Spirituality and Football

I have always been amazed by the Christian spiritual language used in football (if you are American, we are talking soccer!). Look at the following headlines and comments:

“The resurrection of Diego Maradona”, Financial Times. Christianty talks about the resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Incidentally, it is in Maradona’s home country where they have a gigantic statue of Christ the Redeemer, the only human who has ever been resurrected to live forever.

“Messi on a mission”, FIFA.com In Christianity we talk of missions.

“Maradona says I'll snatch glory”, Daily Star. Well, from Christian perspective only God has and deserves the glory.

“I touched Thierry Henry’s hand, I know it is not like touching God, but it is close to it” Fan at the airport when France National team arrived in South Africa for 2010 FIFA World Cup.

“Football is not a matter of life and death, it is more than that”. Jose Mourinho, coach of Real Madrid. We believe Christianity is a matter of life and death. Christianity is about how to obtain life and avoid death in Jesus Christ.

There are many such quotes made by footballers, coaches and fans alike. One of the telling scriptures in the Bible is Rom 1:20. In essence, it says that everything is spiritual, the universe and all that is in it. I believe, this includes football!

^“20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” (Rom 1:20)

From a Christian spirituality point of view, let me tell you about the 5 things that I believe football can teach us.

Firstly, in Christianity, ALL Nations are Included. FIFA has 203 member countries; the UN has only 192 member countries. All countries on earth are members of FIFA, the Football Association. Talking about Christianity, Paul says “^“There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female. For you are ALL one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28)

He also says, ^“In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile,  circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in ALL of us.” (Col. 3:11)

Secondly, in FIFA, all members are ranked according to their performance. When the FIFA World Cup was hosted by South Africa in 2010, South Africa’s ranking was 90. Due to the improved performance, South Africa’s ranking has improved from 90 to 38 in the last few weeks, due to South Africa’s improved performance. Using the apocalyptic language, John wrote these words of Christ to Christians, “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.” Rev. 22:12 In Christianity, those that work hard get their rewards, and football reminds us of that.

Thirdly, Jesus’ reward is an eternal prize. “All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. ²⁷ I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” (1 Cor. 9:25-26) Paul says we do it for an eternal prize. Therefore when I see Messi or Ronaldo’s discipline, it reminds me of the prize I am after.

Fourthly, all humanity watches the “game”, and will witness the prize-giving. As I write this, Barcelona and Manchester United FC will be battling it out for the European Champions league on 28 May 2011. It was estimated that more people will watch that game than those that watched the final of the FIFA World Cup in 2010. In 2010, 26.3 million people were expected to watch the 64 games, that’s 410 mill or 7% of humans today.

However, the Bible tells us that when Jesus returns, “All the nations will be gathered in his presence” (Matt. 25:32) It will not be only 7% of humans watching. All humans will be watching the final of humanity, the prize-giving, and gnashing of teeth by those who would have lost the ultimate prize.

Fifth, but not least, Christianity is a team sport. Christians exist as part of the body of Christ, the Church. They are a community. They do not exist as individuals. Their success is in the community. Their growth is in the community. Paul reminds us that even as we strive for our prize, that “the prize is not just for me but for ALL who eagerly look forward to his appearing.” (2 Tim. 4:7-8)

In football, 11 players are in the field in any given moment. Each one of them has a specific role. The church functions in the same way. There are many members of the church. Speaking of the church, Paul puts it this way:

^“Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, ⁵ so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. ⁶ In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. ⁷ If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. ⁸ If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” (Rom. 12:4-8)

In any football game, the players that play as a team win. I have seen many teams comprising highly talented players, but they loose nonetheless. When you analyze the game, you realize that individual players wanted to shine alone, and when that happens, nothing comes of it.

As you watch your next football game, remember these lessons from football. The 90 minutes of football need not be time wasted for Christians. They can be your Ahaa moments of Christian spirituality. Enjoy the game!

