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Christian leaders and organisations in the country have encouraged Ghanaians not to throw their hands in despair as a result of the current economic situation, but to resolve to keep hope alive this Christmas and beyond.
They said the Christmas season must inspire Ghanaians to remain hopeful and resolute in their conviction that with God on their side, the people would surmount their current difficulties.
They said the year 2023, now steadily ebbing to a close, had been a challenging one, citing the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme with its attendant ‘haircuts’ which virtually whittled away the entire life savings of many; inflationary trends in the economy leading to a sharp rise in goods and services; the continued degradation of the environment through illegal mining; threats to the security of the nation as a result of the activities of terrorist groups in countries along the northern borders; and the recent flooding of communities along the Volta Lake and River as some of the challenges that had confronted the country this year.
The leaders and organisations who said this in separate Christmas messages to the Daily Graphic include the Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye; the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference; the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana; Most Rev. Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo; and the Chairman of the Christian Council of Ghana, Rt Rev. Dr Hilliard K. Dela Dogbe, who is also the Presiding Prelate of the Western West Africa Episcopal District of the AME Zion Church.
The others are the Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Dr. Godwin Nii Noi Odonkor; Bishop of the Life International Churches and Schools, Rev. Dr Gordon Kisseih; the Founder and President of Worldwide Miracle Outreach, Rev. Dr Lawrence Tetteh, and General Overseer of The Lord’s Pentecostal Church International, Apostle Eric Essandoh Anim Otoo.
Apostle Nyamekye said Christmas was celebrated every year to remember God’s visitation to humanity and their redemption from eternal damnation.
However, he said, just as the mere celebration of the nation's Independence was not enough to assess its impact on individuals, institutions and the development of the nation, the joyous occasion of Christmas was a great opportunity for Christians to critically examine and assess whether the salvation had yielded the full benefits God intended for them as individuals, the church and the nation as a whole.
Such introspection, he said, would help to bring about the repentance and realignment needful for mankind to fulfil their divinely mandated roles of being the light of the world and salt of the earth as described in the biblical verses of Matthew 5:13-16.
“Light cannot be called light if it fails to drive away darkness.
Likewise, ‘salt’ cannot be considered ‘salt’ if it cannot heal corruption and preserve the dignity of society.
As Christians, we need to translate our religiosity into practical expressions of morality in all our endeavours,” he said.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference, in a message signed by its President, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, urged Ghanaians to rededicate the country at Christmas to Christ so that they might continue to live in His peace, “the kind of peace that the world cannot give, an inner peace that gives us a sense of security wherever we find ourselves”.
“Let us all bear in mind that the most beautiful of Christmas joys is the joy of inner peace,” the message added.
Christmas, it said, was a mystery of love, the greatest manifestation of God’s love for mankind.
“The love of the Father, who has sent into the world His only-begotten Son, to bestow on us the gift of His own life (1 John 4:8-9). Let us as part of Christmas celebrations extend this love to the marginalised and the less-privileged in our society: prisoners, street children, those with mental health challenges, widows, orphans, poorest of the poor, etc.
We would be glad if this gesture would be extended even beyond the season of Christmas,” it said.
It called for peace on the roads, saying one of the worrying concerns of many Ghanaians during the season was the high spate of road accidents.
In his message, Rev. Dr Odonkor said Christmas was an affirmation of God’s continuous love for Ghana and the world.
“Christmas means so much in so many different ways but one thing that stands out above all is the joy of recalling the birth of Jesus.
Christmas brings so much joy to the world because a child is born for us, a son is given and with joy we must receive him,” he said.
Every Christmas, he said, was about the same spontaneous joy or celebration and that in doing that mankind should not lose sight of the core message of Christmas — peace and joy.
“Let us enjoy all the fun and festivity, the love and laughter, the giving and receiving but let us share with all, especially the poor and underprivileged,” he said.
Rev. Dr Kisseih said Christmas came to address the challenges of pain and suffering in the world.
“Families are struggling with basic necessities of life such as health, education and food.
Individually and collectively, the youth are getting frustrated and expressing this in anger, hatred, and deviant behaviours.
But there is hope,” he said.
“The purpose of Christmas is to restore hope to the youth, and other deprived communities of the world, and to share the love of God,” he said.
He said the message of Christmas was to restore dignity to mankind.
“The woman, Mary, was the first to receive dignity through the visit of Angel Gabriel.
Then the shepherds, representing people of low estate, were chosen by God to share the good news of Great Joy,” he said.
Most Rev. Dr Boafo urged Ghanaians, particularly political leaders and their followers, to think, speak, live and work towards peace before, during and after the 2024 general election as they celebrate Christmas and New Year, Augustina Tawiah reports.
He urged them to also pray for the victory of Ghana, pointing out that although they might belong to different political parties that did not make them enemies.
“As Ghanaians enter into a new year whose major focus would be, among others, our general election in December 2024, my message to our political leaders and their followers is that they should be circumspect in their utterances.
They should address issues instead of resorting to insults, intemperate language and inflaming passions for conflict,” he said.
Most Rev. Dr Boafo, who offered his advice, which focused on God’s light, hope and peace for the World, at a news conference in Accra, asked Ghanaians to pray for peace, allow peace to rule their lives, seek peace and pursue it, and to do their best to live at peace with others this Christmas and in the New Year.
Rev. Dr Tetteh said a major step towards maintaining the peace of the country before and after the December 7, 2024, polls was for all stakeholders to collectively condemn languages that did not promote unity, reports Timothy Ngnenbe.
“It is important for the leaders of the various stakeholder groups to be responsible and disown elements within their fold who want violence. Parties must let foot soldiers, supporters and communicators know that we need a united Ghana.
The fact that they want to win elections does not mean throwing words about anyhow,” he stressed.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic last Wednesday, Rev. Dr Tetteh said the festive season was an opportunity for Ghanaians to be reflective on positive values that would deepen the country’s democracy.
In that regard, he said, the choice of leadership for the country in 2024 must be based on values rather than parochial interests.
He called on the clergy to use their pulpits to pray for the various actors in the political space to play their roles and responsibilities in a manner that prioritised national interest.
Rt Rev. Dr Dogbe said Christmas was also about hope, as the birth of Christ represented enduring light breaking forth through the ensuing thick darkness.
“Christmas also reminds us of accountability.
Not only is it the commemoration of the birth of Christ as a baby in the manger, but more importantly Christmas is a solemn reminder of his anticipated return as a judge of the world.
“A time for accountability.
This Christmas, each of us must remember that irrespective of the office we hold and the place we occupy within our social setup, we are all stewards entrusted with the breath of life, skills and capabilities and resources of all kinds.
At a point in time, each shall be called to give account of how well he or she has utilised the resources placed at our disposal,” he said.
Apostle Otoo prayed for the peace of Christ to take over the country, even as it prepared for next year’s general election.
He again prayed for peace to reign, love to dominate and the outpouring of abundant blessings in Christ Jesus.
“Just as we have received from our heavenly Father the gift of His only-begotten Son in this period, it behoves us as His children to replicate the offer by giving to our friends and families, for that is the essence of Christmas — giving.
“As Christians, our celebration of Christmas should reminisce the solemnity that the birth of Christ represents.
We should be the way for the world to follow.
We should not engage in wild celebrations that lead to debauchery and gluttonous eating. Christ is gentle, meek and mild, so His followers must depict such,” he added.
