Holydays tend to mask our emptiness and longing to be filled. The red wine you drank away at dusk wanes with dawn as morning sobers you up. Pork steaks satisfy no heart, and night-long banter wearies your head to bed. The long-awaited celebration time vanishes as vapor in cold winter—as though it never was. You sure are merry, but do you belong? You are lost, and who can find you?
… Be Merry, But Belong
The stench of death is pervasive on Ugandan social media platforms these days. If we ever lived under the illusion of distanced death, COVID-19 slapped and sobered us from slumber, reminding us of our mortality. Death dwells nearer than we deign to discuss or admit. It knows your address—and mine.
… The Stench of Death and the Scent of Life
Cruciformed disciples reject the Prosperity Gospel. By “cruciformed” I refer to a life shaped by the cross. And what I am saying is that we cannot be shaped by the cross and adhere to the Prosperity Gospel. At least that is what Mark’s Gospel teaches us. Now, if this makes you a bit uneasy, please bear with me. You will soon see why I say these things.
… Cruciformed Disciples and the Prosperity Gospel
My previous piece pertained to the place of Old Testament prophecy as per Hebrews 1:2-3. The text tells of two eras and means of God’s self-disclosure. There was when God revealed Himself to the Jewish fathers by the prophets. But the writer of Hebrews says that period ended with Christ’s coming. In the last days, God revealed Himself to us through His Son.
… What Acts 2:16-18 Speaks about End-Time Prophetic Activity
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” Heb. 1:1-2
Self-styled prophets are a sensation in Uganda, if not Africa. Roadside billboards loom large before your traffic-held car as the TV and Radio ads invite you to stay tuned for the next ‘prophetic encounter.’
… What Hebrews 1:1-2 Speaks about Your Prophet
“𝑰𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑱𝒐𝒃 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈.” Job 1:22
Recently, thieves stole a friend’s laptop, phone, documents, bank cards, driving permit, and some cash. He was on his way from work. It was nighttime. He escaped with his life only after relinquishing his material belongings. As he put it, thieves took his ‘entire work.’
… Mercenaries or Disciples?
Birungi is distressed. At 40, she remains unmarried. With a high-paying job, she is a well-educated Christian who believes that Jesus died for her sins. At her age, she has attended many weddings, including those of her close friends. Recently, driving home from one reception and alone, Birungi ponders her plight. ‘Maybe it’s true; perhaps I am cursed’ she mutters to herself, silently sobbing.
The reader of the Gospel of Mark must mark the stark contrast between Jesus’ view of His kingdom and that of His immediate disciples. While Jesus descends from the throne to the cross, His disciples only imagine their comfortable ascension to their thrones.
God is a person that forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin. This truth is deeply embedded in the revelation of God’s character to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:7).
Affliction swarms around us like unsettled bees hunting for nectar. And unless tethered to the tree of life, distress can destabilise, disorient and depress, sniffing out the joy and—if unchecked, ultimately—the life of the afflicted.
