Christians mark Easter

Accra, April 16, GNA - Christians in Ghana on Sunday joined millions of the faith worldwide to mark Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ who was crucified dead at the Mount Calvary about 2000 years ago.
Easter symbolises the victory of Christ over death and in Ghana hundreds of Christians wearing white clothes, signifying victory filled chapels to worship and praise God.
A number of Churches, which are holding conventions, would wind up their activities after church services.

Koforidua

In Koforidua, the newly-appointed Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Koforidua, Rev. Monsignor Joseph Afrifah-Agyekum, has asked Christians to let Easter renew their relationship with God by surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ.
He said they should do this by eschewing all immoral lifestyles that create obstacles between them and the love of God.
Rev. Msgr. Afrifah-Agyekum, who was preaching the sermon at an Easter Holy Mass at the St George's Cathedral at Koforidua on Sunday, said in spite of difficulties in their lives, Christians should let the resurrection of Christ re-awaken their faith in him by emulating his truth, love and service to others.
He asked them to put all their problems before Jesus and have faith that once they follow him in the light he lit by his resurrection, they could overcome them.
Rev, Msgr. Afifah-Agyekum whose elevation by Pope Benedict XVI was announced on Wednesday, is to succeed the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle after his ordination by the Pope.

Tema

Tema, April 16, GNA - Christians have been urged not to return to their sins after Jesus Christ had laid down his life on the cross for the atonement of their sinful ways.
Rev Father Gabriel Liashiedzi, Priest in Charge of Our Lady of Mercy (OLAM) Catholic Church in Tema speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said: "Easter is not only a matter of being saved from our sins but the most important of it is that, we remember Christ dying on the cross and refrain from returning to our sinful ways.
He said if Christians should return to their sinful ways, that would mean crucifying Christ for the second time, while questioning if Jesus' blood was not expensive enough for mankind.
Rev. Fr. Liashiedzi reiterated that, without the resurrection of Christ, his death would have been meaningless adding that, "Saint Peter said that if the Lord had not resurrected, our faith would have been in vain".
He said the resurrection signified Christ's victory over death and sin and the setting of mankind free from his sins.
The clergyman further said Easter was cherished and held in solemnity as that was the greatest celebration for the Catholic Church because that was the time God reconciled with man using the greatest sacrifice.
He called on Christians to be humble as Christ humbled himself even unto his death on the cross, which was meant for only criminals despite his divine nature.
"We can not pay God for delivering us from the grips of the enemy but all we have to do is to obey his commandments then we would be his people and he our God" Rev Fr. Liashiedzi stated.
To political leaders he advised them to draw closer to God quoting from the Bible that "if God does not watch over the city, he watches in vain that keep wake".
He said the joy of Easter was not meant only for Christians but for all the handiwork of God including political leaders emphasizing that, without God no politician would realize his dreams since God alone knew what was good for a nation.

Accra

Archbishop Charles Palmer Buckle, Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, on Sunday urged Christians to leave the past behind them and to pray to God to do something new with their lives.
Preaching a sermon to mark Easter at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra, Archbishop Buckle said Christians should be more caring and show selfless love towards one another.
The church hall was filled to capacity and some worshippers had to stand outside to listen to the sermon. The congregation were full of excitement and joy that Christ had risen from the dead to save mankind. Eight persons received their first communion.
Arch Bishop Buckle said one personality in the gospel that could be emulated was Mary Magdalene because she followed Jesus Christ when he was carrying his cross and also stood by Mary the mother of God throughout without being afraid of the Roman soldiers.
He said he had focused his Easter sermon on personalities in the Gospel such as Judas Iscariot; the Jewish Priests; Pilate; Nicodemus; Simon of Arimathea, who played various roles in the passion of Christ and would want each one to find out which of the personalities he or she could liken herself or himself to.
He said it was due to this positive act of Mary Magdalene that Jesus made her the first Apostle of the resurrection because she was the first to witness his resurrection and was asked by Jesus to inform his disciples that he had risen and could be seen in Galilee.
"Let us ask Jesus to make us witnesses of his passion, death and to be his apostles sent to proclaim that he is raised; by our very life and actions."
He said Mary Magdalene was the prostitute in the Gospel; she was famous for being a witness of the crucifixion, burial, visit to the tomb on the day of resurrection and found it to be an empty one, adding that according to the Gospel of Mark Mary Magdalene saw the resurrected Christ.
He said she was possessed by seven demons, enslaved by evil but all these were driven away when she met Jesus after which, she decided to serve Christ and she showed selfless love until the end.
He said women were more loving than men because women could remain faithful to their husbands even in sickness until the man passed away but some men begin looking for a replacement as soon as their wives fell sick, adding that men should thank God for the gift of women.

