Bishop's Post June / July 2019
“Our country needs healing. I believe that much can happen when at least Christians take the Easter and Ascension events seriously again, and live as followers of the saving King of Kings.”
That is how I concluded the previous Bishop´s Post. Since then the elections happened. We praise God that they were peaceful. Now we need to pray that those taking leadership roles will do better than their predecessors. The choir festival in Braunschweig was a beautiful occasion, the theme, appropriately, “Peace”. I had the privilege to preach there, and took some time reflecting again on the watchword for 2019: “Seek peace and pursue it”. It was only in this process that I got the connection between Verse 13 and Verse 15: “Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, ... seek peace and pursue it.” The Psalm is ascribed to the young David who was fleeing from Saul to save his life. If one reads it with this background, “seeking peace” here actually is quite selfish: because I love life and desire to see many good days, I seek peace and pursue it. This, to me, was quite a different, but refreshing thought - to seek peace for my own sake! Many people are fed up hearing of all the corruption. Many have given up, thinking: I can make no difference anyway. The low voter turnout at the elections is an indication of this. Even if you have given up on others, on their leadership, then, at least for your own sake, seek peace and pursue it! Even if it is for selfish reasons - seeking peace, pursuing peace, will always also positively impact on the people around you, and, of course, on yourself! Our country needs healing - but for once I want to focus on you and me as individuals, and say: For your own sake, because you love life and desire to see many good days, seek peace and pursue it! News from the church Congratulations to Frank and Nina Schütte on the birth of their daughter Mara on 8 April. May God bless this pastors' family! Church Council will finalise the agenda of Synod at its meeting on 12 June. After that the details will be sent out to all congregations. In August there will be three synod preparation meetings. Their purpose is to inform synod delegates, congregational councils and treasurers and all interested parties on the budget, important law changes and other matters of synod. This gives delegates time, not only to prepare, but also to interact with their congregations on those themes. The preparation meetings are as follows: 3 August in Vryheid 17 August in Pretoria, Johannesgemeinde 31 August in Wartburg |
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