EmmDev 2019-11-29 [Advent2019] The Lion

The Lion

Yesterday our Advent Promise portrayed Jesus as the Lamb.

Today's promise portrays Him as a Lion.

The scene is Jacob (now called Israel - the Father of nations) blessing his twelve sons. Each blessing is connected with the character and nature of the son he is blessing, but at a much deeper level the blessing has prophetic implications for the tribes emerging from each of the sons. There is, in the blessing of Judah, a very distinct messianic aspect which is highlighted in today's passage...

In the earlier part of the blessing on Judah, he is described as a lion and a conqueror. From history we know that the Kings of Israel came from the tribe of Judah and that the line of monarchy narrowed down even more to the line of David who was from the tribe of Judah. The tribe of Judah was the dominant ruling tribe in Israel's history.

The sceptre mentioned in the passage can also be translated as the commander's staff and the promise was that Judah's tribe would be supreme and the commander's staff will "remain in the family" until it came to whom it belongs. Although Jesus came as a lowly king and as the Lamb of God, He is also the Lion of Judah. Through His obedience to the Father (even unto death) and through His resounding victory over the grave, He is victorious and is enthroned at the right hand of the Father as Lord of the Church. Paul says:
"Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place.
And gave Him the name that is above every name." (Philippians 2:9)

When He comes again, it will be as Lord of all, and then what Paul wrote will be fulfilled:
"that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow
in heaven and on earth and under the earth
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2:10-11)

And in Revelation John portrays Him as a Lion: "Then one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.'"

We make a serious mistake if we see Him only as the Lamb!

"Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you. 9 You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness--who dares to rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. 11 He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.       (Genesis49:8-12)

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EmmDev 2019-11-28 [Advent2019] The Lamb

The Lamb

Today's fulfilled advent promise comes from the account of Abraham sacrificing Isaac. Many people struggle with this passage. Why would God ask Abraham to do such a difficult thing? I think there are two significant reasons:

1. The surrounding nations practised child-sacrifice. This is evident in the fact that Abraham was not surprised by the request and goes through all the steps to carry out the command. The incredible outcome of the story is that Abraham, knife in hand, discovers that the God of Israel does not require this.
   
   
2. Abraham's journey prefigures what God would do for us. Abraham and Isaac found a ram caught by its horns but centuries later God would provide a Lamb. John identifies Jesus as the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." (John1:29) 
   Paul reminds us that "He did not spare His only Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also along with Him, graciously give us all things?" (Rom8:32)

In verses 17 and 18 God talks about Abraham's descendants (plural) then He speaks about Abraham's seed or offspring (singular) Through the coming of the Lamb all nations are blessed.

Some would argue that God is then guilty of child-sacrifice, but the Scriptures are clear: Jesus chose to do the Father's will. He was not a helpless victim but a willing sacrifice.

Abraham's story plunges us directly into the reality of human brokenness - we think that our guilt can be cancelled by our sacrifices. Other religious systems demanded child sacrifices. Child sacrifice was a macabre cycle of darkness and violence that cheapened life and those who participated in it were sucked into a spiral of cheapened life and devalued humanity.

God's emphatic answer is: "No more killing! I will pay the price" and in the gift of His one and only Son, God the Father pays the price that we were not required to pay. What the story of Abraham illustrates is just how much it cost the Father and what the obedience of Abraham and the Lamb achieved.

Abraham answered, "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." ... 12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."... 17 [The Lord declared] "I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore... and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me."      (Genesis22:8-18)

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EmmDev 2019-11-27 [Advent2019] Protoevangelium

Protoevangelium

In the movie, the Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson portrays Jesus praying in the Garden - and Satan, in the form of a serpent, is trying to talk Him out of going to the cross. The scene culminates in Jesus praying "Not my will, but Yours be done." As Jesus gets up to meet Judas and the soldiers coming to arrest Him, He stomps His heel on the head of the serpent who is tempting Him.