The Silent Killer

What do you think is the biggest killer of all time? Is it wars? Is it the bubonic plague?

Is it HIV/AIDS? Or malaria? Is it earthquakes? Is it heart attacks? You will be surprised. Usually, what kills us is the effect of something else.

The biggest killer of all time is lack of self-control! Yes, Self-control. “What?” I hear you say. Self-control is simply the ability to resist. You probably have heard it many times: “I just couldn’t resist”. Well, our ancestral mother and father, Adam and Eve could not resist at the garden of Eden.

When the serpent approached Eve with a fruit she knew she was not supposed to eat, she could not resist. When she took a piece of the forbidden fruit to her husband Adam, he too could not resist. And so death entered the human existence. The Creator had warned, if you eat of that fruit, you shall surely die. In one sense, then, it was that lack of self-control by our ancestors that brought death.

Things have not changed since then. A relative of mine could not resist “one more drink for the road”, and he crashed to death in a vehicle accident. He left his children orphans. If only he resisted that extra drink and remained of a sober mind, he could be alive today.

Across Africa, there are many children who are orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Take the case of Sibongile. Her father, David, was a successful professional with a well paying job. One day at a work function, out of town, drinks started flowing, and David joined in “the fun”. Although David was not really a drinker, he could not resist when his colleague kept topping up his glass with some nice, dry, red wine. By the end of the evening, David, due to his lack of self-control, lost control.

He started flirting with one of the female colleagues, who also had taken one glass too many. Well, the next morning, David and his female colleague woke up in the same hotel bed. Sadly, a few months later, David discovered that he was HIV positive. He died a few years later of TB, which was brought on by his HIV status.

David did not plan for an early death. When he died, there was not much left for his wife and children, except the debt of his top class German car. You see, David could not resist buying that expensive car even though it meant he could not invest in a family home for his family.

They had rented a house in an expensive surburb, and had to vacate the house after David’s death. Sibongile’s mother could not cope on her own. Eventually Sibongile dropped out of school, pregnant and destitute. She gave birth to a baby girl who looked just like her. She named her Hope.

Her boyfriend disappeared soon after he found out that she was pregnant. He had introduced her to drugs. One morning she overdosed on drugs and her body was carried away by the police in a body bag. You see, if you look at it carefully, Sibongile’s father, David, killed her the night he lost self-control and drank too much, and ended up sleeping with his colleague. When he died, Sibongile’s death began. And now for Hope, what’s ahead for her? If only her grandfather had self control… If only her mother had self-control… If only…

Our Father in Heaven knows our predicament. He knows most of us are not that different from Adam and Eve, from David and Sibongile. We too can’t resist. He made a plan for us though. He sent Jesus Christ to become a human like us, so that we can share in His divine nature.

Peter puts it this way, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life… These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” (2 Pet. 1:3-4). Christians receive the Holy Spirit by grace. And the Spirit helps Christians to share in God’s divine nature.

It is that divine nature which helps them to “escape… the corruption caused by human desires”. Jesus, being “led by the Spirit” (Matt. 4:1) was able to resist “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 Jn. 2:16). The same Spirit that led Christ, leads us. “God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:7 CEV)

Peter continues, “In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. (2 Pet. 1:5-6).

The Holy Spirit, who is God, gives us this divine nature. He helps us to exercise self-control. Not for God’s sake, but for our own sake. Paul tells us the fruit of the Holy Spirit is self-control (Gal. 5:23). Unfortunately most of us don’t like it when we are told that we must exercise more self-control.

One day when Paul was presenting his defense to Governor Felix and his wife, the governor did not like hearing the truth about his condition. “As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming day of judgment, Felix became frightened. “Go away for now,” he replied. “When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.” (Acts 24:25) Self-control is at the centre of our lives.

