General News of Saturday, 25 December 2004

Source: GNA

Accra: Clergy advises on Yuletide celebrations

Accra, Dec. 25, GNA - Ghanaians have been urged to deem the yuletide season as an opportune period to soberly reflect on the relevance of birth of Christ to their very existence rather than engaging in excessive merrymaking.
The Reverend Arnold Armah of the Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral, in a sermon on the eve of Christmas said, although it was good to make merry and share during Christmas to foster social cohesion, its real essence should not be swept under the carpet.
He said Christmas was a period that must be celebrated vis-a-vis the demonstration of the real values that the church as a body of Christ upheld.
"We must avoid all...acts that stands contrary to the precepts of the church and dents the image of Christ".
Rev. Armah also called on Ghanaians to pray unceasingly for the sustainability of the current peace the country was enjoying. He said the democratic path the country had chosen was still at a fledging state and that it would take a continuous and constant supplication for it to thrive.
Earlier, various musical groups in the church sung carols to signify the birth of Christ as well as the invaluable sacrifice he made for humanity.
They also recited the apostle's creed and visited a symbolic manger meant to create a mental image on the mind of the congregation about the deplorable environment in which the Messiah was born.