They wear fancy clothes, they are adorned in beautiful attires. They steal the show at every funeral ceremony with their extravagant dance moves and comic dramatics. Burial is supposed to be solemn but they make it a funfair. They turn what is sacred to a carnival and they make a solemn moment become a show. Pallbearers!

They are carrying the coffin to the graveside. They merry on their way to bury the dead.

But Jesus stops them! Jesus stops the pallbearers!

‘…behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow…when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep’….then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still.”

Who are these whose job is to carry dead things? What kind of job is that really?

They only scamper around dead situations. They only merry with gloomy tales. So quick to come around to share in sad news, so eager to party when you things go awry. They are pros at saying ‘Eyaaah’ they are expert mourners. Seems they only have energy for depressing newsflash. They’re only skilled to report calamities.

Have you observed the pallbearers around you?

They only talk tragedies. They only spew disheartening negatives. They gather around losses. They show up when things turn sour. They have statistics of all the gory tales. They are prolific only with data regarding sorrow and doom. Their mission is to carry the coffin to the grave. They know no other destination. They have no other agenda.

Seen any pallbearer around you? They tell you Nigeria will divide. They rant that there’s no hope in sight. They tell you she will not recover. They tell you she will not make it. They instigate violence. They stir partition.

Seen any pallbearer around you? They conclude your business cannot survive recession. They pronounce nothing good would come out of your noble efforts. They pick holes in every laudable venture. They see faults in all decent strides

Seen any pallbearer around you? They are so set in their minds that you won’t find a husband. They say you are no good for any man. They say you are 45 and you are late. They conclude you cannot do better than your predecessors.

Seen any pallbearer around you? You must stop their procession!

Jesus stopped the pallbearers! ‘He came and touched the coffin…he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.”

You must stop their procession! Shut them up before they put two words in. Ask them to leave even before they take a seat. Delete their unsolicited damaging messages. Block their uncalled-for broadcasts and posts. If it comes to it, remove them from your contact list. Don’t hang around them. Don’t dine and wine with them. Stop their procession! Jesus came and touched that which they pronounced dead. And guess what, he who was dead sat up!

I see you rise up! I see your dreams come alive. I see your business bloom. I see a united Nigeria. I see us come out of recession. I see Nigeria flourish again.

Jesus is presenting you to the world. He is giving you a global platform. God is visiting you. Your celebration is here. Your time of rejoicing has come.

And the pallbearers? They will stand still and watch!

Luke 7:11-16