendance were the Accra Symphony Orchestra and the Lumina Choir.

Dignitaries

The event attracted President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye; the Chief Justice, Madam Sophia A. B. Akuffo, and the Chairman of the Council of State, Nana Otuo Siriboe II.

Others were the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Mrs Gloria Akuffo, and one of her deputies, Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame; the Minority Leader, Mr Haruna Iddrissu; the President of the Ghana Bar Association, Mr Tony Forson; Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, Justices of the Supreme Court, High Court and the lower courts.

The rest were members of the Diplomatic Corps, the clergy, heads of ministries, departments and agencies, management and staff of the Judicial Service.

Readings

The first reading was performed by Mr Forson, while the second and third readings were done by the President of the Association of Magistrates and Judges, Mr Justice Senyo Dzamefe, and Ms Akuffo, respectively.

The fourth reading was undertaken by a Justice of the Supreme Court, Mr Justice Jones Dotse, the fifth reading by Nana Otuo Siriboe II and the sixth reading by Prof. Oquaye.

The seventh and the eighth readings were executed by Dr Bawumia and Justice Akuffo, respectively.

The ninth and the last reading was performed by President Akufo-Addo.

Exhortation

In an exhortation, the First Lady of the Lighthouse Chapel International, Rev. Mrs Adelaide Heward-Mills, said in spite of the shortcomings of Christians, God still loved them.

She said as Ghanaians prepared to celebrate Christmas, they needed to put on the cloth of humility to approach God, adding that it was time Christians recognised that they had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, hence the need to seek help from God to overcome the challenges of life.

“It is not enough to encounter God once. We should go on to seek Him deeply and live in obedience to God. We should not do it half-heartedly,” Rev. Mrs Heward-Mills said.

She urged Christians to proudly share their faith and experiences with God with others to enable them to overcome evil in life.

“Christmas is not about festivities but about God coming to visit man. We are all creations of God but to become children of God we have to believe and receive and He will give us power to become his child,” Rev. Mrs Heward-Mills added.