As Christians in Nigeria join their counterparts across the globe to celebrate this year’s Easter festival, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, South-West Nigeria, Oba Lekan Balogun, has called for a commitment to the well-being of one another and emulation of Jesus Christ, who, through His love for mankind, died for their sins on the cross, well over two thousand years ago.
Oba Balogun made this charge in his Easter message in which he congratulated the Christian community for the grace to witness another Easter celebration, as contained in a press release issued by his Personal Assistant (Media), Oladele Ogunsola, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, on Friday.
The Monarch maintained that the annual celebration of the Easter festival is nothing but a celebration of the exemplary life of love lived by Jesus Christ and it is only when the followers of Jesus Christ take after Him in their love for their fellow beings that the essence of the celebration could be meaningful, urging Christians to deeply reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which informed the annual celebration.
The monarch said: “This is a sacred moment in the life of Christians, a period of remembrance of uncommon love displayed by their leader/master- Jesus Christ, who laid down His life for the remission of their sins. Before His crucifixion on the Cross, the totality of all His earthly activities was centred on love for God and fellow beings.
“It is this love for all that I now beseech all to show to one another. As a country, we need it to engender growth and development. Let our leaders show love to the citizens by ensuring that whatever policy they make is well thought out to be harmless or not injurious to the well-being of the people. The citizens, on the other hand, owe it a duty to obey the leaders, show understanding and pray for them to do well in office,” Oba Balogun stated.
He charged Christians to relate with one another without any form of discrimination, just like Jesus Christ was doing during His earthly ministry up to the point of His death on the cross, when he still prayed for His adversaries, saying: “If we love one another genuinely without any form of barrier or sentiment, there would be less tension in our environment. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ is expecting from true believers.”
Congratulating Christians for witnessing this year’s Easter, the monarch prayed that the grace to live according to the principles of their Master – Jesus, would be multiplied in their lives and that this year’s occasion would not be the last to be celebrated in the land of the living.
He called for moderation in the celebrations so as not to cause any injury to one another, affirming that it is only the living that celebrates.