This scene points back to another garden, the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent, they ate the fruit, and they hid from God when He came to fellowship with them in the Garden. Having ascertained that the serpent was the instigator of the trouble, God pronounces the start of a war and the final outcome. The prophecy speaks of a battle and an outcome.

Human beings are generally revolted by snakes. This is symbolic of the struggle between human beings and the powers of darkness. One should not read too much into the symbolism because in reality snakes do not dislike people as much as what the Satan is opposed to humanity. There is a struggle between good and evil that has begun in the garden and it is a struggle in which evil often catches us by surprise just as a snake in the grass catches us by surprise.

Scholars see this passage as a "protoevangelium" (a first gospel) because it points to the crucifixion (strike at the heel) of Jesus, and His resurrection, ascension, and second coming (the crushing of the serpent's head.)

The exciting thing about this first prophecy of Jesus is that it is not simply pious hopefulness. It is starkly rooted in the reality of the struggle of life. There is a battle on the go and it is a battle in which humankind faces a bitter enemy. With New Testament eyes we know that there is a certain Offspring of Eve who was struck by the serpent but who crushed its head.

This victory will be passed on to us and so Romans 16:20 says "And the God of peace will soon crush Satan underneath your feet."

What is also significant is that this prophecy comes in the midst of God's discovery of their sin. God is not caught by surprise. There is no sense of Him saying: "Oh dear! What do I do now?" He knew what the implications of their disobedience would be - and He had a plan.

This Protoevangelium is our hope and peace.
Christmas reminds us that Eve's Offspring, Mary's Son, is our Serpent Defeater.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.      (Genesis3:15)

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EmmDev 2019-11-26 [Advent2019] A shoot from a Stump

My apologies for the gap in devotions - I took some leave to attend a funeral of a family friend.

For the next couple of days I'll be looking at some of the Old Testament prophecies that point to the coming of Christ at Christmas. The Liturgical Season of Advent is all about the expectation of the Birth of Christ and His life in our world. But it is not only about His historical coming into the world... Jesus is still coming into our world by His Spirit in you and me and one day He will return in full glory.

I pray Advent2019 will be a special journey for you...

A shoot from a Stump

Imagine a forest of trees that has been hacked down to the ground...
Once it was a quiet and serene haven: cool and calm with magnificent trees, beautiful greenery highlighted by mottled sunlight, the sound of birds and the wind rustling through the foliage - a place to sooth the soul.

Now it is a hot dry graveyard of stumps.
As one stands in the midst of the destruction, one feels alone, helpless, exposed and defeated.

The time is about 700BC, the place is Palestine and the author-poet-singer, the prophet Isaiah, contemplates the chaos and destruction wrought by Assyria which is the current dominant world power. They have destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel and repeatedly besieged the Southern Kingdom. Nations have struggled against them. There have been alliances, betrayals and intrigue. This war of attrition has meant that trust, faith and hope have been destroyed.

Isaiah has prophesied that even mighty Assyria will fall.
He imagines a mighty forest cut down to the ground.
The felled forest is the ultimate image of the legacy of war and violence.
It represents the human condition.

But there is hope!
Out of the pain and destruction, a shoot will grow out of one of stumps.
A mighty tree will grow - the Messiah will come.

Jesus fulfills this prophecy:

• He is a descendant of David, the son of Jesse.
• He was specifically filled with the Spirit at His baptism
• In His earthly ministry He manifested the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, counsel, power, knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
• He saw beyond externals and right down to the heart
• He demonstrated His understanding of God and of humanity
• He even demonstrated moments of righteous judgement and power

As you read this prophecy made 700 years before Christ and contemplate its beautiful fulfilment, I invite you to let your heart be set on fire with hope - for Advent isn't only about the first coming of Christ, but also how He comes into our world through His Spirit in us, and also that He will come again.

Are you surrounded by stumps?
Jesus is the shoot who springs from the stump.
We can put our trust in Him

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD-- 3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. (Isaiah11:1-5)

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EmmDev 2019-11-15 [Prayer like breathing] CONCLUSION : Ultimate Breath Prayer

Ultimate Breath Prayer

When I am on my way to a tough pastoral situation, my wife Brenda does a wonderful thing. As I drive off she'll catch my eye and say "I'm praying for you." It's something that really comforts me because she really knows me, genuinely cares about me, and clearly understands my strengths and weaknesses.

