Christmas, season of renewed hope —Archbishop Ademowo

The Diocesan Bishop of Lagos and Dean Emeritus, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Reverend (Dr) Ephraim Adebola Ademowo, has called on Christians and Nigerians in general to stay firm in their hope for a better country in spite of the challenges currently faced.

Ademowo stated this in his Christmas message made available to TribuneChurch.

While expressing gratitude to God for the special grace of Nigerians witnessing Christmas, he said: “in today’s world, especially our nation Nigeria, the myriad of problems and challenges evident everywhere, ranging from neglect, suffering, poverty, diseases, robbery, kidnapping, communal clashes, religious war, political fracas, insurgency, violence to natural disasters, are fast becoming part of our everyday lives.

“They are the numerous challenges we battle with everyday.  They are the mountains, the hurdles we need to surmount in our national life before we can make the desired progress that we all yearn for as a country. We became more worried that a nation at 56 was yet to stand on its feet in spite of the enormous resources.

“Instead, the nation is blessed with child abuse, child trafficking, child slavery, prostitution, destitution, among, others, which constitute a deep sore on the soul of Nigeria which must not be allowed to fester any longer.

“Education is the key. At the core of this should be a commitment to funding mass education at all levels of government. In this regard, parents too should be ready to assist in mass enrolment of children in schools. Where law is required to regulate this as has done in a few states, it should be enforced.

“The guiding philosophy here is that if most children have the requisite education and knowledge, it would be difficult for them to fall prey to all these dehumanising influences. We need to surmount one of the problems of our national life before we can make the desired progress that we all yearn for as a country.”

While noting that the message of Christmas “must therefore be appropriated to the salvation in our land,” he stated that “we must see hope that Christ brought to the world and must rise together to overcome our challenges as we first set our priorities right. Christ is the reason for Christmas. Our God is still very much with us if we would draw close to Him especially at this time, as we celebrate and commemorate His birth. He alone knows those things that make for our peace.”

He prayed that “as we celebrate the birth of Christ, the peace of God will saturate every home and permeate every nook and cranny of this country.”