Cross Over: The River Banks Are Crowded

It's the time of the year again where we wait to transit into another year. This season comes with a lot of hopes and expectations. From the president to the new born child, everyone is eager to cross that line into the new year.

In Ghana, the story is not different and this transition is done in a religious manner, unlike the United States where there is a party which sees a countdown to the New Year (I saw that in How I Met Your Mum and Mr. Bean). In Ghana, most people, especially Christians gather in churches to pray for the coming year and then merry making begins.

One special development about the transition into the new year however is the special names churches give to their 31st December Watch Night services. We see captions like Watch Over, Breakthrough, Marching There, Sailing Over, Hopping Over, Jumping Over, Stepping Over, Seeing Over and the most popular caption, Cross Over.

You are surprised at how all the captions have the word 'Over' dominating. Statistics have shown that the word Over is the most abused word during December in Ghana. (Source: Mummy and I counting while driving through the streets of Accra). I stand to be corrected but it all began when Pastor Mensa Otabil named his watch night service Cross Over which saw a massive attendance of Christians irrespective of their denomination. Since then, even the small self-acclaimed international church hiding somewhere in a slum uses Cross Over as it watch night title.

Walk down the streets of Accra and you may not be able to keep count of the number of churches Crossing Over. Their billboards and banners alone can tell you how they intend crossing over. Some use horses and chariots, others use guns (can't tell if they want to kill the old year) , for the rest, the least said the better.

The issue at stake here, are pastors lacking creativity? Interestingly, almost all the churches crossing Over with the exception of International Central Gospel Church headed by Ps. Mensa Otabil, are all international churches who have bishops and archbishops, prophets and seers, heading them. So the question is, "Is that what the Holy Spirit revealed to them after their 40 days praying and fasting which began on 1st November and ended on 30th November?" If I were Pastor Mensa Otabil, I would start taking royalties from these churches not less than $900. That is the only thing that would make people sit up and think on their feet. 

So many churches are Crossing Over and the banks of the rivers are overcrowded with Christians awaiting to Cross Over. For those of us who can't bare the heat and noise of overcrowding have decided to Fly Over. Some people have decided to Swim Over and for those who won't be in church but spend time with their boyfriends and girlfriends, please don't Sleep Over, September would give you all out.

I believe in this coming year, we would able to Dum Over as a nation and stop Lying Over national issues, December is just 12 months away and we would be Voting Over. God is Watching Over us all and I pray that as we Cross Over, we as Ghanaians would be Looking Over pur Voters' I.D with care.

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year.