By Pastor Kevin Wendt
Concordia Lutheran Church Fort Wayne
(Photo: Pastor Kevin Wendt, left, and Berhanu Mogus, Director, Lutheran Hour Ministries, Ethiopia, at Mekane Yesus Church, Addis Ababa.)
Ke Abatachin, Ke Egzi-abher, Ke Getachinim Ke Iyesus Kiristos ... Tesegga, Meheret, Selam... Le’ innante Yihum. AMEN
(Grace, mercy, peace. These are yours from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN)
Representing hundreds of Fort Wayne Lutherans, on Sunday, November 2, 2008, I stood before hundreds of Ethiopian brothers and sisters of Mekane Yesus Lutheran Church and greeted them with those very words.
(Photo: Pastor Kevin Wendt, left, and Berhanu Mogus, Director, Lutheran Hour Ministries, Ethiopia, at Mekane Yesus Church, Addis Ababa.)
Ke Abatachin, Ke Egzi-abher, Ke Getachinim Ke Iyesus Kiristos ... Tesegga, Meheret, Selam... Le’ innante Yihum. AMEN
(Grace, mercy, peace. These are yours from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN)
Representing hundreds of Fort Wayne Lutherans, on Sunday, November 2, 2008, I stood before hundreds of Ethiopian brothers and sisters of Mekane Yesus Lutheran Church and greeted them with those very words.
In my first journey to Africa, I was one of thirteen people from four different Fort Wayne area Lutheran congregations (Concordia, Holy Cross, Martini, and Southwest) to arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on October 26, 2008, for a 7-day visit.
The Lord led us there. While were graciously invited by Lutheran Hour Ministries to partner with them in their mission to "Bring Christ to the Nations and the Nations to the Church" ... and we were blessed by the LHM staff under the leadership and friendship of my Christian brother, Berhanu Mogus ... the Lord both opened the door and led us through to connect local mission in Fort Wayne and in Addis Ababa into a global partnership.
We toured the city, visited the LHM office, Mekane Yesus Seminary (to accompany a $6,245 gift in sponsoring a vital Christian-Muslim Relations workshop for area pastors), Hebir School (to be Jesus to hundreds of children and accompany a $2,403 gift), the Mekane Yesus head office (graciously received by President Iteffa), Gefersa Mental Hospital (the only such facility in the entire country - to encourage health care workers who are being
Jesus to people forgotten in their own country - and to accompany a $2,250), Mekane Yesus School (where we were honored by principal Aberra and took the first step in an ongoing relationship between Mekane Yesus School and Concordia Lutheran School), HIV/AIDS victim families (to bring God’s daily bread blessings to them to the tune of $4,111), and the Debre Zeit area southwest of Addis (to witness LHM’s wonderful Equipping the Saints ministry).
We learned firsthand that Ethiopia is a cradle of civilization, an historical land, a noble country, a strong culture, a beautiful people, with unique food.
There are no words in English or Amharic to express the privilege it was to stand before God’s people on November 2. I was humbled and honored.
My Ethiopian friends in the United States tease me that "Americans have watches but Africans have time". In America I cannot preach more than 20 minutes or people become agitated and impatient - because Americans believe it is important to be busy, busy, busy. And I have been told that in Africa you must speak for at least one hour - or people think you have nothing important to say. So I was very anxious / nervous to learn how much time I should spend speaking at Mekane Yesus. I am an American but I was to speak in Africa. - Can you guess what answer I was given? I was told 20 minutes - maybe 25 because I had to use a translator. So I came to the conclusion that either Africans have become busy or no one thinks I had anything important to say!
I was eager to open the Word of God with them that day. I was eager for the Holy Spirit to teach. I was eager to grow in faith with them. I did have something important to say because this was the Word of God for us that day. I prayed that not one among us was too busy to listen. And, I pray you are not too busy to finish reading this blog spot and consider what it means for you.
Hebrews 10:24 "Let us consider how we may spur one another on in love and good deeds."
What does this mean? This Word of God was first addressed to Jewish Christians who were minimizing their Christian characteristics. They were overemphasizing their Jewish background. They were concealing their Christian faith behind the mask of Judaism. They were compromising their faith. They had grown spiritually dull. Therefore, we know this Word of God is for times when Christians blend into their background. This Word of God is for times when Christians fit in with what is around them, camouflage their faith, and fall asleep spiritually.
