Honorable Minister, Director Terri Hasdorff, invited guests, ladies & gentlemen;

As was already expressed, we thank you for accepting our invitation. It is with greatest pleasure that we welcome you to this incredible occasion. We are honored to have you here.

As a minister and preacher of the Word, I heavily depend on ancient wisdom to speak to modern man.

In the book of Acts, chapter 13 verse 36 we read “ when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep.” David was a King of Israel. He was a servant king. At the same time, he was a prophet and a worshipper of the Living God. In that, by serving his people , he fulfilled God’s purpose in his own generation. Like David , each of us has a purpose for which we are created. We are created to be prophets, we are created to worshipers, we are created to serve the living God. Furthermore, our purpose is specific to a certain time; and that time is now. As leaders in the political, social, spiritual and economic realms, all of us in this gathering as assigned to different tasks in serving this great nation. We are stewards of God’s purposes.

According to Romans 13:1, we read “there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” The Bible tells us that God raises leaders and authorities for his own purpose and that is to bring justice and order on earth. He calls the His appointees, He calls them His servants, He calls them His representatives; He calls them then His ambassadors, and He calls them His agents. His goodness, justice, righteousness and care for His own creation flows through them.

Simultaneously, He orders the citizens of a nation to abide by laws and order and obey their authorities, to be respectful, to pay all that is due to them and hold them in high regard.(Romans 13:1-7)

According to 1 Timothy chapter 2, versus 1 & 2, God has commanded that we pray for our leaders.

Why should we pray for them? First and foremost, God wants to love them, He wants to care for them, He wants to inspire and guide them all the days of their lives. Throughout His life, Jesus asked many sobering questions that should be considered by every human being. His questions help us evaluate issues that we typically tend to avoid for one reason or another. A good example of this is found in the gospel of Mark 8:36-37. Jesus posed the question, “what good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” By asking this question, Jesus urges us to look at our value system from an eternal perspective in that there is no virtue or value in losing ones soul to gain the whole world let alone a single nation.

By the same token, how we answer these questions determines our destiny and the direction of our lives. God desires that we put him first in all our actions so we might have the right mind to do the right thing. He wants us to have Him at the center of our being. As priceless a life is, one can never afford to lose it.

As we all are humans, we can not function properly if the spiritual dimension of our being is neglected. It should rather be identified, recognized, accepted and practiced to satisfy the deep hunger in our soul the constantly nags for answer and satisfaction in life.
Nothing, yes nothing will satisfy the cry of our soul apart from its creator, who is Christ JESUS, the son of the Living God!

As we pray for political leaders, family leaders, business leaders, spiritual leaders who are active today and those who will replace them in the future; we pray for each one of them to have a personal encounter with the Holy God. This will help the leaders of today and those who will replace them as they fulfill their leadership responsibilities to the nation they are called to serve today and tomorrow.

We also pray:
• That God may keep them from corruption and misuse of power
• That God may give them favor in the eyes and hearts of the people they serve
• That God may inspire them to do His will in their daily responsibilities
• That God may give them strength to cope with the pressures of leadership
Yes, we pray:
• That He may impart on them patience as they endure extended deliberations
• That God may give them mercy and grace for the burdens they carry on behalf of our nation.
• That they may be able to serve every citizen in such a way that they develop a sense of courage and responsibility not only within themselves but also within the people they serve, resulting in the healing of the wounds of history.
• And to bring moral and spiritual dimensions to our democracy

Prayer helps to listen to God and gain understanding; prayer helps to listen to each other and gain common sense and prayer helps to practice that which is gained towards achieving everything else. For these and other reasons, we’ve set apart a day on which we remember all those in leadership positions in our land and pray for them. It is called “National Leaders Day”.

It is a day on which we bless leaders who are in office with godly compassion and thank God for their service to our nation. It is a day on which we intercede for them to be filled with wisdom, love, mercy, strength and passion that they may fulfill their respective responsibilities with joy and to lead families, churches, organizations and the nation to peace and prosperity.

It is a day on which we intercede for their private and public life; to be blessed with all the goodness of God so they can be good examples of truth and righteousness. It is a day on which we intercede for those who aspire to be future leaders; that they may be men and women of integrity who can give selfless service and can be trusted with the responsibilities of their respective offices.

It is the day on which we intercede for leaders to be, those who are yet unborn; that God may fill them with the Holy Spirit and divine wisdom to be alter builders, peace lovers, world changers that our nation may totally be committed to one true God through Jesus Christ and each other in order to make our land a livable place for all.

God willing, National Leaders Day will be an annual celebration in our country.

As we all know, many of our people are prisoners of bitterness, making them hostages of the past and hindering healthy progress. Healing wounds in a society where everyone is wounded requires tremendous courage and total forgiveness. The process of national healing through total restitution and forgiveness should be encouraged. It should be taught in our schools and practiced in our offices and daily one-on-one encounters. We must learn to eliminate bitterness, communicate without resentment and achieve great things without the curse of jealousy. We have to learn the art of celebrating each other in order that rejection is replaced by mutual respect. That will help us to build confidence in each other and trust may begin to spread throughout our social system. This will enable our society to be a place where all are free to do what is right. Diversity will no longer be seen as a problem, an unattractive impediment to progress but rather a an opportunity, a unique and beautiful quality of our country that should be embraced and celebrated. To that end, healing the deep and pervasive scares in our national psyche is crucial.

