Bishop Malasusa: Lowassa accomplishes journey
MONDULI, ARUSHA HEAD of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT), Dr Alex Malasusa, yesterday said the departed former Prime Minister Edward Lowassa has accomplished his journey.
“Edward Lowassa has accomplished his journey. He has left us and one day we will join him where he has gone. He will not be able to come back where he comes from,” Bishop Dr Malasusa stated.
The ELCT presiding bishop made the statement during his sermon he preached when he led the burial mass for Lowassa yesterday at his home village of Ngarash in Monduli District, Arusha region.
The bishop used the event to remind worshippers on the importance of embracing holy life so that they also accomplish their journey like the fallen Lowassa.
“In times like this we are reminded to embrace holy living so that we can also accomplish our journey well and leave a legacy that people can be proud of and speak about positively,” he said.
He added: “To keep the faith is to know that we are all created by God, let us respect and be close to God. We should love praying and have a prayerful life,” he implored.
Speaking on how the late Lowassa led a Christian life, Bishop Malasusa said that he was always a churchgoer, adding that even if he had busy schedules and responsibilities to shoulder on he never missed church.
“Regardless of the works and responsibilities he had, I was always seeing Lowassa at the church, and when I didn’t see him, I asked how he was doing, he loved praying. I don’t say he was Saint because that is known by God, but it is a must for us to show that we are created by God, and we need to be close to him all the time,” Bishop Malasusa said.
Bishop Malasusa emphasised; “our time on this earth is very limited, we are not long for the world. Despite the challenges and troubles one may face, for those who are close to God such troubles have no power in their lives.
“Every person will be taken by God at their right time though there is no human being who wants to leave this world early. Even the hymns we sing that praise how beautiful the heaven is no one really means the words that they sing. This is because death is very terrifying,” said Bishop Malasusa.
Bishop Malasusa said that people should remember that they won’t live forever, asking human beings to lead a forgiving life. He reminded mourners and other believers to remember that no one will live forever on earth.
“We need to remember the Bible’s teaching from the book of Job that says ‘Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.’ So let’s learn something from these lines since we never know that this might be the last day for us to see each other,” he reminded.
Bishop Malasusa said people need to be prepared for anything that may occur in life because today is the turn of beloved Edward Lowassa and his family and the nation but what comes next in unknown.
“Living in this world presents a battle both spiritually and in flesh, we need to give ourselves strength so that we can move into the right way and ultimately emerge victors,” he emphasised.
He added that the time given to every human being to live in the world is in the hands of God. This means that God knows the time left for each person in this world. This calls for establishing good and close relationship with God.
