“Jesus began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation.”

Excerpt, Gospel Reading, Monday 14th October 2024 – LUKE 11:29-32.

So, just assuming a reigning artiste or musician is scheduled to perform in a particular locality.

Ahead of their coning, there will be hypes about the event mostly on the radio, the television and very recently on the social media also.

Promotional contents for the event may mostly be like this – “Other side attractions include rib-cracking comedy performance from so, and so, fashion parade and lots and lots of gift items to be won at our surprise raffle draw. Don’t be left out, if you snooze, you lose.”

Amazingly, church programmes have also taken to the same kind of hypes. Even a mere Sunday service is not left out.

Then, there will be stuffs like this that form part of the contents for the promotion of the event – “There will be music ministration by this and that as well as the dash, dash, dash ministries angelic choir. Miracles, signs and wonders shall abound. Come one, come all.”

Another equally disturbing trend is the fact that the artiste or musician invited for this church programme could be a complete secular artiste with many blatant ‘knacking’ songs to their credit.

Possibly just because they have a popular song that mentions in passing the phrase ‘thank you Jesus’ or the word ‘alleluiah’, then, that qualifies them to be invited for a supposed music ministration for a church programme or for a Sunday service.

Dear friend, the hypes men and hypes-style deplored for promoting secular events are now used for church programmes even for Sunday service.

However, we mustn’t be quick to wanting to condemn anyone or point fingers as to whose guilt it might be.

This has to start with us. If we haven’ permitted such, they wouldn’t be happening.

If we are not thrilled by the razzmatazz of miracles, signs and wonders, and we go seeking for them, they will not be used as baits to lure us do gullible fishes.

If the thrills of wanting to get quality entertainment in our supposed worship centres is not what goads us to accept to convene but the worship of God in truth and in spirit, then, the presence of a popular artiste or musician or not wouldn’t be the push that gets us to want to congregate for worship.

My dear friend, until we curb our taste and voracious appetites, those leading us by our noses too will have no reason to want to take a rest.

Christ in today’s teaching says of us that we are, “An evil generation.” My dear friend, we must dare to be different and extricate ourselves from such a generation.

Have a fantastic day and a fulfilled week ahead folks.

Blessed_Carlo_Acutis! #Pray_for_us!

• Akase F. Agabo
• 14th Oct. 2024.