Martin Lund started a week long series on prayer at our church in Grahamstown with this passage and these words: "Did you know that 24/7 you are a prayed-for, prayed-in, and prayed-through person?"

It is an incredible thought that God would live in us by His Holy Spirit. It is even more amazing that He would pray for us. Paul implies that it is a passionate prayer, He will groan with concern and care as He searches our hearts and brings us to God.

Our prayers are really a kind of piggybacking on a constant stream of prayer that God the Spirit prays in us. He knows my needs. He knows my successes and failures and He prays anyway! His intercession means that we are sympathetically represented to God in order to obtain assistance and favour.

This gem on the Spirit's intercession comes to us in the context of Paul talking about present suffering, the world in labour pains, and the call to hopeful patience. In the midst of these challenges there is this stunning assurance: Even when we don't know what to pray for, there is SomeOne who prays for us!

I also love the fact that the Hebrew and Greek words for "Spirit" can also mean "wind" or "breath".

This gives us the ultimate conclusion for our series on "Prayer like Breathing" - The Spirit - the "breath" of God - prays in us, through us, for us. If we are attentive, prayer can be for us to unfurl our sails and to be carried along by what He's already started!

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.       (Romans8:26-27)

I hope you've enjoyed this series on prayer, and that, most importantly, you grown more comfortable and confident in the beautiful gift of prayer. Much love, Theo

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EmmDev 2019-11-14 [Prayer like breathing] Prayed for

Prayed for

To be able to pray "like breathing" there needs to be a great degree of confidence and certainty that our prayers are "OK", that we are able and allowed to pray and that our prayers will "get through".

Something that helps us greatly in this regard is a beautiful truth portrayed in the letter to the Hebrews where we are reminded that Jesus is our Great High Priest. Now, one of the roles of a priest is to act as an intermediary - to be the bridge between God and us. The Priest's function is to speak to God on our behalf and to bring our requests and needs to God.

The Good News that Hebrews gives us is this:

• Our Intermediary, the One who speaks on our behalf and bridges us to God, is none other than our Lord Jesus. We don't need a Saint or a Mary or an earthly priest - we can go to Jesus.
  
  
• Jesus is fully human and so has complete understanding of our struggles and temptations - He knows exhaustion, betrayal, pain, shame, abandonment and all the brokenness of humanity.
  
  
• He is also fully God and is therefore unbiased, un-corrupt and free from impurity, greed or sin. We can trust Him completely!
  
  
• And he prays (intercedes or stands in the gap) for us. What an incredible thought - the Son of God who created us, came down for us and died in our place, now sits at God's right hand and prays for us!

When next you pray and think that your prayers may be bouncing off the ceiling, just remember this: Jesus is taking your prayers to the Father and He is praying for you!

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.         (Hebrews 4:15-16) ... because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.      (Hebrews7:24-25)

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EmmDev 2019-11-13 [Prayer like breathing] Prayer and Community

Prayer and Community

Close community enhances our experience of prayer.

Paul was coaching the Corinthian congregation in the art of giving to others. He had asked them to take up a collection for the church in Jerusalem whose members were going through a tough time due to a severe famine. As it turned out, the Corinthians were eager to help and had pledged to give generously. (There are, however, subtle hints in the text that their initial enthusiasm had waned and Paul had to cajole them a little when the time came to turn words into action!!)

While making arrangements for their donation to be collected, Paul observed that their generosity would build a bridge of fellowship and that this sense of fellowship would deepen their prayers. He indicated that the church in Jerusalem, having experienced such generosity would have "their hearts go out" to the Corinthians in prayer and that they would recognise God's grace working in them.

This, in turn, would remind them of the "indescribable gift" of God's Son.

So, generosity and community enhances a sense of connection and prayer. I know what a comfort it is be prayed for by people who know me well. I also know how I am propelled into prayer when people I know are going through a difficult time. When we experience this kind of generosity and grace in community and in prayer for one another, it reminds us of God's gift of His Son.