I was told these sleepy conditions can be found in Ethiopia. I know these sleepy conditions can be found in the United States. Ethiopians confessed to us that this laziness can be true among them. I confess that this laziness can be true of me. Can it be true of you? Then this Word of God is important! Spiritual laziness is a problem. If Christians sleep God’s mission is hindered and unbelievers go to hell. Spiritual laziness is sin and we must confess it. Sin separates us from God. And only God can solve this problem.
So He did. God solved this sin problem by sending His Son, Jesus Christ ... true God who became human also ... who died in our place as our substitute ... who offers forgiveness of sin as a gift. In the words painted upon the Mekane Yesus chancel ceiling, "...The blood of Jesus, [God’s] Son, purifies us from all sin." (I John 1:7) As we know in the Lutheran Reformation heritage we share, we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, as revealed in Scripture alone.
But it is not enough to know this. People must respond by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not enough for this Gospel to be in the head. This Gospel must be in the heart also. Knowledge of the Bible does not save. Relationship with Jesus Christ saves. Knowing the Bible is one thing. Knowing the Author is another.
Relationship. Connection by blood or by law (law of marriage or law of adoption) or by choice.
Relationship between Jesus and us for salvation. (God’s loving adoption in baptism. God’s loving blood and body in Holy Communion. God’s marriage commitment in His Word.). As Oswald Chambers wrote: "Jesus didn’t give doctrine. He gave Himself." Relationship with God. God’s choice.
Relationship between Jesus and us for salvation. Relationship between Christian Ethiopians and Christian Americans for mission. Relationship among Christians to encourage each other, to love each other, to cheer for each other, to inspire each other, to wake each other up, to "spur one another on in love and good deeds." (Hebrews 10:24) Relationship among Christians is one of God’s cures for spiritual laziness. Relationship is an alarm clock from God for sleeping Christians.
Let me tell you a story. It is a story of two brothers who lived very, very far apart. They did not communicate regularly. They were related by blood but they lived like strangers. They did not have a strong relationship. One day one brother needed money. So the other brother loaned him a certain amount of money ($100). The brother was indebted and obligated to pay back the money.
So every week he would send his brother a small amount of money ($1) - and he would include a letter with the money. The letter would tell his brother news about his life, joys in his life, sorrows in his life, prayer needs for his life. The letter would offer encouragement. The letter would offer prayers. The letters developed relationship. Two brothers who lived very, very far apart grew very close in relationship.
One day the brother sent the final payment for his debt and included the last letter. The loan was paid in full. The brother who borrowed was no longer obligated. The brother who borrowed had no more need to borrow.
The very next week, the brother who borrowed the money, the brother who paid back the loan, the brother who didn’t need any more money from his brother, the very next week, the brother who borrowed received a letter from his brother who loaned. Included in the letter was another $100.
This is a story about two brothers ... two brothers once asleep in relationship ... two brothers brought together by money ... two brothers who came into relationship by love.
We have heard of Ethiopian Christians persevering in faith - in the face of Muslim hostility. We have seen the faith of Ethiopian Christians with our own eyes - in their joy and perseverance. We pray for Ethiopian Christians in need. We are compelled to tell this news to our families and friends. Ethiopian Christians encourage us and spur us on in our faith.
What if I told you Ethiopian Christians would like to hear of American Christians persevering in faith? That Ethiopian Christians would like to see the faith of American Christians with their own eyes? That they would like to pray for American Christians in need? That they would consider it joy to share with their families and friends? What if I told you Ethiopian Christians want to be encouraged and spurred on in their faith?
Then let us spur one another on in the way that taxi & truck drivers in Addis drive their vehicles. They make good use of the turumba (automobile horn). In America, people use turumbas primarily when they are angry. But in Addis, people use turumbas for much more. When a driver uses the turumba it can mean the same things as spurring one another on ... It can mean: I want to go first or I want you to go first. Please hurry. Please be careful. I am frustrated with you. I am concerned for you. It is good to see you. In driving vehicles in Addis Ababa the turumba is an instrument of relationship. In connecting with Christians in Ethiopia writing letters is an instrument of relationship. E-mail is an instrument of relationship. Sharing, visiting, being together, seeing each other. These are instruments of relationship.
God gave this very vision to one of our Ethiopian translators, Kibret. God showed him that he will have American Christians in his home, to eat his food, to sleep in his bed, to pray together, to sing together, to read Scripture together, to worship together, to love one another, to spur one another on in love and good deeds. God has given us this vision. We believe God is leading us to have Ethiopian Christians in our homes, to eat our food, to sleep in our beds, to pray together, to sing together, to read Scripture together, to worship together, to love one another, to spur one another on in love and good deeds. I am praying you will let me know that you are willing to participate ... to $upport...