Odumase

Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister has urged Ghanaians to let the Easter message of hope and love; encouraged them to support the Government for accelerated national development. He said; "It is time Ghanaians, especially Christians showed love to each other so that we can collectively move the nation forward and enjoy national prosperity".
The Deputy Regional Minister was addressing the closing session of an Easter camp meeting of the Sunyani Baptist Association of the Calvary Baptist Church at Odumase, near Sunyani. Mr Baffour Awuah advised Ghanaians to tackle sanitation issues to avoid preventable diseases that impoverishes the people. Reverend Charles Oppong-Poku, Senior Pastor of Ghana Baptist Church, in a sermon on the theme "Jesus is coming soon" called on Christians to eschew unholy practices to serve God and humanity, faithfully and with humility. He said they should not be deterred by hardships or problems they encountered but adopt a holistic approach to achieve their spiritual and physical needs.
"We are living in times of hardships, which demands that we stand firm and strong in our faith and commitment to God," He added. Preaching at the Wesley Cathedral of the Methodist Church of Ghana in Sunyani, Reverend Atto Barfi Himbson urged Christians to let the resurrection of Jesus Christ have a positive impact on their daily lives.
"As Christians we must endeavour to eschew negative and unproductive practices that would not allow us, our communities and the nation to grow. We must let our light shine as workers, traders, businessmen or as professionals," He said.
Rev. Himbson called on Christians to intensify evangelisation of the Gospel to help eliminate the canker of indiscipline and anti-social acts, especially among the youth and support the Government and its agencies in the national development efforts. Pastor Famous Nkrumah of Pentecostal Restoration Centre Preaching on the theme, " Resurrection and life" in Sunyani urged Christians not to put their trust in mortals who could betray them but in God.
He said "Jesus Christ is the only person whom we should trust and have faith and hope. The resurrection of Jesus Christ brought hope to the lost and the depressed."
Pastor Nkrumah called on all and sundry to love each other and live
faithfully as Jesus Christ offered himself as a living sacrifice to show
his love for mankind.

Bawku

Reverend Timothy Kere, Bawku District Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Church, has appealed to religious leaders to use the Easter celebrations to seek true and genuine reconciliation with each other to sustain peace in the country.
He noted that mistrust, suspicion and greed among religious leaders had led to social disintegration, which did not augur well for mankind and required renewal in the spirit of forgiveness.
Rev. Kere made the appeal at the closing session of a three-day Easter convention and district launch of the 75th anniversary of the church at Bawku on Sunday.
He said religious leaders should be humble and bold to admit their faults and sought for forgiveness from God and their colleagues. Rev. Kere asked people in responsible positions to be patriotic and trust in God to surmount all obstacles and bring development to the nation.
He noted that greed had made some religious leaders blind in spirit and they exploited the flock to satisfy their evil desires and called on such religious leaders to refrain from their acts and seek reconciliation with God.
Rev. Kere expressed concern about the manner people were elected to leadership positions in the Church and other institutions and organisations based on their affluence in society.

Tamale

Christians in Tamale on Sunday marked the resurrection of Jesus Christ with joy and celebrations.
Most of the Churches were filled to capacity with believers singing, dancing and praising God for giving his son to die for the sins of humanity to reconcile man with him.
The singing and dancing in some of the Churches were temporary disrupted by a power outage bur electricity was restored after a short period.
At the Winners Chapel International (WCI), Pastor Honour Olukorede in a sermon said, "The resurrection of Christ is the foundation of Christianity since without it our hope and faith will be meaningless". He called on Christians to let the occasion mark a beginning in their dedication to serve God in humility and reverence for him to continue to be merciful unto them.
"Just as Christ died so that our sins will be forgiven so should every Christian learn to forgive his neighbour in the true spirit of reconciliation," he stated.

Tamale

Pastor Olukorede asked Christians to learn to share their love, wealth and "little blessings God" with their less privileged brothers. "Let us learn to show concern about things happening in our community and try to change situations for the better," he said.
Pastor Olukorede said the resurrection of Christ signified the burial of old habits and attitudes and appealed to believers to bury their past and strive to lead lives worthy of emulation.
He asked Christians to pray for the presence of God in their lives to lead and guide them, saying: "God's presence, guarantees his blessing".
At the Deeper Christian Bible Church, Pastor Francis Fosu, the Overseer, urged Christians to follow the footsteps of Christ who worked tirelessly to bring salvation to mankind.
He said God entrusted the world to man to maintain and keep and stated that every man was expected to work diligently to create wealth they would leave for their children as inheritance.
Pastor Fosu called on Ghanaians to work hard to improve the economy to create jobs for the people.