Don’t be like Governor Felix. You can listen to advice about self-control today, and save yourself and loved ones a lot of pain, …and death. For those like Sibongile, the Holy Spirit gives Comfort and hope. If you are led by the Spirit, you follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of your life. (Gal. 5:25) “The Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires”(Gal. 5:17) You CAN resist!

From the Virgin Womb to the Virgin Tomb

From the virgin womb to the virgin tomb, we see the Spirit bringing forth life. The womb symbolizes the beginning, and the tomb symbolizes the end. In Rev 22:13 Jesus declares himself to be the "Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end".

This Easter you can make him the beginning of your dead new year resolutions, and the end of your old life of hopelessness, futility, and "foolishness" clothed in "coolness".

The power of the virgin birth was the Spirit, and the power of the resurrection was the Spirit. The same Spirit is available for you. Have a blessed commemoration of the crucifixion and the resurrection of YOU!

Yes, YOU!! YOU have "died with Christ" (Col.2:20); AND "YOU have been raised with Christ" (Col.3:1). The celebrations this weekend include YOU! How much more should you be celebrating? May you now say: "Now I see!"

God and New Year's Day

Have you ever wondered if God cares about New Year’s Day? God exists in timeless time called eternity. However, when he created humans, he placed them within time, defined by days, weeks, months and years. Last week, last month, last year, was 2011. This week, this month, this year, is 2012. We had New Year celebrations last weekend.

One thing we have come to know about God as revealed in the Hebrew scriptures is that God keeps time. He does things on time. If something must happen on the first of the month, or on the 20th of the month, it will happen on that day, on the hour, to the minute. It is not a coincidence, and it is not an emergency.

The life of Jesus was scripted to the last detail in terms of time and place thousands of years before he was born, and he lived the script. This is one of the things that attest to Jesus’ deity. No human would predict how his own life would turn out the way he did, and the way the prophets before him did.

Let me share with you some of the things God did and said on New Year’s Day in biblical history.

Firstly, we note that when Noah was in the ark during the flood, it was months before the waters subsided. It is recorded that it was on New Year’s Day when Noah opened the window and saw the waters have subsided. Probably still being afraid of stepping out, Noah stayed a further two months. In Genesis 8:16, God said to Noah leave the boat, the ground is dry. You see, you may have been drowning in your problems during 2011, but on this New Year’s Day, God says the same words he said to Noah thousands of years ago, get out! The waters that were drowning you have subsided. You can go out and be fruitful and multiply. The floods of last year may have destroyed all you had, but a new year is God’s message to you to start afresh and be fruitful and multiply. I know they say once beaten, twice shy. You don’t need to be shy. It’s a new year, get out. The waters that were drowning you have subsided.

Secondly, we find that God gives Moses instructions to construct a Tabernacle (Temple), which was a Tent which symbolized God’s abiding place amongst the people. After it was completed, God says to Moses, “Set up the Tabernacle on New Year’s Day” (Exodus 40:1). According to God, this was a special task, to be done on a special day, New Year’s Day!

Hundreds of years later, the Temple was defiled and corrupted by the people. King Hezekiah decides that things must change. “Then they began to cleanse the Temple of the LORD, just as the king had commanded. They were careful to follow all the LORD’s instructions in their work. The priests went into the sanctuary of the Temple of the LORD to cleanse it, and they took out to the Temple courtyard all the defiled things they found” (2 Chron. 29:15-16).

It appears that one of the “LORD’s instructions” was that this job must be done on New Year’s Day as we saw God’s instruction to Moses above. We read in 2 Chron 29:17 that they started the job on New Year’s Day!

But what does all this mean? Fast forward to the New Testament, we are told by Paul that we are The Temple. “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (1 Cor. 3:16)

So, on this New Year’s Day, God gives you and I the same message he gave to Moses thousands of years ago. “Set up the temple on New Year’s Day”. If you are not a believer already, God is making a call, set yourself up to be his temple, and he will come and dwell in you. If you are already a believer, he gives you the same message that the Levites were given thousands of years ago to purify the temple, starting on New Year’s Day. So, if you have defiled yourself through sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these, he says to you, “Purify yourself!”, starting on New Year’s Day. Have your started? Don’t wait for the 2nd.

