Easter: CAN president urges Christians to focus on rebuilding nation

Christians have been called upon to focus on rebuilding the nation and exhibit humble lifestyles.

Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), made the call in a statement distributed to journalists in Abuja on Sunday.

According to the statement, Easter provides Christians the opportunity to reflect on the lessons of the season as they affect the situation faced in the country.

It said that Easter, which is the climax of the Lenten season, reminds Christians of God’s power over everything that he created, including death.

It said Christians must work in line with the teachings of Easter, which focus primarily on penance, forgiveness, sacrifice and unconditional love for one another.

“We are enjoined to offer prayers for the poor and the abandoned in this special period of Easter.

“Christians must also respond to evil with good as exemplified in the life of Christ which is summarised in the story of Easter’’, the statement said.

It also said the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) across the country should encourage Nigerians to commit more in the service of their fatherland and the cause of humanity.

The statement said challenges facing Nigerians in different sectors should be likened to the suffering and persecution of Jesus Christ and his disciples.

It said Christians must acknowledge the fact that without Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, Christianity would be incomplete.

According to the statement, Nigerians should learn from Christ’s that genuine salvation always comes with a sacrifice.

“My prayer for Nigeria in this season is for citizens regardless of their social standing to see the need to seek genuine reconciliation with God.

“We should overcome the travails that come with genuine Christianity as currently experienced by Christians all over the world’’, it added.