Are we engaging in national festivals that are high and worthy or low and degraded?That rhetorical question was asked by Reverend Luther Johnson as he delivered a sermonette at The Christ The King Church in Rock Dundo, while addressing a small gathering on Kadooment Day morning. Stressing that one must recognise the potential dangers surrounding the party mentality, Johnson highlighted the need for the morning service to pray for God’s protection over Barbados.“We have to ask the question whether our national celebrations are being used to remind us who we are and who we belong to,” Johnson cautioned. “As Christians, we are the ones to set the example for those around us.“When the Israelite children melted all of their gold and began big celebrations, the issue was not the celebrations. The issue was that the golden image had become their God. “And we need to determine whether the parties and feeling good have become the most important things in our festivals,” the church leader advised.“We are addicted to parties, and we need to get back to the original meanings of these celebrations,” the Anglican priest warned.Johnson indicated that as Caribbean people we are accustomed to sunshine and we seldom worry about the dark clouds like the high rate of HIV. But, he pointed out, the festivals should not be just about “letting one’s hair down” and “doing the dog” as today some lives will be ruined because of the wrong choices that are made during the feel-good period.“Do you want to commit acts that you will regret tomorrow?” Johnson asked. As Caribbean people we need to settle ourselves and be conscious of the fact that there is a God who sees everything and we must become accountable for our behaviour and actions.“Our celebrations must involve thanking God for where He has brought us, and even our language must reflect that we have God in us,” Johnson told the congregation. (KB)
