allAfrica.com: Liberia: "A New Heart for Our Nation" - Liberia Inaugural Sermon (Page 1 of 4)

Sermon Delivered on Sunday, January 15, 2006 at the Thanksgiving and Intercessory Service for the Inauguration of the New Government for the Republic of Liberia at First United Methodist Church, Ashmun St., Monrovia.

My thanks and appreciation go to the Chairperson and members of the Inauguration Committee for selecting me to serve as the preacher for this very important occasion in the history of our country. Indeed, this is an honor for me and my family. Also, I praise and thank God for bringing peace to our country through the sacrificial efforts of the International Community: the U N, ECOWAS, the AU, EU, the Government of the United States of America and all friendly nations. We are grateful to the Christian Denominations and our Muslim brothers and sisters in and around Liberia for their prayers for peace. It is a good thing that we as a nation and friends of Liberia can assemble here today to thank God for answering our prayers, and granting us the desires of our hearts. So let us rejoice and be glad for what God has done for Liberia. What, then, should be our response to that which God has done for us? Should we shout for joy? Should we dance? Should we sing?

In consideration of these questions, I have decided to speak on the theme: A New Heart for Our Nation - The text is Matthew 5: 1 - 12, with emphasis on verse 8 which reads thus: "Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God."

Matthew 5 is referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. A faithful and an obedience heart is the focus of this sermon. Jesus addressed this message to his disciples because these were the leaders recruited and trained for the promotion of God's kingdom on earth. These were the persons who were to hold positions and power in God's earthly kingdom. But Jesus was quick to warn them that positions, power, pride and money must not blind their eyes from doing the will of God. "If you heed to my command and lead my people whom I will entrust unto you, you will be blessed," said the Lord.

It is good to be blessed, my brothers and sisters. To be blessed means to be happy, to be fortunate, to be free, to accept one another, and to take responsibility of the blessings that God has given to us. In other words, when we are blessed, we look back and share the blessings with others. In summary, to be blessed means that a person will experience hope, joy and redemption. But the requirement to enjoy God's hope, joy and redemption is to be pure in heart, says our Master.

To be pure means to be clean from all falsehood and vanities. It also means rightness of mind and singleness of motive. In this text, the word heart is used figuratively and it means the total personality which includes the mind, will, and emotion.

When paraphrased, the text is read: How happy are those who have no desire for falsehood, who do not swear to lie, who have singleness of mind and strength to do the will of God. Such persons will experience the visitation of God in their lives. They will always dwell in the holy place of the Most High.

Those who are pure in heart:

a. will see and know the purpose of God in the world.

b. will be aware of the movement of the Divine will of God in the midst of suffering, hunger, pain, and rebelliousness.

c. will know, by intention, the leading of God's Spirit when others feel bereft.

d. will be a people of vision.

Such people foresee the future from a positive point in light of what God has ordained for the human family.

No wonder why Jesus told his disciples that only the pure in heart will see God. At creation, God had placed a very good heart in every human being. This was intended to reflect God's image and likeness. That is, the very heart of God was placed in us, allowing us to live in a state of purity. But oftentimes, we refuse to use God's gift of a pure heart to us wisely. Scriptures tell us that humankind lived in fellowship with God without fear or shame.

But something happened, and the relationship was broken! The sin of disobedience entered that perfect state of life through the manipulation of the Devil. The mind, will, and emotion of the human race became totally polluted, and resultantly, human beings could no longer live in the presence of the Holy God. Sin made them to appear naked. In the same way, our sins, over the years, have not only separated us from God, but from one another as Liberians. Just as humankind fled from the presence of God, hid themselves and covered their bodies with leaves (Genesis 3:7-8), today, we find ourselves fleeing from God's presence, and becoming overwhelmed by the evils of this world, which include, crime, pollution, violence, rioting and other vices. These evils continue to tear us apart as a nation and people, thus leaving us heartless, hopeless, senseless, helpless, careless, rude and naked. But brothers and sisters, I have the belief with a new heart and our new leaders, we can defeat the evils which have brought disgrace to us as a nation over the years.

People of God, historians tell us that in 18th century England, there were problems of pollution, crime, violence and rioting. The English people had just discovered gin. As a result, people got carried away with excessive drunkenness. Worst of all, family ties disintegrated. But one important question that comes to mind is, what saved England from that terrible situation? How did that nation overcome its nightmare? We learned that England was able to overcome its national tragedy through John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. His movement had profound religious, social, economic and political consequences, which transformed and saved that nation. But this would not have been possible if John Wesley did not cultivate the pure heart which God had given him.

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