The Journey 67: Transformation in my community

Read: Exodus 5

Key Verse: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God” [ 1 Corinthians 1: 18]

  “ KONY 2012” is the latest vogue. Everyone on Facebook, seemed to have jumped onto this bandwagon. This is because an 'international justice' internet campaign by a humanitarian group “Invisible Children” has become a huge online hit, with their production KONY 2012, a  documentary about a atrocities committed in  Uganda. The venture is by an American filmmaker  who is determined to use social media to highlight the atrocities committed by an International Criminal Joseph Kony. He  doesn't want to win Kony any fans but wants to educate the world "to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice." Thus Every one wants to post or share “Kony 2012” on their page or share with their friends. Yesterday I had a number of friends who shared Kony 2012 both through mail and through face book. With so many shares I decided to watch Kony 2012, and indeed it was a moving portrayal of the suffering of the children of Uganda at the hands of a man Joseph Kony. The purpose of the film maker to highlight the cause of tracking down Joseph Kony, and also bring to the attention of the world the suffering of the children,  has been achieved to a great extent.  But there were some questions that came to my mind. This was because of my limited knowledge of the organization “ Invisible Children” and also about the African country Uganda and also about its present turmoil. I sought the help of the net and also my friends. These were the questions that came to my mind. How do we go from here in espousing the cause that will lead to the arrest of Joseph Kony? Secondly as a Christian, can I support the means that the organization will use to bring Joseph Kony to justice. But most important, Is  my commitment as a Christian so easy and cool, as sitting in front of a laptop, watching a documentary with a noble cause and then sharing  it to others with a click of a mouse?. Is this the level of commitment that Jesus Christ wants, when we address social issues and when we come to know about the suffering of poor, the helpless and voiceless?

           This week we are meditating on the theme “ Transformation in our community’ based on the life and ministry of Moses. What Israelites went through was also oppression by an individual, a ruler, The Pharaoh another form of Joseph Kony.  It is here that we learnt in the last few days, that God heard the cry of the oppressed, the suffering and that we are supposed to be the voice of the voiceless. It is in such a context that God sends Moses to be the voice of God, to be the hand and feet of God and pave way to bring freedom and justice to the people of Israel. For Moses, commitment to God, meant that he should be going into the presence of the King, going into the palace where he grew up, and then challenging the King, to let his people go. This commitment of Moses was not like sharing Kony 2012 by “click of the mouse”, but this commitment was costly because he knew that he could even loose his life, when he confronts the Pharaoh, which represents the power of the world. It is here that God teaches us through Moses that if we are to be channels of transformation in our community and be agents of justice we need to move beyond the level of emotional commitment to the level of costly commitment.  We live in a world where even “ The Passion of Christ” was marketed by Mel Gibson, in the name of spirituality, but with an eye on both personal and financial gains. Hence we as Christians are called to be a critic of the ways of the world. We have been asked to set our  minds on things above [ Col 3:1-2] and we have been asked to preach about a commitment to Jesus Christ which is costly and a message of the cross that may be foolish to the world [ 1 Corinthians 2]. It is here that we need to ask ourselves “ Lord am I ready to show commitment to you which is very costly thus becoming a tool in your hand in bringing justice to the untold suffering people of this world” or am I just showing certain strains of emotional commitment in my life.

Let us rise above pure emotional commitment to costly commitment to our Lord, that of carrying the experience of cross daily in our life. This is the means that God wants us to use for whatever cause of justice that we are supporting.

Let us Pray: Lord we often show our commitment to you in very shallow and emotionally. What you want us to show is commitment that is costly, that involves carrying cross in our life. Help us to rise to that level of commitment Amen