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Lectionary
13 TRINITY: 17 – 23 AUGUST, 2008
THEME: ‘LOVE YOUR
NEIGHBOURS.’
READING: ROMANS 12. 9 – 21
Jesus
embodied a type of love which Paul describes as “genuine
love.” But there seems to be a silent consensus in the church
that such raw, authentic, radical and outrageous loving is a
“Jesus thing,” a rare type of love that need not be attempted
in today’s world. The result? An edited love! But an edited
love yields an edited power. We deceive ourselves when we
expect full power from a partial love. The truth is that no
other version but the full-mile Calvary love could have
yielded the third-day hope and victory.
It is very sad
at times to see our African communities passionately,
frequently and actively walk away from the very spirit that
points to the gates of newness. This is witnessed even in the
church as we witness a perpetuation of denominational pride.
While appreciating the value and beauty of denominations, the
worth of this diversity continues to be curtailed by a
hierarchical mentality that bears superiority as compared to a
shoulder to shoulder interaction that broadcasts seeds of
love. As agents of genuine love in the world, we the Church
are called to actively cultivate this shoulder-to-shoulder and
side-by-side culture. This way, we exemplify to the various
peoples in our care the possibility and beauty of community.
As difficult as it may be, it is an assignment so valuable and
so necessary in our contemporary African world that we must
not abandon it in the face of threats - even the threat of
death.
Submitted by Rev. Edward Buri
PRAYER
Almighty God, you have taught us through your Son that
love is the fulfilling of the law. Grant that we may love you
with our whole heart, and our neighbours as ourselves and
promote love in the continent of Africa; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Leviticus
19: 9 – 18; Luke 10: 25 – 37; Deuteronomy 15: 7 – 11; 1 John
4: 15 – 21; Luke 16: 19 – 31; Proverbs 25: 6 – 22
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