Thirdly, there is another New Year’s Day event which is God’s message to humans today. This event is recorded in the book of Ezra. Ezra was a Jew who was living in exile in Babylon, together with many other Jews. Jerusalem, which was the place where the temple was, was falling apart, together with the temple. Remember we are the temple, and we are in the church. So the temple was a symbol of us, the believers, and Jerusalem a symbol of the church.

We read in Revelation 21:2, “And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband”. Somewhere else, we are told several times that the church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:27; Rev. 19:7; Rev. 21:9). What does this have to do with you?

Well, after Jerusalem and the temple were rebuilt, Ezra, who was a scribe decided to travel to Jerusalem so that he can learn more about the scriptures and teach his people. He decided to live Babylon on “New Year’s Day”! (Ezra 7:9)

This New Year’s Day, you too, like Ezra did thousands of years ago, can decide to start your journey back to church (Jerusalem). You may have been stuck in the Babylon of your lifestyle, your job, your friends, your sins. There are many believers stuck in Babylon, when Jerusalem, the church, needs them. But like Ezra, you can decide to start the journey back home, to church. The church needs you. Will you be like Ezra this New Year’s Day and go back to church? Ezra started his journey on New Year’s Day. It may be a few months before you get there. It took Ezra four months to get there. But you can start today!

May you look back next New Year’s Eve and say, “I am glad I was like Noah, who stepped out of the prison of the ark into a new world God had for him, or like Moses, who set up the temple on New Year’s Day, or like Ezra, who decided to leave the trappings of Babylon behind, and learn more about his God!”

Happy New Year! Happy 2012!

I share my ancestry with Jesus of Nazareth

There is a worldwide birthday celebration coming up on December 25(I know some prefer other dates). This is the birthday celebration of Jesus of Nazareth. Well, I don't know why you will be joining those celebrations, but I know why I will be. You see, Jesus and I share our ancestry. According to Dr Luke, Shem(Jesus's ancestor) and Ham (my ancestor) were the sons of Noah. Noah was the son of Lamech. Lamech was the son of Methuselah. Methuselah was the son of Enoch. Enoch was the son of Jared. Jared was the son of Mahalalel. Mahalalel was the son of Kenan. Kenan was the son of Enosh. Enosh was the son of Seth. Seth was the son of Adam. Adam was the SON OF GOD. (Lk 3:36-38)

You see, Jesus is my brother not because I am a Christian, but because we are related. He is related to all people, including you! According to St Matthew, Jesus has all kinds of ancestors. For example, he had a number of Non-Jewish ancestors, although he was born into Jewish culture, and is considered a Jew because Joseph and Mary were both Jewish.

The split between Jews/Israelites and other nations (so-called Gentiles) has always been an artificial one from Jesus' perspective. Paul makes some startling comments about Jews and Gentiles, e.g.
Rom. 3:29-30 "After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. 30 There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles"
Rom. 15:8 "Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors"
Gal. 3:28 "There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus."
Eph. 2:14-15 "For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups."
Eph. 3:6 "And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News SHARE EQUALLY in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus"
(All scripture references are New Living Translation)

It is my view that Christianity is never a foreign religion to anybody. It is a religion for the Jew, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Indian, the American, the Brazilian, the African, and the European alike.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Confessions of a Xenophobic Pastor

South Africa’s past is synonymous with Apartheid. However, a new tag may soon overtake the apartheid tag – Xenophobia, crudely defined as discrimination against foreigners.