And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!      (2Corinthians9:14-15)

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EmmDev 2019-11-12 [Prayer like breathing] Invited

Invited

We don't like imposing on people and we don't like being a burden. While that can be about being considerate, it is often also about our pride because we want to appear strong and self-sufficient. There was a stage in my spiritual journey where I felt guilty about coming to God with too many prayers about my needs. (I called them "gimmee" prayers). I would happily pray for others, but I found it hard to pray about my own needs.

There is a fine balance here. On one side there is always the risk of treating God like a vending machine, praying only when we need something. But the other side is that we have lost sight of the immensity of God's love and generosity.

There's the comical, but hard-hitting story, of the guy with a very heavy backpack who was walking along the road when a flatbed truck driver stopped to offer him a lift. Once the man had climbed onto the flatbed and they started travelling, the truck-driver looked in his rear-view mirror and saw that the man was standing there with the pack on still on his back. So he stopped the truck and asked the man why he didn't take the backpack off. The man replied "You offered me a lift, but I didn't want to burden you with my load so I thought I would keep carrying it."

We laugh at the twisted logic of this argument, but it is so true of many of us. We've become children of the King but we forget that when He carries us, He can carry our burdens too... We're standing on the flatbed of grace, still carrying our backpacks!

When we don't bring our deepest needs to God it's for two reasons:
1. We underestimate the generosity of God.
2. We're too proud to let Him help us

Jesus gives us a beautiful invitation...

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.       (Matthew11:28-30)

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EmmDev 2019-11-08 [Prayer like breathing] Pugnacious Prayer

Pugnacious Prayer

How do you picture the typical pray-er? I think most of us think of quiet sensitive people engaged in quiet dignified prayer. We think of grannies in rocking chairs, sensitive monks in cathedrals and patient dignified saints kneeling at their beds.

Paul gives us another picture: Epaphras wrestling in prayer.

Epaphras was from Colosse. Elsewhere Paul calls him a "fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf" and "a fellow prisoner." Epaphras was a strong, courageous and gutsy person who shared in Paul's suffering for the gospel (and survived!) and is now imprisoned with Paul.

What is his attitude? Is he asking the Colossians to pray for his release? Is he bemoaning his fate? Is he feeling sorry for himself? Not a chance! He is wrestling in prayer.

In those times wrestling wasn't the media circus it is now. Olympic Wrestlers were all about tenacity, strength and skill. Prayer wrestling was disciplined strenuous work. There was spiritual grunting and groaning as Epaphras struggled in prayer because of his love for his home congregation.

I can imagine a burly Epaphras pacing up and down in the cell, crying out to God for his congregation - passionate and compassionate. I imagine him thinking about the false teaching that threatened them and grinding his teeth with longing to be with them. Longing is translated into action and Epaphras prays!

What does he pray for? Firmness of purpose that will lead to maturity and sureness of faith.

You might say: "This isn't prayer like breathing - This is prayer like gasping - it's hard work - it's exercise!" But in the case of Epaphras, he's praying like a wrestler because he cared a lot about his church family.

When you pray about the people you care about, you will pray like a lion... or maybe like a wrestler...

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.      (Colossians4:12)

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EmmDev 2019-11-07 [Prayer like breathing] Nehemiah #9 - Continuing Prayer

Nehemiah #9 - Continuing Prayer

Just to recap: Nehemiah has been through a process of prayer: He had fasted, humbled himself, and mourned over his people's brokenness and God gave him a plan. It was a plan that was both daring and terrifying. Nehemiah was the cup-bearer of the king - he had earned the king's trust and favour, but he was still a slave and it was the job of the cup-bearer to keep the king in good spirits (literally and figuratively :-D ;-) ).

When Nehemiah went into the king's presence with a sad face, he took a huge risk. When the king enquired, Nehemiah answered that he was sad because of the sad state of his home city. When the king did the unthinkable by asking "What is it that you want?", Nehemiah sent up an arrow prayer before he answered.

