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Lectionary
18 TRINITY: 21 - 27 SEPTEMBER, 2008
THEME: ‘AUTHENTIC
SPIRITUALITY TRUE WISDOM.’
READING: JAMES 3: 13 – 18. (c/f
Proverbs 24: 3-4)
An Ivorian saying goes, “Every time
an old man dies it is as if a library has burnt down,” and we
could add; “Worse still when such an old man has not
transferred his wisdom gained through experience to another.”
Both literally and figuratively, wisdom is needed in order to
build a house. Just as it takes wisdom to build a house, so
too does it take wisdom to build a nation. The bible tells us;
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalms
111:10a). The United States has as its motto, “In God we
trust” and slogans like “God bless America” can be heard
often, just as “God save the Queen” is a popular phrase in the
U.K. Is Africa missing something? Wisdom? The fear of the
Lord? Whatever happened to rich African values such as when
children sat around the fireside and the elderly told them
stories and passed on other values to them?
Africa
must return to its culture which is slowly being eroded by
western ones; but it must blend these cultures with
development and the fear of the Lord. Africans must stop
exploiting their forests and resources indiscriminately in a
world where global warming and drought are major threats. We
must stop littering the environment with synthetic materials.
We must stop wondering why the desert is encroaching southward
and do something about it. We must begin to build our houses,
our nations, with wisdom and the fear of the Lord. Let us
introduce these values into our educational systems right from
elementary levels. We must explore who we are, because we seem
to know more about others (the West) than we do about
ourselves. Let us develop our indigenous African languages
instead of condemning them as languages that spoil our
colonial languages. The time is now for Africa to build its
own house, and to do so with wisdom, with the fear of the
Lord!
Submitted by Rev. Aboseh Ngwana
PRAYER
Heavenly God, with whom are hid the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge: save us from misusing your gifts for selfish
and destructive ends. Make us faithful stewards in caring for
the land you have given us, and glorify yourself in the
continent of Africa, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen
PRAY
FOR:
Mali (National Day – September 22)
READINGS
FOR THE WEEK
Job 28: 20 – 28; James 1: 5 – 8; Proverbs 4:
1 – 9; Hosea 14; Psalm 1; Psalm 119: 33 – 40
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