THE'SPIRIT OF'EASTEREASTER Day is a day of rejoicing, celebration, happiness and hope restored and renewed. It is a defining moment in human history because it epitomises the liberation of humankind from the tragedies of the past and the trajectory of the sins committed by the first man: Adam, which was brought upon the human race. With the significance of this season in mind, I would like to say hearty congratulations to Christians in Nigeria and around the world, for the successful completion of the 40 days of fasting and prayers, and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and His victory over death, sickness, poverty, strife, war, starvation, hunger, hatred and every other sin-inflicted challenges, which the arms of flesh alone cannot surmount. And while it is in order for us to celebrate and rejoice, it is equally salient to recognise the sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, which is the epicenter of his coming. We must soberly reflect upon His readiness and selfless commitment and passion towards redeeming and reconnecting us with God and the new channel his death and resurrectioncreatedfor us to seek the face of God and approach His throne of Grace unhindered and without inhibition.This should affect every facet of our daily living considering the fact, that, the only way to truly celebrate and show that His sacrifice, love and death on the cross is valued and appreciated, is for us to live our lives for others. We must be prepared to share all we have with others because this is what God expects of us as His children who have been bought with the precious blood of the Lamb. Our readiness to give and sacrifice ourselves for others is the centrality of the message of Christ's death, which He wants us to propagate to the world. He wants us to show love where there is hate, to advocate peace in the midst of chaos and confusion, to bring hope and smiles to the hopeless, to preach courage and strengthen those in despair and are facing adversities, to lift up the weak and the helpless and to comfort the lonely. This is what is lacking in our society today. We are not prepared to live for others hence, the rise in poverty, sickness, unemployment, corruption and wickedness of all shades. Our inability to love our neighbours as ourselves has continued to promote intolerance, hatred and abuse, which contradicts the purpose of his death and resurrection. This is the reason a group of people under the guise of religious fundamentalism and a revolt against Western Education (Boko Haram) would continue to inflict pain and suffering on others through extremist actions such as killings, maiming, wanton destruction of lives and properties amongst other satanic and terrorist acts. May the splendour of Christ reach the peoples of every part of this country, so that the light of peace and of human dignity may overcome the darkness of division, hate and violence. Christ is risen, he is alive and he walks with us. For this reason, we sing and faithfully carry out our task in this world with our gaze fixed on heaven.Wishing you all a Happy Easter....It's About Sacrifice And RestorationMessage from President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo OritsejaforEASTER is a day of penance, meditation and it represents the purpose of God for the salvation of mankind. Easter marks the beginning of our salvation and, therefore, Christians should show and manifest love that is not conditional to our friends, neighbours and relations irrespective of their religion or ethnic background.I congratulate Christians in Nigeria for another Easter that we have entered into. My prayer is that as we celebrate and rejoice, it should also be a good time to reflect on the fact that Easter is about sacrifice and restoration because Jesus Christ gave himself to us. It is a time for restoration because He rose from the dead. Therefore, as Christians we must be prepared to make sacrifices for the growth of the church and Nigeria. We should also expect that the sacrifices of the past and those that we are still making will bring about restoration.As Jesus Christ rose from the dead, everything that has died in us, the church and Nigeria will rise again. God will restore peace, joy and happiness in Nigeria and Nigerians. At this season, let us pray and believe that God will restore the glory of Nigeria. We will not just talk about a sleeping giant, but one that is awake; a giant that we can all be proud of. Easter marks the fulfillment of Jesus as the Messiah, Christians are enjoined to unite with the passion of Jesus Christ, be sober, humane and learn from the sacrificial life of Jesus Christ....Time To Reflect On Our ThinkingMessage from The Anglican Bishop of Kaduna Diocese,The main reason for this festive occasion is to further educate religious leaders from both communities so that they will in-turn better educate their members. This is a civilised way of living with our differences. It is hoped that the communities will, with a better understanding of others' knowledge of God stop the brutal killings of one another and make Nigeria a more peaceful place to live and serve God.
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