Having sent up the arrow prayer, Nehemiah then boldly requested permission to take leave, to rebuild the city, and to get supplies of timber from the king's stores. And the king agreed!!! Nehemiah knew why: "And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests."

There is one more aspect: When we bring things to God in prayer and He gives us a plan, the plan often means that we have an active part to play in the answer of the prayer. Nehemiah had to take a risk - he had to open his mouth - he had to stick his neck out. This is part of how God includes us in His work, and there are some prayers we should not even bother praying unless we are willing to be part of the answer...

So, looking at Nehemiah's prayer life, we see four kinds of prayer:

1. Prevailing prayer: Praying, Fasting, and Listening until one has idea of God's plan
2. The Prayer of commitment/surrender in which one buys into God's plan commits it all to Him
3. Lived out prayers where our actions of obedience, courage and love are the prayers that speak louder than words
4. Prayers in the midst of the process so that every step of the plan is executed with God's help and the awareness of our need for His help.

The King said to me, What is it that you want? Then I prayed to the God of heaven and I answered "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."      (Nehemiah2:4)

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EmmDev 2019-11-06 [Prayer like breathing] Nehemiah #8 - A listened for request

Nehemiah #8 - A listened for request

When Nehemiah heard the bad news about Jerusalem and spent time fasting and praying, he had obviously been listening to God too. In this prayer that we have been working through (which is really a culmination of this process of prayer,) Nehemiah comes now to the ultimate focus of the prayer: There's a plan and Nehemiah needs help.

Nehemiah ends with a very specific request that springs from the listening process that he embarked on with fasting and tears. As he spent those couple of days in God's presence, a Divine Plan was revealed to him. How do you rebuild the city walls? - Ask your boss (a pagan king who you work for as a cupbearer) to give you leave and pay for all the materials! Such a plan is almost too ridiculous to consider and yet this is what God revealed to Nehemiah and this is why he prays for the king's favour.

This is the razor-sharp focus of Nehemiah's prayer - a very specific request. The plan is so daring, so outrageous, that it could only have come from God's heart, and yet Nehemiah must pray for its success. This is the mystery of prayer: Very often we must pray for things that we know God wants to give us, but it is because God includes us in His work. There is a sense in which He limits Himself, giving us a key role to play.

When my son Caleb was younger, there were many things that I could do in the garden or workshop that would go quicker if I did them myself. If I asked a three year old Caleb to help me, the job took much longer, but for the quality of the relationship and his growth as a person, I shared my work with him.

God does the same for us. Prayer, therefore, is an act of praise, confession, and request. When we ask God for things in prayer, it is like Caleb passing me another nail for my woodwork project (The project can't continue until I got another nail) - we have become God's helpers.

And God loves to answer the prayers of His helpers.

...O Lord, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of this Your servant and to the prayer of Your servants who delight in revering Your name. Give Your servant success today by granting him favour in the presence of this man. (I was the cupbearer for the king.)      (Nehemiah1:11)

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EmmDev 2019-11-05 [Prayer like breathing] Nehemiah#7: Reminding

After our very stimulating month of Mission, we're back to our Tue-Fri eDevs.
Prior to October we were busy with a theme entitled "Prayer like breathing" reflecting on the idea that prayer is a conversation. We've been working through Nehemiah's beautiful prayer in ch. 1...

Nehemiah#7: Reminding

[Nehemiah's whole prayer is below - our key verse is in bold...]

Here is another prayer precedent that we see throughout the Old Testament: Nehemiah reminds God of the fact that these are His people whom He has gone to great lengths to help in the past. By reminding God of Israel's covenant identity, Nehemiah is actually drawing on the history of Israel and God's deliverance of them in the past to give him confidence in prayer.

But again there is more: Through the examples of prayer we find throughout Scripture it is clear that God encourages us to come to Him and 'state our case' before Him. We can approach God with confidence, we can draw on the promises of Scripture, we can remind Him of His faithfulness in the past, and we can even 'threaten' (said with great care) Him with the consequences of not answering our prayer. (In Numbers 14 Moses tells God, "If you wipe out your people and the Egyptians hear about it and will say 'Although He brought them out of Egypt, He couldn't get them to the Promised Land so He wiped them out!'")

