Africa-Press – Liberia. A clergyman of the Lutheran Church in Liberia has urged Liberians to remain thankful to God, despite the economic situation facing the nation.
Speaking yesterday during a worship service, in observance of Thanksgiving Day, the senior pastor of the Saint Matthew Lutheran Parish, Reverend T. Doe Johnson, said that Liberians have gone through a lot of difficulties in the past, but God has been able to deliver them from all.
According to him, because God has been so gracious to the country, even now and before, there is a need for Liberians to continue to serve the Almighty God. Thanksgiving Day celebration is in consonance with an act of the National Legislature enacted in 1883 that declares the first Thursday of the month of November each year as a National Thanksgiving Day.
Every year, the day is observed by Liberians, mainly the religious community, in line with a presidential proclamation that all businesses and offices should remain closed and that the citizens gather to worship God at their respective worship centers for his protection upon the nation.
Reverend Johnson explained to his congregation that God has protected the nation from the COVID-19 pandemic that had earlier ravaged almost the entire world.
He said that though many Liberians died from the virus, the country is now reporting a lower infection rate. According to Rev. Johnson, giving thanks to God always motivates Him to do more for His people. He said that sometimes many people fail to appreciate God for His meaningful blessings.
“Many times, we don’t appreciate what God does in our lives. More of our citizens died during the COVID. We are lacking good medical facilities to cope with the kind of health challenges that may confront us. Even nations with the sophistication of health could not withstand the virus,” he said.
During the service, members of the congregation were seen carrying forth gifts to the altar as a demonstration of their appreciation to the Creator. Per tradition of the Thanksgiving holiday, members are encouraged to take with them offerings (usually farm produce) to worship centers to give thanks to God.
Meanwhile, despite the presidential proclamation calling on citizens to stay away from normal duties and gather at various worship centers, the Daily Observer discovered that most churches were sparsely attended. The marketplace at the Red Light Commercial Center was crowded with individuals, mainly petty traders. Some stores were opened to customers during the holiday.
The Red Light market over the months has been restricted for business transactions, mainly for petty traders, by the government due to the road construction work in the area. But despite the government’s mandate, these petty traders stubbornly remain in the center. They have kept trodden at the country’s largest commercial centers. Thus the government is probably now finding it very difficult to control the situation.
A money changer, who was interviewed by our reporter, said that the economic hardship in the country should not be the reason why some citizens have stayed away from worship centers on Thanksgiving Day.
Robert Kollie said that giving thanks to God has nothing to do with the conditions of people. “I don’t think the economic hardship is a sufficient reason for us not worshiping the Lord today. The government should be able to enforce the law. But there is no excuse why we are not in service. We have so many reasons to thank the Lord,” he said.
He said that with the prevailing circumstances, the government needs to do more to improve the lives of the citizens.
“The government needs to do more to ensure that policies are implemented to the letter. Bad governance is not only from the government, but the citizens as well. The government has the responsibility to ensure moral values, but once the culture of impunity is condoned by the government the implementation of the law becomes difficult,” Kollie explained.
As for Jorline Dawoyea, the economic condition is the main reason why people have remained on the streets selling during the holiday.
“A lot of people are on the streets and not in (church) service today because of the issue of poverty. We have to sell each day to raise money to sustain our families. All of our sufferings derived from poor leadership. The country needs to elect good leaders if there will be prosperity,” Jorline said.
Jorline, a vegetable seller, said that she lost her husband and is now finding it very difficult to support her family of four. Shadrach Wolo, a motorcyclist, said that Liberians are very lawless.
“The law of the government should be implemented. If you find people selling on the holiday, they should be punished,” he said.
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