“Demu” By Kingdom Sounds

Prime Minister Abiy (Dr.) extends greetings on the occasion of the Resurrection

Addis Ababa, April 3, 2018 (FMC) Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (Dr.) has extended a greeting on the occasion of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The full text of the Prime Minister’s greetings is as follows.

Congratulations on the occasion of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have arrived!

The Resurrection is a holiday that holds a special place among Christians. It is where death is abolished and life is guaranteed. It is where life beyond death, resurrection beyond the grave, is proclaimed. It is where death is confirmed that the grave is not the final destination. The man who came down to earth because of Adam, has ascended to heaven because of Christ.

As we celebrate this year’s Resurrection, we are mindful that our country, Ethiopia, is going through a test. We know that our path is long and our journey is challenging. There are many traps that try to keep us from seeing the light, that try to keep us lost in the deep darkness. There are many excuses that pull us away from the land of hope. But we fight, believing that beyond the passion, resurrection, beyond the obstacles, success awaits us. 

On the eve of the resurrection - there were the sure ones, the hopeful ones, the despairers, the gossipers, the despairers, the doubters. The sure ones were sure that the test of the passion would pass. They were sure that the suffering of the day of the crucifixion was the eve of the day of the resurrection. They were sure that the stone door, the seal of the door, and the guards of the tomb would not delay the resurrection. They were sure that the rumors and the rumors that were spread were short-lived. And because they were sure, they were ready to make sacrifices. They were determined to bear witness to the truth. They were brave enough to be at the foot of the cross.

The hopefuls were not as sure-sighted as the sure-minded. But they expected something good. They had heard the teaching given, the miracles performed; they had seen; they had expected something. But they were not ready to make the appropriate sacrifice. They were not determined to dare the truth. They did not find the strength to face the lie. At least they had restrained their tongues from evil.

The doubters were on the fence. They eat at Tiberias, they deny at Golgotha. They sing Hosanna, they flee at Litostra. They come to see a miracle, they laugh at suffering. They say, "Take me out of joy, I am fasting from suffering." 

The despairers are easily carried away by what they see and hear. The boundary between truth and falsehood, between fear and perseverance, has disappeared. When the passion comes, they quickly enter into memory. They consider everything as yesterday's history. They considered everything as “the tomb is empty, the tomb is empty.” 

The rumors they heard from left and right, the noise coming from behind and from behind; the fire that was burning from one side to the other, the fury they saw from here and there frightened them. They forgot tomorrow. Because of this, they gave up hope and turned back. 

The gossipers had come in the past, bringing news. What happened? What was said? They gathered together. They mixed up what they had heard and what they had not heard; what they knew and what they did not know; they filled Jerusalem with gossip. Matthew, who wrote his Gospel at least 15 years after the resurrection, revealed that the news had been widely accepted until that time. 

The gossipers aimed to turn everyone away from the path of resurrection. They would not go, nor would they lead anyone. They did not accept him from the beginning, and they did not seek him later. When they learned that many people had followed him, they were filled with jealousy; they were filled with evil. They accused Christ; They themselves became witnesses; finally they judged themselves. They closed the tomb; they set a guard. They sealed it with a seal. The thing, it seemed, was cut off without a trace. 

The feast of the resurrection revealed the true identity of all these. The sure ones found the result of their determination in the resurrection. The hopeful ones were saddened by their inability to endure such a passing time. The despairers were unable to see beyond and regretted their disappearance. The gossipers saw all that gossip crumble like Nebuchadnezzar's statue because of the truth of the resurrection. The despairers saw with their own eyes the Christ they had killed rise, the tomb they had closed open, the seal they had sealed break, and the guards they had set flee. The resurrection became a spoken truth, a visible truth. But the skeptics still remained on their fence, neither left nor right. 

The same is true of Ethiopia. Those who are sure of the change in Ethiopia will pay the price; Those who are afraid of certainty and hopeful at least guard their tongues from evil. Despairers change their ways because they cannot see tomorrow. Rumorers, being gossipers, bake the bread of rumors. Hope-killers “curse the milk and make the honey bitter” and deceive the meek. Doubters, once hot, once cold, remain lukewarm. 

But Ethiopia is seeing her resurrection. She has loosened the locket, opened the tomb; she has broken the seal. She has no ears to hear the rumors that gossipers are talking about in consultation with the tombkeepers. She will not change her resurrection. What she expects from now on is the ascension. She is sure that the power she is traveling will descend on her. There is no turning back. The passion is over; Friday is over; Saturday is over. The resurrection has come. Those who slept on the night of the resurrection did not hear. Those who were deceived by the hope-killers may not have received the news. But the resurrection has become a reality. 

If you can, come down from the fence. Hopefuls, be confident. Doubters, believe. Rumors have changed from mouth to palm. Because - Ethiopia is close to resurrection. 

One of the chapters that will be held in May is the election in May. Just as we do not think of resurrection without passion, democracy cannot be seen in isolation from its ups and downs. There is no country in the world that has built democracy on a smooth path. Democracy and prosperity cannot be achieved without perseverance. Those before us have overcome the insurgency with patience; those who have overcome the hardship with perseverance have achieved it.

Even if we wish, we will not avoid the test; but we can persevere. Let us believe that our strength is the way out of poverty, and our patience is the way to democracy, and let us work with all our hearts for the resurrection of Ethiopia!!

Happy Easter again.

May Ethiopia be honored and glorified by the efforts of its children and live forever!!

May the Creator bless Ethiopia and its people!

April 03, 2018