Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Disturbed by the current economic hardship, political divisions and insecurity of lives and property which threaten Nigerians, Bishop on the Niger, the Rt Rev Dr.Owen Nwokolo, has encouraged Nigerians to preserve and wait for the Lord as, according to him, “God will soon surprise the nation.”
Bishop Nwokolo, who stated this in his homily to mark Easter Sunday Service at the All Saints Cathedral, Onitsha, Anambra State, explained that the presence of God is very much more nearer to Nigerians now than they ever imagined.
The Bishop said that irrespective of the many adversities confronting the nation the people are enveloped by the presence of God and his angels, adding that God has promised endangered Nigerians divine victory over their human, material and non-material enemies.
“God will manifest to Nigerians in a special, unexpected way. He has promised that he will be with us till the end of the edges,” the bishop assured.
The Bishop had in the homily titled ‘Interesting Gleams from the Resurrection’, likened God’s prophesied visitation to the unexpected Resurrection of Christ, an event of which he said came as a surprise to Christ’s disciples.
“The disciples had lost hope that Christ would live again. The two female disciples were just going to dress up the corpse of Jesus. They least expected he would be alive again. But, lo and behold, when they got to the tomb, they were surprised to meet an empty grave.
“Most Nigerians who now think that all hope is lost will likewise be surprised when God will turn things around for the nation.
“The women were almost discouraged by the stone over Christ’s tomb, especially [concerning] would roll it away for them to enter and embalm their master. But how that stone was rolled away was itself a surprise to them. And so this very big stone exerting this unbearable weight on Nigerians will likewise be miraculously rolled away for us to our uttermost surprise. God has promised to do it for us,” the Bishop said in encouragement to Nigerians.
Nwokolo said that Nigerians however need to take a step of faith, open their hearts and let God in and he will do the rest, “for he will never forget us,” hee assured.
The clergyman urged Nigerians, especially Christians, to be consistent in following Christ and to be ready to die and rise with him as mystically signified in the Christian baptism rite.