Right Reverend Dr. Hilliard K. Dela Dogbe, Presiding Bishop of African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, has urged Ghanaians to keep hope alive rather than throwing their hands in despair.

He said the Christmas season must inspire Ghanaians to remain hopeful and resolute in their conviction that with God on their side, they could and shall surmount the current difficulties.

Rt Rev Dogbe, in a Christmas Message, said, “Individually and collectively, we must commit to playing our part to birth the future we hope for.”

Rt Rev Dogbe said Christmas reminded them of accountability and not only was it the commemoration of the birth of Christ as a baby in the manger, but more importantly Christmas was a solemn reminder of his anticipated return as a judge of the world; a time for accountability. 

“This Christmas, each of us must remember that irrespective of the office we hold and the place we occupy within our social setup, we are all stewards entrusted with the breath of life, skills and capabilities, and resources of all kinds,” he added. 

He reminded Ghanaians of God’s immense and unconditional love for humankind.

He said during this Christmas, “May we individually and collectively, commit to live as ethical leaders who place a high premium on accountability in every sphere of life in which we find ourselves.”

Rt Rev Dogbe said as they prepared to cross over to the new year 2024, it was his prayer that Ghanaians would pay heed to the call to actively demonstrate the God-kind of love in all our dealings, to stay positive and hopeful while working assiduously to actualize our hopes, and to be ethically upright and uphold accountability in every sphere of life. 

“May we as citizens strive to uphold the virtues of hard work, honesty, patriotism, and unity,” he added.

 He said in celebrating Christmas, “We are challenged to demonstrate this God-kind of love in our relationship with self, others and our world.”

He said as the country prepared to go to the polls again leaders on the political front needed to strive for peaceful coexistence and issue-based campaigns.

Christmas is also about hope as the birth of Christ represented enduring light breaking forth through the ensuing thick darkness. 

He said the year, which was ending steadily, had some challenges including the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme with its attendant ‘haircuts’ which virtually whittled away the entire life-savings of many, inflationary trends in the economy leading to a sharp rise in the prices of goods and services and the continued degradation of our environment through illegal mining.

Others are threats to the security of the nation as a result of the activities of terrorist groups in countries along the northern borders and the recent flooding of communities along the Volta Lake and River.