In what is perhaps the backbone of this vision, we have a strategy for linking Concordia Lutheran School and Mekane Yesus Lutheran School. In preparation for our trip, we had most of Concordia’s faculty and student body each prepare a zip loc bag of a personal information card, e-mail and snail mail contact information, a personal photograph, and a friendship bead bracelet. In a position / grade counterpart manner, these bags were distributed among the Mekane Yesus faculty and student body. In turn, during our visit, we interviewed many of the Mekane Yesus faculty and student body to gather personal information and take individual photographs. This material is being prepared to distribute in a position / grade counterpart manner among the Concordia student body. We are praying for these long-distant relationships to develop - student to student, parent to parent, family to family, teacher to teacher, principal to principal, pastor to pastor.
God does touch us in invisible ways, but He uses people too. God does bring Ethiopians to faith using Ethiopians, but He can use Americans too. God does bring Americans to faith using Americans, but He can use Ethiopians too. And God would use both Americans and Ethiopians to lead His Church from sleep into evangelistic mission ... from spiritual snoring into engaging people with Jesus.
So, "let us consider how we may spur one another on in love and good deeds."
Gayta - yibarkah. (God bless you.) In the name of Jesus Christ ... AME
N
We learned firsthand that Ethiopia is a cradle of civilization, an historical land, a noble country, a strong culture, a beautiful people, with unique food.
There are no words in English or Amharic to express the privilege it was to stand before God’s people on November 2. I was humbled and honored.
My Ethiopian friends in the United States tease me that "Americans have watches but Africans have time". In America I cannot preach more than 20 minutes or people become agitated and impatient - because Americans believe it is important to be busy, busy, busy. And I have been told that in Africa you must speak for at least one hour - or people think you have nothing important to say. So I was very anxious / nervous to learn how much time I should spend speaking at Mekane Yesus. I am an American but I was to speak in Africa. - Can you guess what answer I was given? I was told 20 minutes - maybe 25 because I had to use a translator. So I came to the conclusion that either Africans have become busy or no one thinks I had anything important to say!
I was eager to open the Word of God with them that day. I was eager for the Holy Spirit to teach. I was eager to grow in faith with them. I did have something important to say because this was the Word of God for us that day. I prayed that not one among us was too busy to listen. And, I pray you are not too busy to finish reading this blog spot and consider what it means for you.
Hebrews 10:24 "Let us consider how we may spur one another on in love and good deeds."
What does this mean? This Word of God was first addressed to Jewish Christians who were minimizing their Christian characteristics. They were overemphasizing their Jewish background. They were concealing their Christian faith behind the mask of Judaism. They were compromising their faith. They had grown spiritually dull. Therefore, we know this Word of God is for times when Christians blend into their background. This Word of God is for times when Christians fit in with what is around them, camouflage their faith, and fall asleep spiritually.
I was told these sleepy conditions can be found in Ethiopia. I know these sleepy conditions can be found in the United States. Ethiopians confessed to us that this laziness can be true among them. I confess that this laziness can be true of me. Can it be true of you? Then this Word of God is important! Spiritual laziness is a problem. If Christians sleep God’s mission is hindered and unbelievers go to hell. Spiritual laziness is sin and we must confess it. Sin separates us from God. And only God can solve this problem.
So He did. God solved this sin problem by sending His Son, Jesus Christ ... true God who became human also ... who died in our place as our substitute ... who offers forgiveness of sin as a gift. In the words painted upon the Mekane Yesus chancel ceiling, "...The blood of Jesus, [God’s] Son, purifies us from all sin." (I John 1:7) As we know in the Lutheran Reformation heritage we share, we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, as revealed in Scripture alone.
But it is not enough to know this. People must respond by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not enough for this Gospel to be in the head. This Gospel must be in the heart also. Knowledge of the Bible does not save. Relationship with Jesus Christ saves. Knowing the Bible is one thing. Knowing the Author is another.
Relationship. Connection by blood or by law (law of marriage or law of adoption) or by choice.
Relationship between Jesus and us for salvation. (God’s loving adoption in baptism. God’s loving blood and body in Holy Communion. God’s marriage commitment in His Word.). As Oswald Chambers wrote: "Jesus didn’t give doctrine. He gave Himself." Relationship with God. God’s choice.
