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General News of Friday, 18 April 2014

Source: GNA

Ghanaians ready to celebrate Good Friday

Christians all over Ghana are getting ready to commemorate Good Friday, the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday which occurred some 2,000 years ago.

In Ghana, most Pentecostal, Charismatic and Orthodox churches are holding conventions and Catholic churches are expected to organise Stations of the Cross depicting Christ's agonising march to his crucifixion and death.

Christians believe that Christ's crucifixion brought salvation to the world and reconciled man with God.

In an interview with GNA the Reverend Fitzgerald Odonkor, President of the Harvest International Ministries, said the ultimate sacrifice that Christ made for the world was an example of sacrificial living that Christians must follow.

He said Christ by making that sacrifice striped himself of all privileges and dignity and by so doing showed love to the less privileged and identifying with them.

Rev. Odonkor said Christ paid the full price for our sins through this ultimate sacrifice on the cross and by so doing set an example of sacrificial living for Christians to follow.

We cannot tell the full story of Easter, and especially Good Friday, without considering the subject of this ultimate sacrifice, he said.

He said Jesus assumed the role of a servant in making that sacrifice and that it is about time Christians asked God what He would have them do rather than instructing him on what to do for us.

He appealed to Christians to descend from their high social, economic, academic and political pedestal to the level of the ordinary person and demonstrate the sacrifice of a true leader to the world.

Rev. Odonkor said the world was looking for Christians who could identify with them without comprising on their Christian values.

He said such people must humble themselves because no true and lasting honour comes without genuine humility.

At the Central Business District of Accra some shoppers were making frantic efforts through heavy vehicular and human traffic to do some shopping for the event.

The Accra International Conference Centre is booked for Harvest Praise 2014, the National Theatre and other entertainment centers in Accra are all booked for activities.

The beaches are also ready for revelers who will patronise the places and have put in place measures and programmes to mark the Ester celebrations.

But as usual some traders who spoke to GNA noted that Easter celebration was not Christmas during which people do a lot of shopping to mark it.

Mr Joseph Owusu, a trader at Makola Market told the GNA that; traders use the Easter period mostly to sell the left-overs from Christmaswe do not expect much during this period but it is still okay.

Most Drinking joints GNA visited have also stocked their refrigerators and store rooms with alcoholic beverages in anticipation of good sales from Thursday evening through the Easter period.