OUR JUBILEE HAS COME
(A Sermon delivered by Rev Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, General Secretary of Christian Council of Ghana on Sunday January 26, 2014 during the Launching of the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Ghana Police Church, Accra).
Key Bible Passages: Ps 48:14 & Matt 4: 16
INTRODUCTION
I give thanks to the Almighty for the opportunity to be part of this historic service. Moreover, I am grateful to the leadership of the Ghana Police Church Accra for the invitation. On behalf of the Christian Council of Ghana I bring you all greetings. May the peace of the good Lord be with you all. The Christian Council of Ghana identifies with your celebration not only because the Council has provided your church with Pastors since its inception but also your significant contribution to Christian missionary enterprise in Ghana. Today we have Police churches spread across the country and all of them have their beginnings from your church. We say Ayekoo to Police church. Let me also acknowledge the presence of Bishop Asamoah Okyere the Conference Secretary of the Methodist Church Ghana and Hon Kwesi Ahwoi the Minister for the Interior for accepting to join us in worship this morning.
I pray that the celebrations will provide us the opportunity to praise God for His faithfulness over the years, affirm some of our members who have distinguished themselves in the service of the church, heal the wounds in our history and set fresh targets for the coming years.
JUBILEE CELEBRATION AS A MOMENT OF HOPE RENEWAL
We have gathered here this morning for the launching of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Police Church Accra. Fifty years in the Bible is just not numbers. Fifty years have both spiritual and theological significance. Jubilee celebration as elaborated in Lev 25:8-17 was a period of forgiveness, freedom, reconciliation, fresh opportunities and a moment of hope. The people of Israel would always be looking forward to the 50th year for the Jubilee blessings.
In the New Testament Jubilee is not just fifty years but the coming of Christ. In Lk 4: 18-19 Jesus announced the ‘acceptable year of the Lord’. The fullness of the Jubilee blessings are therefore fully embedded and fulfilled in Him. The advent of Christ provides the assurance that the Lord is mindful of us and He will come at the right time to help. In Christ every day, year or moment is the Jubilee moment for the people of God. The Jubilee will at all time bring renewal of hope to the hopeless.
JUBILEE BLESSINGS THROUGH DIVINE INTERVENTION AND HUMAN EFFORTS
The Jubilee is an affirmation that God has pleasure in the prosperity of His servants (Ps 35:27). God is not just interested in the wellbeing of His people. He is also an active participant in the process towards the wellbeing of His people. He provides people, programmes, institutions, spiritual gifts and the church to facilitate the prosperity of His people. God will always provide the divine interventions, favor, support, guidance, protection, and presence that will facilitate the growth and development of His people.
However, the people concerned must also do what they are supposed to do. God during the journey of the Israelites on the wilderness provided Manna for their wellbeing. However there was a human effort side of the Manna. Manna never dropped into the mouth of the people. They had to go out into the field to pick them. In fact there was even time factor to the picking to the extent that if one does not do the picking on time the Manna turned into worms. When God presents the acceptable year of the Lord the Nation, the Church and the people of God must move into performance and do what they are required to do.
THE CRY FOR JUBILEE
There are adequate signs and indicators that point to the yearning for Jubilee blessings in our country and churches today.
SUICIDE: A SIGN OF LOST OF SELF DIGNITY AND CONFIDENCE
Life must be exciting and tomorrow must be worth waiting for. However, when people have nothing to hope for they lose their self confidence and dignity. The situation becomes worse when the people and institutions around them do not inspire any form of hope.
Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem but it has become a choice of some of our people. Suicide has become a big challenge for as a Nation. The ages range from Junior High School pupils to those close to retirement. People with all kinds of professional backgrounds: teachers, medical officers, security officers, bankers, married as well as singles are all reported to be committing suicides. Suicide is a sign of lost of hope in others and self.
National institutions and structures must inspire hope. Unfortunately a regular listener or viewer of talk shows may get very little signs of hope from our media. Even when the Party in power is doing very well for the sake of votes the other parties in waiting will speak so loud against it to the nation that we are doom for ever. On the other hand when something is just not right and hurting the party in power will want us to be convinced that that is the best we can have. There is too much propaganda experts around in media. Public discourse is too much politicized and therefore do not inspire hope in those who are hurting. We need objectivity in governance and public discourse. If something is good let us all, both parties in majority and minority say it is good so that we can help a hopeless person to revive hope.
CORRUPTION: A SIGN OF DESPERATION AND HOPELESSNESS
Our people are no more ashamed of corruption. Corruption is a sign of desperation and hopelessness. People who have lost hope in themselves and others are those who are convinced that they cannot survive by doing the right things and therefore they do anything for survival. Our Leaders; religious, political, traditional etc who want to use the resources entrusted to them for the wellbeing of others for their selfish gains are into desperation and hopelessness. They have lost hope in tomorrow if they will have to maintain human values and dignity. They are therefore willing to do anything to survive. The sense of shame is gradually eluding us. The church must intensify our Christian educational programmes to help our members in public service to dare to be different.
SELFISHNESS: A SIGN OF LOST OF PATRIOTISM, NATIONALISM AND NATIONAL PRIDE
When people want to get all that they can and can all that they get we must know that self centeredness has caught up with us. Whenever the mindset of our people in pursuing wealth becomes ME, MYSELF, MY OWN AND I, we must accept that we have crisis in our National values. The destruction of a single soul reduces all of us a nation. The National philosophy ought to remain One Nation, One People, One Destiny. The fulfillment of my destiny must help the other persons to attain theirs. But at the moment the sense of Patriotism has eluded us. We care more about our individual selves more than the collective wellbeing of all. The economic, academic etc gaps between the poor and the rich, the rural and the urban are becoming wider every day. The poor in our societies are becoming poorer while the rich are becoming richer without stronger opportunities for the poor to benefit from the riches of the rich. Some few years ago a boy/girl living in a village in any part of Ghana could attain admission through Common Entrance Examination to any top Second Cycle institution e.g. Prempeh College, Wesley Girls, Achimota School, Aburi Girls etc. Today many rural Junior High School pupils are convinced that it is unwise to select such schools. There is the urgent need for us to discuss identified national ideals, values and philosophies in our media and other public educational programmes and stop the over politicization of national issues in public discourse. We must revive the sense of patriotism as we seek to enjoy the blessings of Jubilee.
CALLED TO BE GENTS OF JUBILEE
Jesus invites us all to serve as agents of jubilee. The challenge is for us to accept the call and faithfully fulfill the divine mandate. There are people, programmes, institutions both in the Nation and the church that must make the Jubilee blessings real to the people at all times. There are many people in our churches, societies, schools, families etc who are waiting and calling for the Jubilee blessings. The more we see people committing suicide, unable to access education, being afraid on our roads due to accidents, uncertain about the future we must be reminded about the relevance of the Jubilee.
Church programmes must assure orphans, widows, aged etc that there is hope for them.
Leaders; religious, political, traditional etc must revive hope in their people by their policies, programmes, sacrifices and examples. Whenever leadership becomes self seeking it weakens public confidence and sense of hope. Our Jubilee has come. Jubilee invites all of us especially the Church to respond to the call to become agents of hope. I pray that it will be said of us all especially the members of Police Church Accra that we have become agents of Jubilee blessings.