When I wanted to propose to Brenda, I went to speak to her folks. I had prepared a long speech, telling them of my love for their daughter, outlining the finances, and sketching the future direction we would take. My preparation and enthusiasm was part of my commitment. What I didn't see clearly was that Bren's folks were actually happy to have me as a son-in-law and that I really only needed to say "Can I marry your daughter?" But Brenda's Dad let me make my whole speech, with me thinking that I had to convince them of what they wanted for their daughter and me anyway.

Should I then simply have said "Can I marry your daughter?" No. The in-laws and I both benefited from the process: I knew clearly how badly I wanted this, and Brenda's folks had some idea of my being ready and responsible to receive the gift they wanted to give me.

As far as prayer is concerned, the dialogue (the process of talking to and even wrestling with God) is as important as the answer.

"O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. 8 "Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.' 10 "They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man."      (Nehemiah1:10)

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EmmDev 2019-11-01 [He gave Gifts - Month of Mission 2019] Conclusion: Our Missional God: The Call and the Promise

[Our Moderator-Elect, Sipho Mtetwa, provides us with the concluding summation of the Month of Mission - which, most appropriately, puts the spotlight on our Missional God...]

Conclusion: Our Missional God: The Call and the Promise

• The Call: It is the Lord Yahweh, the God of Israel and the God of Judah, the God of Africa and the God of the UPCSA who calls us in righteousness and who has taken hold of our hand. We are confident that we will not lose the way, as People of the Way, because it is OUR God who has made the Call. Our ministry has been wheel-aligned into God's Call and Will. We are not self-commanding soldiers, pulling in every direction we will for ourselves. We are a people who have been called, who have been led, who have been appropriately aligned.
  
  
• The Promise: It is the Lord Yahweh, who promises to be with us and lead us - the same God who divided the Red Sea for Israel to cross it on dry land; the same God who saved the three Hebrew boys (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) from the furnace; the same God who saved Daniel from the ravage of the lions in the den. It is the same God who expects us to live by the divine Code of Ethics, to do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God. The God of Promises will lead us on the missional trajectory.
  
  
• The Mission: To become a Covenant People and a Light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, free the captives and get back to light those who are sitting in a dark dungeon. If our God is missional God, our missional direction through the Call and the Promise is sealed. May God bless the UPCSA!

This is what God the LORD says-- he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: 6 "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.      (Isaiah42:5-7)

Rev. Sipho Mtetwa is the Moderator-Designate of the UPCSA, married to Xoli and with three kids and numerous grandkids. He is Minister at St. David's in Pietermaritzburg with the Drakensberg Presbyter. He is a poet and a jazz-fan. 

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This brings our Month of Mission to an end. Thank you to all those who have contributed to what has been, I think, one of our most significant series yet.

Thanks and acknowledgments go to our authors: George Marcinkowski, Peter Langerman, Sipho Mthethwa, Lungile Mpetsheni, Vusi Mkhungo, Allan Mchulu, Nigel Chikanya, Natalie Barnard, Shingi Masunda, Jane Nyirongo, Wonke Buqa, Godfrey Misiska, Greg Howse, Austin Dzeka, Melanie Cook, Faresy Sakala, Panji Nkosi, Rod Adamson, Elisha Gobvu, Teddy Zimba, Bonga Bosiki, Pascal Sibanda, Richard Mkandawire, Ruth Armstrong.

Additional thanks go to Richard Mkandawire, Ruth Armstrong and Elias Simango who organised the authors in Zambia, South Africa and Zimbabwe and to Johan Opperman and Wayne Van Heerden who promoted the Month of Mission on Social Media.

But at the end of the day the Glory, Praise and Honour belongs to our God whose missionality extended to the abundance of Creation, the giving of His Son, the outpouring of His Spirit and His sharing of His Mission with you and me!

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