“The
LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works” Psalm
145:9. Beloved people of God, in the beginning God created the heavens and the
earth and everything thing in it. He created human beings in His image, blessed
them, and gave them the authority to have custody of His creation with a simple
command, “you are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat
from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you
will surely die.” Gen. 2: 16-17. Unfortunately Adam and Eve, succumb to the
devil’s temptation and disobeyed Gods command that consequently brought
separation between God and man.
However
there is a window of hope: “For God so
loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes
in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” John 3:16.
“The
Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created, things in
heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.”
Colossians 1:15-16
People
of God, the ungodly rulers can be very mean, heartless, cruel and selfish.
Herod the King who reigned over Judaea at the time of Jesus’ birth, slaughtered
many innocent children in his bid to eliminate baby Jesus, whom he saw as a
threat to his throne “..he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its
vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned
from the Magi” Matthew 2;16.
Beloved
in Christ, God’s divine plan cannot be thwarted by men. The omniscient God had given direction to
Joseph in good time to counter Herod’s plan: “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child
and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is
going to search for the Child to kill Him.” After Herod died, Joseph received
divine direction through an angel of God; “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child
and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those seeking the Child’s life
are now dead.” Joseph acted in faith and did as God commanded.
“Behold,
I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?”
Jeremiah 32:27. Beloved People of God,
the Lord’s plan for the Gambia, our families, and for each of us in the year
2017 and beyond cannot be thwarted by anyone, if only we put our trust in Him
and obey His commands. God who knows the
heart of all men upset Herod’s evil plan. The omnipotent God could have just
struck Herod to death but he chose to ask Joseph and His family to flee, and
avoid confrontation.
Fellow
Gambians and all that live in the Gambia, Let us put our trust in the
omniscient and omnipotent God for everything we do in the year 2017 and beyond.
Like Joseph, let us seek for God’s direction and be obedient to His word
regardless of our pride and emotions. Let us make it our duty to “….. admonish
the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with
everyone. Make sure that no one repays evil for evil. Always pursue what is
good for one another and for all people. Rejoice at all times. Pray without
ceasing. Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in
Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 14-18.
Let
us pray for all refugees around the world, and with a concerted effort raise
funds to support them, especially those who are victims of the Herod’s of this
age. For this is the will of Jesus who was once a victim too.
On
a Sabbath in a synagogue in Nazareth, during His earthly ministry, Jesus “read
the scroll of the prophet Isaiah where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord
is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has
sent Me to proclaim deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the
blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” Luke
4: 16: 19. After the reading, He began his message saying, “Today this
Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
The Scripture says that “All spoke well of Him and marvelled at the
gracious words that came from His lips.” Luke 4: 20-22a.
Beloved
People of God, “ ..Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down
our lives for our brothers. If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother
in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide
in him? Let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.” 1 John
3:16-18”
“This
is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And
why did he slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his
brother were righteous. So do not be
surprised, brothers, if the world hates you” 1 John 3: 11-13 “But to those of
you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes
you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.” Luke 6:27-29
“My
beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to
speak, and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not bring about the
righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every
expression of evil, and humbly receive the word planted in you, which can save
your souls.” James 1:19-21. “Watch
yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to
say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
Luke 17:3-4
Anyone
who claims to love God that he does not see but hate his brother that he sees
is a liar (1 John 4:20)
My
beloved, God loves you. Consider how much he sacrificed for your salvation: His
only begotten Son, His beloved, righteous and just partner in creation. Let us share that love with one another in
return.
To
God be the glory. Amen
On
behalf of the Anglican family in the Diocese of Gambia, I wish the Head of
state, the Government and people of our beloved nation, The Gambia; our mission
partners, our brothers and sisters in the Muslim fraternity, and well-wishers,
a Happy and Prosperous New Year. GOD
BLESS YOU ALL.