As we enter into the 21st Century, we see a new and hopeful horizon for the future. However, despite the progress made and opportunities which lie ahead, we must not ignore the existing challenges. There continue to be issues that require further attention, from both the government and its citizens.

The devastating effects of HIV/AIDS that have killed thousands of well trained personnel in the workforce and orphaned millions of our nation’s children are still prevalent. The chronic poverty that has held our country hostage for centuries has yet to be adequately addressed. The stains it left on the core of our social fabric and the humiliation it repeatedly caused us remain evident. The economic situation of our nation has left many without educational opportunities, resulting in segments of illiterate populations.

As a nation , if we could and would overcome the tragedy of tribalism and hateful attitude, we could and would change the course of history. The ugly face of tribalism we encounter at our higher institutions and work places has distorted our mage , blurred our vision, robbed our strength, and dictated our progress Its evil presence corrupts the mind, disturbs the social climate, undermines the dignity of a human being and negatively influences the national attitude. A poor nation like ours should not tolerate this baseless, ridiculous and damaging ignorance that drives innocent people to make senseless statements against each other. Our collective efforts have the capacity to remove the poison of tribalism from our mindset and enhance, through love and unity, a hopeful future for the next millennium.
We are a nation with great potential and natural resources. It is time to act, time to try our wings to cruise higher and higher. We should not be reduced to worries about having a roof over our head and food on the table.

We have to make ambitious statements and take ambitious steps to achieve excellence and reap the benefits of the global market Although we are a relatively young democracy, we can dream about a prosperous and a united nation. We can dream about a nation with great potential to make a difference in our adverse situation. In fact, we should encourage our children to dream and dream higher and provide them with the means necessary to make their dream a reality.

In all the challenges we are going through, we have to be able to dream big about tomorrow and to have hope to keep hope alive. Every new day brings incredible opportunities to explore the means by which we may transform ourselves and our nation’s future. Lord willing, the new millennium will hold many new and positively surprising days.

There is no quick path to glory. Honesty, purity, hard work and self-discipline should be the anthem of our nation. No corruption that corrupts our minds, our moral standard, our attitude, our economy, or our social life should be tolerated. By adopting a work ethic focused on hard work, unselfishness and self-discipline, we can overcome the prejudices and demoralizing attitudes shared toward certain jobs. We can learn to see the importance and value of all occupations.

As we embark on a journey into the new millennium, peace building should be one of our primary objectives. Unity is the greatest engine of peaceful growth and development. Unfortunately, our nation has suffered from the absence of unity and common vision. We must help new generations understand the importance of unity and its impact on them and their future. Now is the time for us to break the chains of hate and revenge. Now is the time to replace those chains with bridges and bonds. Bridges between the old and the new, the rich and the poor. Now is the time to establish bonds between tribal groups, political parties, and our neighbors, Eritrea. Now is the time to connect writers and readers, teachers and students, parents and children, ourselves and the rest of humanity.

Let us create the nation that we want to have; a selfless, generous, merciful nation that can reach out to its own people and beyond. Let us create the future we dream about for our children by tearing down the walls of hatred and rejection that have kept us in darkness and separated us from each other for centuries. For this to happen, we must have a common vision and achievable goal. It is here where the wisdom of leaders is crucial. The ability to address adverse situations, the patience to run the course, and the courage to pay the price requires boldness and strength. A genuine change only occurs when people are changed from the inside out. No one can do this apart from God. It is here were leaders come down to earth, it is here where leaders sense their, it is here where leaders should bow down before God and cry for mercy.

As we enter into the 21st century, we have to enter into a new dimension of thinking and exploring our hidden potentials.

A few weeks ago, a passage from the scripture was quickened in my spirit which I want to share with you. It is from the letters of St. Paul to the Philippians, Chapter 4:8-9 . Here is what it says…
“Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

This is a message of God to each one of us for the coming millennium. This is the message of God to Ethiopia for the coming millennium. Please read it and mediate on it, memorize it and practice it. The peace of God that passes all understanding will be with you!

Please remember!

The quality of our thinking impacts the quality of our mind, the quality of our health, the quality of our passion, and the quality of life. This in turn determines the quality of our decisions, the quality of our actions and the quality of our progress.

We have a divine assignment at this crucial time in our nation’s history. Yes, we can do it and do it right. There is purpose for everything say te Psalmist. The purpose of National Leaders Day is to stand with our leaders, refresh their spirit as they endeavor to accomplish the work that have been assigned to do and history they determine to change.

Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of our beloved nation, I urge you join hands that the home of Christendom, the mother of liberty, the land of great runner, the pride of Africa, may wake up to its greatest future. This make a covenant of determination to make the impossible possible – that the blind may see, the lame may walk, the weak may be strengthened and the dead rise to life. May the nation sing the song of unity, the song of hope, the song of victory. May God bless Ethiopia and its leaders.

May God bless you!

Happy Millennium and prosperous future.

Rev. Dr. Tolesa Gudina