Koforidua

Right Reverend Francis Benjamin Quashie, Bishop of the Koforidua Diocese of the Anglican Church, in his Easter Sunday message at the Koforidua Saint Peter's Anglican Cathedral said the resurrection of Jesus Christ after death proved that truth would always triumph over falsehood.
He said if Jesus Christ had not resurrected his teachings would have been questioned and it was his resurrection that made Christians believed that there was life after death.
Rt Rev. Quashie said the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ indicated that despite the duration, someone's position in society at an appointed time, everyone would be asked to account for their stewardship. He assured people working hard for the benefit of society that at the appropriate time, their efforts would be assessed and rewarded. As part of the Easter celebrations, six members of the congregation were commissioned and licenced as Charlists Assistants to assist ministers of the Cathedral in their pastoral duties. They were Mr Aaron E. O. Ofori-Tete, Mrs Gertrude Netteh, Mrs Mary Quashie, Ms Emelia Kwofie, Mr John Attefuah and Mr Ekow Mika.

Kumasi

The Very Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante, President of Trinity Theological Seminary in Accra on Easter Sunday said the resurrection of Jesus Christ should empower Ghanaians to live in peace and harmony. He therefore, stressed the need for Ghanaians to avoid negative practices that would militate against development and gird their efforts at transforming the country.

Very Rev. Prof. Asante was delivering a sermon at the Wesley Methodist Cathedral in Kumasi to mark Easter.

He said the resurrection of Jesus Christ should enjoin Christians to renew their lives and attitudes because society looked up to them as agents of change.

Very Rev. Asante advised Ghanaians not to allow their ethnic and political differences divide them, but should live with love and mutual understanding.

He reminded them to use the occasion to renew their dedication and commitment to the worship of God.

Preaching at Saint Cyprian's Anglican Cathedral, Right Reverend Daniel Yinkah-Sarfo, Anglican Bishop of Kumasi, said the resurrection of Jesus Christ gave Christians the confidence, hope and boldness to preach about him in the world.

He, therefore, charged Christians to reach out and preach the word of God, his resurrected life of righteous and victorious Christian lives.

Bishop Yinkah-Sarfo told the congregation that the greatest event in human history was the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and said as they celebrated the occasion, they must rekindle their spiritual upliftment and work hard to win more souls for Jesus Christ. He called on the congregation to learn to live in peace and harmony with their neighbours and love to serve God, the country and the world.

At the Saint Paul's Catholic Church at Amakom, Deacon Frimpong Manso called on Christians to let Jesus Christ's resurrection serve as a turning point in their lives.

He urged them to desist from accusing others but rather help them out of their problems.

Deacon Frimpong Manso challenged Christians to lead morally upright lives for others to emulate, which he said, was as good as evangelism.

Rev. James Kwabena Badu, General Overseer of the African Faith Ministry International, called on Christians to let Jesus Christ be at the centre of their affairs during and after the Easter celebrations. Rev. Badu urged Christians to be humble, care for their neighbours and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ to become true Christians. At Hemang Catholic Church near Aboaso in the Kwabre district, Rev Father Mark Owusu, Associate Priest of Saint Joseph's Parish at Mamponteng, called on Christians to use the Easter celebrations to fight against social vices and injustices in society.

He asked Christians to portray the virtues of Jesus Christ to others by desisting from bribery and corruption, insults and blackmailing.

Rev Father Owusu entreated the congregation to develop the spirit of sharing with others as Jesus Christ gave up his life on the Cross for mankind.

Accra

Delivering the sermon at the Resurrection Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in Accra, the Reverend Tetteh Suomi Akunor, District Pastor urged Christians to use the resurrection of the Lord Jesus to rededicate themselves to him.

This, he noted, "can be achieved by forgiving one another of any wrong doings, reconciling with those with whom we bear some grudge and sharing whatever we have this Easter with those who do not have".

Rev Akunor, who was preaching under the theme, "Christ is Risen Indeed" said just as the scriptures said that the stone that was used to seal the tomb was rolled away by angels, in the same way those, who rededicated themselves to Christ would have all the obstacles in their lives removed.

"Today is a day of rejoicing for Christians, because the message of salvation that God gave his only begotten son to the world to die for sinners comes anew to Christians.

"Today also reminds Christians of what Jesus told his disciples that he was going to pull down the Temple and rebuild it in three days. This Temple, which is Jesus Christ himself, died, was buried and rose again on the third day.

"These truth or facts of life can never be hidden nor distorted by anyone because truth always prevails over falsehood," he said. Rev. Akunor said the message of Easter in simple terms means believers of the faith needed to live a Christ-like life by forgiving one another and living at peace with all men.

"God has given us the best of all sacrifices - that is his only son. What do we have in turn to give to God?" he asked, adding: "The most we can also do for him is to give our lives to Him."

The Church in marking the day gave awards in citations and medals to mostly octogenarians, who during their active years served the Church in various capacities.