Reverend Father Roland Kpaonu, the Parish Priest of Christ the King Anglican Church in Sakumono has called on Christians to maintain their fidelity to Christ and remain undismayed in their Christian faith.
He said Christ, by His incarnation and sacrificial death on the cross made Christians whole, and there was the need for them to remain wholeheartedly faithful in their service to Him and ultimately the church.
The Parish Priest, who was speaking in a sermon to commemorate the Feast of Christ the King, said Christ was still King with saving and liberating powers, freeing Christians from all kinds of bondage, which enabled them to live peacefully and happily on earth.
The feast of Christ the King, also referred to as Feast of Title or Patronal Festival, is marked on the last Sunday after Pentecost to celebrate the feast of a patron saint, title or anniversary of a particular parish or church.
As part of Activities marking the Feast Day, which coincided with the 27th anniversary of the Parish, some programmes including; a talk on Christians and their prayer life, God’s purpose for marriage and two day revival amongst others, were earmarked for the anniversary celebration.
Parishioners, clad in their well-knitted church cloths, joyously danced in thanksgiving for God’s love and mercies throughout the year.
According to the Parish Priest, Christians ought to declare their faithfulness to Christ by the quality of their commitment, expressed in their service to others with sacrificial and forgiving love and solidarity to the poor.
He noted that Christ brought man from a dominion of darkness to His kingdom of light which required that believers stayed resolute and unwavering in their service of Christ and the Church, and said “Christ's redeeming and unending grace should awaken us to be diligent in service.”
The Rev Fr. Kpaonu explained that Christ reigned as ruler of all creation was unquestioned, admonishing parishioners and Christians alike to live Christ-like and in ways that was worthy of emulation by exhibiting traits agreeable to Christian Teachings and tenets.
He called on Christians to be the light that positively impacted the life of others and shun attitudes that had the tendency of drawing them away from Christ.
He added that Christians needed to discover a renewed sense of forgiveness and be willing to apologise for their wrongdoings, saying “Jesus brought salvation to humankind and his power to forgive is infinite.”