Relationship between Jesus and us for salvation. Relationship between Christian Ethiopians and Christian Americans for mission. Relationship among Christians to encourage each other, to love each other, to cheer for each other, to inspire each other, to wake each other up, to "spur one another on in love and good deeds." (Hebrews 10:24) Relationship among Christians is one of God’s cures for spiritual laziness. Relationship is an alarm clock from God for sleeping Christians.
Let me tell you a story. It is a story of two brothers who lived very, very far apart. They did not communicate regularly. They were related by blood but they lived like strangers. They did not have a strong relationship. One day one brother needed money. So the other brother loaned him a certain amount of money ($100). The brother was indebted and obligated to pay back the money.
So every week he would send his brother a small amount of money ($1) - and he would include a letter with the money. The letter would tell his brother news about his life, joys in his life, sorrows in his life, prayer needs for his life. The letter would offer encouragement. The letter would offer prayers. The letters developed relationship. Two brothers who lived very, very far apart grew very close in relationship.
One day the brother sent the final payment for his debt and included the last letter. The loan was paid in full. The brother who borrowed was no longer obligated. The brother who borrowed had no more need to borrow.
The very next week, the brother who borrowed the money, the brother who paid back the loan, the brother who didn’t need any more money from his brother, the very next week, the brother who borrowed received a letter from his brother who loaned. Included in the letter was another $100.
This is a story about two brothers ... two brothers once asleep in relationship ... two brothers brought together by money ... two brothers who came into relationship by love.
We have heard of Ethiopian Christians persevering in faith - in the face of Muslim hostility. We have seen the faith of Ethiopian Christians with our own eyes - in their joy and perseverance. We pray for Ethiopian Christians in need. We are compelled to tell this news to our families and friends. Ethiopian Christians encourage us and spur us on in our faith.
What if I told you Ethiopian Christians would like to hear of American Christians persevering in faith? That Ethiopian Christians would like to see the faith of American Christians with their own eyes? That they would like to pray for American Christians in need? That they would consider it joy to share with their families and friends? What if I told you Ethiopian Christians want to be encouraged and spurred on in their faith?
Then let us spur one another on in the way that taxi & truck drivers in Addis drive their vehicles. They make good use of the turumba (automobile horn). In America, people use turumbas primarily when they are angry. But in Addis, people use turumbas for much more. When a driver uses the turumba it can mean the same things as spurring one another on ... It can mean: I want to go first or I want you to go first. Please hurry. Please be careful. I am frustrated with you. I am concerned for you. It is good to see you. In driving vehicles in Addis Ababa the turumba is an instrument of relationship. In connecting with Christians in Ethiopia writing letters is an instrument of relationship. E-mail is an instrument of relationship. Sharing, visiting, being together, seeing each other. These are instruments of relationship.
God gave this very vision to one of our Ethiopian translators, Kibret. God showed him that he will have American Christians in his home, to eat his food, to sleep in his bed, to pray together, to sing together, to read Scripture together, to worship together, to love one another, to spur one another on in love and good deeds. God has given us this vision. We believe God is leading us to have Ethiopian Christians in our homes, to eat our food, to sleep in our beds, to pray together, to sing together, to read Scripture together, to worship together, to love one another, to spur one another on in love and good deeds. I am praying you will let me know that you are willing to participate ... to $upport...
In what is perhaps the backbone of this vision, we have a strategy for linking Concordia Lutheran School and Mekane Yesus Lutheran School. In preparation for our trip, we had most of Concordia’s faculty and student body each prepare a zip loc bag of a personal information card, e-mail and snail mail contact information, a personal photograph, and a friendship bead bracelet. In a position / grade counterpart manner, these bags were distributed among the Mekane Yesus faculty and student body. In turn, during our visit, we interviewed many of the Mekane Yesus faculty and student body to gather personal information and take individual photographs. This material is being prepared to distribute in a position / grade counterpart manner among the Concordia student body. We are praying for these long-distant relationships to develop - student to student, parent to parent, family to family, teacher to teacher, principal to principal, pastor to pastor.
God does touch us in invisible ways, but He uses people too. God does bring Ethiopians to faith using Ethiopians, but He can use Americans too. God does bring Americans to faith using Americans, but He can use Ethiopians too. And God would use both Americans and Ethiopians to lead His Church from sleep into evangelistic mission ... from spiritual snoring into engaging people with Jesus.
So, "let us consider how we may spur one another on in love and good deeds."
Gayta - yibarkah. (God bless you.) In the name of Jesus Christ ... AME
N
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