RECTOR’S LENTEN AND EASTER MESSAGE 

Theme : The Struggle Continues! (2 Tim 4vs. 6-8 & Exodus 3 vs. 7-10)

Jesus began with two Key messages on the cross being: 

• A Call to Forgiveness & A Call to Ubuntu – Caring 

His third and last Key message was A Call to Continue the Struggle! 

Jesus began his mission and ministry by outlining the Core of God’s vision for the world by quoting from the prophet Isaiah:

• Poor should share good news     - Poverty
• Free the Oppressed and Captives – Freedom
• Blind to receive sight      - Repentance
• Year of the Lord favour    - Change & Transformation 

Jesus in John summarises God’s vision as bringing about holistic Life for all people (Jn 10 vs.10). Thus, in essence it is about Salvation! The birth, life and death of Jesus were characterized by the saving works of God. God called Moses to become his liberation agent and thus outlined to him the mission as the delivery of the Israelite nation from the oppression of the Egyptians. God informs him that the cry of the nation has come to him and thus now takes action.

• We believe in a God who has:
• Feelings- Feels the Pain
• Ears - Hears the Cries
• Eyes - Sees the Suffering
• Mout - Rebukes Evil & Sin – Word
• Feet - Comes or Reaches out to be with people in their situations                   
• Hands   - Touches & Embraces us in times of need 

The coming of Christ in the world resulted from God’s unconditional Love for humanity. A God who desired to see his people having a better life and relationship with each other. This is a God who realized that Sin was the cause of Pain, Suffering and Misery for God’s people in the world thus destroying many lives. Of course God had a comprehensive understanding of Sin.

It was clear to God that Sin was not only a private matter as understood by traditional theology but also a political and social term:

• Absence of brotherhood and love among humanity
• Oppressive situation in which there is no fellowship, no mutual caring, no room to love as whole human beings in freedom and joy

Sin is manifested in the structures that are oppressive, exploitative and alienating, and is evident in the domination and subjugation of one class, race and gender by another. Furthermore, sin is the basic cause of a situation of injustice, exploitation and violation of the basic human rights of God’s people.

The critical reflection on the daily experiences of God’s people revealed that:

1. Majority of people were poor not by accident or their laziness but because they were made poor by evil and sinful structures through the unequal distribution of economic resources and unjust racial policies.
2. People were oppressed and suffered because they were denied the right to become architects of their own destiny and were dependant on the elite ruling class culturally, politically, religiously, socially and economically. 

The above understanding of sin demanded therefore a new understanding of Salvation from that which is only about the end of times to that which focuses on the daily transformation and improvement of people’s lives. Thus Dr Kani comments “what is the point of telling me about heaven when I am already leaving in Hell”

God’s salvation Act in Christ focuses on building kingdom not only in heaven but also here on earth thus we pray “ let your kingdom come… your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..” Christ therefore throughout his ministry fulfilled God’s purposes to bring about holistic salvation and liberation thus he said on the cross “it is finished… & into your hands, I commit my spirit…” (Jn 19 vs. 30 & Lk 23 vs.44-47).

Paul writing to Timothy echoes the sentiments of Christ having completed his mission and ministry as he informs him that he has fought a good fight and finished the race, kept the faith and thus his looking forward to receiving the crown that God has prepared for his beloved (2 Tim 4 vs.5-7). Christ had indeed completed his share of the struggle for liberation and salvation as one who tirelessly worked for Redemption, Reconciliation and Justice:

Redemption

Through his death and resurrection Christ redeemed humanity from sin and all its consequences as God’s agent. Humanity is set free by God in Christ from the bondages of sin, suffering and pain, and brings about wholeness. In essence humanity is set free from oppression, injustice and other socio-economic and religious bondages.

Thus according to Gutierrez, in Christ the all comprehensiveness of the liberating process reaches its fullest sense and thus in him and through him salvation is present at the heart of human history and there is no human act which is not defined in terms of it (2001:176)

Reconciliation

Christ was sent by God as an agent of transformation for a New Beginning, Hope and New World free of oppression, exploitation, injustice, hatred, racism, sexism whereby all equally live in harmony with one another. In essence, he was the restorer of relationships.

According to Miguez Bonino true reconciliation in the bible means not ignoring or explaining away the contradictions but its effective removal. The new age does not coexist pacifically with the old age but engages in death struggle. (1975:121) Thus reconciliation is not achieved by some sort of compromise between the old and new but through defeat of the old and victory of the new age.

For James Cone, there can be no reconciliation with God unless the hungry are fed, the sick are healed and justice is given to the poor. (1974:233-234)

Love & Justice

According to Gutierrez an expression of love is solidarity with the poor and it is a protest against poverty. (1975:112) Love is therefore interwoven with hope and justice; infact it equals justice and co-extensive with justice, it is social, its impulse and its deep motivation. It was love and justice that compelled Christ to fight for the liberation of all those under a condition of objective sin both the rich and the poor.

However, as for you and I the struggle continues until God’s people realize their liberation and salvation:

• Guarantee equal economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights to all
• Create a new economic order based on equity and justice
• Poverty has been overcome
• Remove apartheid and all forms of discrimination, colonialism and international aggression
• Strengthen international peace, security and cooperation to promote social progress and development
• All have dignified shelter or housing and no more shanks or shanties
• Education is freely available and easily accessible for all
• Churches have become centres of Healing and no longer battle fields for power hungry idiots
• Conquered HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses

You and I are the hands, feet, mouth, ears, hands, eyes, mind of Christ in this world and thus have been entrusted with the responsibility of continuing the struggle until God smiles.

Blessings – Fr. Xolani Dlwati

Previous messages: In Conversation with Fr. Xolani Dlwati