The Most Reverend Hannah Caroline Faal-Heim, Presiding Bishop of The Methodist Church, Friday called on Christians to be comforted and encouraged.
“To those who are mournful and sad because Easter this year is not being celebrated in the usual way, be comforted and be encouraged.
“Remember that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and that he, Jesus, will also raise us and our loved ones from the dead if we believe in him as our Lord and Saviour,” Bishop Faal-Heim told Gambians in her Good Friday message.
She called on all to comfort those who mourned, saying that many were dying around the world, and there was so much pain and heartache everywhere.
“In a time when so many die so quickly, where can comfort be found? It can only be found in Jesus, who said: “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).
“To those who have lost loved ones and ask who can save them from death and give them new life, to those who fear for their own lives and are afraid of death, Jesus Christ says: ‘I am the resurrection and the life’,” she said in her message broadcast on TV and radio stations.
Gambian Christians on Friday marked Good Friday, the start of Easter, which marks the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for their salvation on the cross of Calvary, at home to control the coronavirus or COVID-19.
“Let us be patiently confident rather than anxiously suspicious. Let us not join those who constantly criticize everything, those who willfully oppose all that is not in their personal interest or agenda, those who promote only themselves and things that are unproductive and harmful to the common good, because they spread fear and despair,“ she entreated Gambians.
Bishop Faal-Heim said: “In this unprecedented situation where there is so much beyond our control, let us be patiently confident, especially our youths.”
She added: “Let us be people of hope who share faith, hope and love with all who are worried and depressed. “Let us spread confidence and trust and share with others how the sure knowledge of God’s love and mercy in our daily lives gives us confidence and enables us to be patient and hopeful.”
She urged Gambians to be loving and caring and, with whatever resources they have, to be kind to others in practical ways.
“Let us share with others, generously in word and deed. Why?, Because God loves all of us and has already given us so much in Jesus Christ, his son’s death, burial and resurrection.
She pointed out that there was no-one in this world who did not deserve love and life, saying that “in Jesus, we see God’s life and love manifested for all peoples in the world”.
“Forgiveness and unconditional love will never be overcome by hatred and malice. Let us change our hearts and transform ourselves to be the people of God he has created us to be,” Bishop Faal-Heim said.
