16/04/2017
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
EASTER MESSAGE: A CLARION CALL TO TURN OUR WORLD UPSIDE DOWN POSITIVELY
TEXT: ... and, not finding them there, they proceeded to drag Jason and some of the Brethren before the City Magistrates, shouting out: “These men, who have turned the world upside down, have now come here, (Acts 17:6) 20cNT
GREETINGS
YOUTHS, ALL FOR ONE!
Easter Greetings to the Entire Igede Youths and the Good People of Igede Nation
FIRST THING FIRST
Hurray! Easter is here Once again!
No doubt, “Happy Easter” is the traditional Easter greeting but it still lingers in my heart even now.
THE CARDINAL MESSAGE OF EASTER
What are the cardinal messages of Easter? Below are some of the ways we ought to reflect Eastertide:
1. For an Eastertide reflection, Edward Hays suggests that we take time to appreciate all the sources of happiness that are ours today. Be grateful for good health, shelter, clothing, good friends, family and that most precious gift of all: life. Easter is the feast of New Life. It is when we appreciate what a gift it is to be alive then happiness will follow.
Taking time to experience contentment with what you have and who you are, especially in the light of the Resurrection, would make it easier to wish others the gift of happiness. When you are content, you can offer others a gift that you already possess.
2. The bursting forth of Easter and Spring both invite us to contemplate and ‘soak’ in God’s love for us – in Jesus and in Creation. It is truly the honeymoon of the church year. Christ is risen! Let us rise and go to meet him.
3. Easter has given us the responsibility or mission to protect those who are vulnerable and give special tender care to refugees, the poor, the unborn, the aged and our children. We should ask for forgiveness if we fail in this sacred duty.
4. Again, Easter is a time for new beginnings for each of us personally.
5. More importantly, it is also an opportunity for our great nation – Nigeria – to compassionately reframe and renew policy approaches, capable of ameliorating this present hardship largely caused by self-inflicted recession.
Nigerian leaders too, should share with greater equity and in a spirit of generosity, the wealth of this lucky country – Nigeria.
I pray we each take every opportunity to share the love of God, shown us in Christ, with others.
NOW TO THE ISSUE THAT MATTER: A CLARION CALL TO TURN OUR WORLD UPSIDE DOWN
Yes, this joyous Easter message is the same every year, but it always echoes just a little bit differently given the world in which we live. That is why I am going to digress today from the traditional way of expressing it.
According to tradition, when in 1781 the British surrendered to the Americans at the Siege of Yorktown in the War of Independence the British band played a tune: The World Turned Upside Down. No wonder: With the defeat of their powerful army by an irregular bunch of colonist rebels, their world had indeed turned upside down.
While the song was appropriate to the occasion, it was written 150 years previously as a protest when the English Parliament outlawed traditional English Christmas celebrations. In England of the 1640s and 50s the world had been turned upside down, with civil war, a king executed, and all the familiar landmarks or society and religion swept away.
However, the accusation “They have turned the world upside-down” was not invented then either. It appears in the Bible, when Paul and Silas were preaching in Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-9). There was a riot. "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also… and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus."
You can see why the Roman world was confused about the Christians. They refused to accept a Caesar, ruler of the known world who protected and fed them as their savior, claiming for their savior an unheard-of, convicted and executed criminal from an obscure province. They claimed to belong to a kingdom that no one could see.
Jesus’ world was a world turned upside down. He rejected at the start of his ministry a material path in favour of teaching leading to his final sacrifice. He would not accept a worldly crown or resort to public stunts to impress people. “Away from me, Satan!” he said. “For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” (Matthew 4:10). Physical presence did not impress him. When he was shown the splendor of the buildings in Jerusalem, he saw beyond them. “There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." (Matthew 24: 2). For him, the adulations of Palm Sunday were bitter because the praises of the crowd were unimportant. The humiliation and pain of crucifixion were a triumph because his death led to eternal life.
If the world around us today seems dominated by suffering, injustice and pain, if the forces of hate and fear seem to be overwhelming tolerance and acceptance, we should not be swept up in the emotions of the moment. We should have the moral courage to stand forth and call things for what they are: life destroying, hope destroying, evils that divide communities and countries and paralyze people who would do good if they could overcome the fear.
MY EASTER PLEA
In this Easter period, may the Igede Youths, like Jesus, Paul and Silas, never fall for a pot of porridge in this forthcoming Local Government Council Election. May they, like Him, be couragous to stand up for the truth in this election. May they stand against the tide of inappopriate public opinion or public trends. May we like them say no to the old order, embrace the new order of development. May they like Jesus and His disciples ride against the tide of perpetual political mediocrity of most Igede politicians. May they never sell their votes for a plate of common pepper soup. May they insist on electing the right candidates for the Councillorship and Chairmanship positions. May they never allow themselves to be used as thugs by politicians. May they be the central message of this Easter to cause positive change in Igedeland - the agents of positive change. . May they become the symbol for Igede unity.
Oh may we like Jesus and His disciples turn our world (Igede land) upside down in order to achieve socio-cultural, economic and infrastructural development of Igede nation.
LAST WORD
On behalf of the IGEDE NATIONAL YOUTHS COUNCIL OF NIGERIA (WORLDWIDE), I wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy Easter.
CELEBRATE EASTER RESPONSIBLY
Igede ka ha!
Benue ka ha!
Nigeria ka ha!
Comrade Onu, Moses Onu
National President,
Igede National Youths Council of Nigeria
