Clerics Preach Hope At Easter

As Christians all over the world celebrate Easter, the Bishop, Diocese of the Niger, Onitsha, Anambra State Rt. Rev. Owen Nwokolo, and the Bishop, Diocese of Ideato, Imo State  Rt. Rev. Henry Okeke, have called on Nigerians to embrace peace and love for the country to move forward.

Also their counterparts from the Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Onitsha, Rt. Rev. Livinus Onuagha has also called on Nigerians to be patient in the face of prevailing hardship and insecurity in the country.

In their separate Easter messages the Bishops noted the hardships Nigerians have been going through, and expressed anger over the state of the nation, they however urged Nigerians to trust in God, as he is not going to forsake them.

While Bishop Nwokolo in his Easter message regretted the number of lives and magnitude of properties Nigerians have lost to terrorism and brigandage in  the past few years, he however, noted that Easter is a time for sober reflection, a time that should be judiciously used by both Christians and Moslems to make peace and seek the face of God collectively and individually for possible positive changes in the nation’s political, economic and social life.

He assured Nigerians that all hope was not yet lost, adding that as Jesus Christ suffered, crucified, buried and later resurrected, so would the country some day stabilize after decades of decay and turbulence.

However, Rt. Rev. Okeke, of Diocese of Ideato, in his own Easter message, described Easter as significant celebration in the Christendom, saying that Easter is key to the faith of Christians, adding that with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, men of God preach with their shoulder high as it gives every Christian access to the platform that the faith is built on.

“Intact beyond the Christendom, Easter has become so popular even with those who may not fully understand its full meaning. It is a very important Christian celebration in the sense that we remember the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the only one in the entire human history that resurrected after three days and not just did he resurrect, he said he was going to resurrect after three days according to the Scripture and he did.

However, beyond resurrection, as we look at Easter celebration, we remember and celebrate freedom, we celebrate salvation, we celebrate peace we celebrate love.

“So in Easter we do a lot things by way of announcing to the world the greatest even in human history, which is the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that is our pride as Christians. It is absolutely correct to say that without Easter there is no Christianity.

“Easter is the key to our faith, the Scripture says if the Lord Jesus did not resurrect our preaching will become noise making, our faith is not futile because with resurrection of Jesus Christ the believers can raise their shoulder high.

On his part, the Bishop, Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Onitsha, Eastern Gateway, Rt. Rev. Onuagha, also said that “If Jesus Christ had not died and resurrected, the Christian’s faith would have been in vain. Without Easter, there is no Christianity. And resurrection of Jesus Christ from dead and celebration of Easter are the only proof of Gods might over any power.”

He however noted that Christianity is not a bed of roses, and regretted that most Christians churches have deviated from the Christian ways.

According to Rt. Rev. Onuagha, “the cross is synonymous to death and suffering, the Orthodox church still maintain that for better for worse, in richer and poor, but nowadays some Christians do not want to suffer, like we are having it in Nigeria today. The cross Nigerian people are bearing today is too heavy for them, but it must come to an end one day, so Christians should trust and believe in God no matter any situation”

“No doubt everybody is feeling the hardship in this nation, we used to buy bag of rice N15,000, today it is N30,000 and above. You were here when fuel was sold at N87 and we called the the then President and his administration clueless, because the next government was coming with a promise that fuel will sell at N40, but today in the same government we are buying fuel at N175 per litre.

“Nigerians should therefore not loose hope, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, the bed bug told the young bed bugs to keep quiet, that everything that is hot will be cold. God wanted us to see the choice we made, everybody should therefore, calm down, things will be better some day.”

Send Us A Press Statement Advertise With Us Contact Us 

 And For More Nigerian News Visit GWG.NG