My wife traveled to one of the African countries earlier this year (no, it was not Zimbabwe – not that I don’t like Zimbabwe. I love it, and was there for a week recently myself). Her host, who was driving her to the airport was stopped by a traffic policeman. The policeman spoke to the driver in a local language she could not understand. The policeman asked the driver where he was going. He mentioned that he was taking his South African passenger to the airport for a flight home. On hearing that she was South African, he remarked: “Oh, she is South African? Let her come out so that I can show her what Xenophobia is.” (Of course he was joking. He immediately released them so that she did not miss her flight.)

“Are you xenophobic?” I often ask my friends and acquaintances. Of course, their responses are not different to when you ask somebody: “Are you racist?” The answer is often: “Me? No. No way! I like Zimbabweans/Mozambicans/Blacks/etc.”

People have come up with all kinds of reasons why xenophobic attacks took place in South Africa recently. The most common reason given is that it is because of poor service delivery. Of course the government did not buy this explanation. They commissioned their own fact-finding team into the trouble spots to establish the causes of these attacks. Their conclusion was that this was a work of criminals and a “third force”, whoever that is.

As a South African, I had to engage with the issue as well. “Am I xenophobic?” I decided to unpack the whole concept, and not simply tell myself that I am not xenophobic. As usual, my starting point when it comes to the condition of our society and human behaviour in general, is to begin in the Christian Holy Bible. Although I am a Psychology graduate, I have since found that psychology; sociology; anthropology and other related social sciences have a big weakness in their theoretical make up.

My first quest was to understand why humans fight each other in the first place. I found out that James, a Jewish believer from the first century, gave an answer about the causes of fights and wars almost 2000 years ago:

“²What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? ² You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.” (James 4:1-2 NLT)

Of course this was not James’ wisdom. It was inspiration from the Triune God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Christian Holy Scriptures are inspired by God: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.” (2 Tim. 3:16 NLT)

The root cause of human conflict is resources/opportunities. Those who live in war-torn DRC, or in Angola during the 1980s, or in Sudan, Palestine, Iraq or any other conflict-ridden country, will tell you that their oil, diamonds or gold has turned out to be their curse instead of a blessing. As you can see, those who said xenophobia was due to poor service delivery were partly correct. People were fighting over limited houses and jobs. The government was not completely wrong either. As it turned out, in most of these xenophobic attacks people looted the shacks of foreigners for their possessions, and even their small shops.

One social networker on Twitter lamented the problem on Twitter: “…the brutality of an African on another baffles me. Colonialists and slave traders I can understand. But our own kind?”

Once again, I find that the Christian Holy Scriptures are the best place to start. In the Genesis creation account, we read that God created creatures according to their own kind. However, there was another creature he created according to its own kind. This creature was called human. Human is translated from the Hebrew word adam, the name of the first human. Of all the creatures, God created humans one of a kind. He only created a male, and created the female out of the male. Therefore, there is no difference between male and female humans, except their genitalia. God even said the male and female humans will marry and become one, because they were originally one of a kind (but this is a topic for another day).

When we don’t see ourselves as humans, of one kind, we start inventing our own identities. When we see foreigners as of another kind, and not our own kind, we start discriminating against them, because they are not one of us. For example, I used to see myself as a Muvenda, but I don’t see myself that way anymore (if you are Muvenda, please read to the end before you stone me).

Humans are social creatures. They don’t like getting lost in the sea of other billions of humans. Therefore, they create new identities. Several hundred years ago, some humans developed a slang ( slang is jargon/words used by a group of humans to understand each other). This slang is now called Tshivenda language. Those that spoke and understood this slang called Tshivenda started calling themselves Vhavenda. All other language groups came about this way since the time of Babel (Genesis 11).

You see, Tshivenda and Vhavenda did not exist a thousand years ago. Neither did the English, the Afrikaners, the Zulus, the Basothos, and many other nationalities. It is the same with cultures. They are social inventions by humans, driven by location, time and circumstance.

When humans identify themselves by their language, culture or their GPS location on the earth, they misrepresent their own identity. Three years ago, I met one of Africa’s greatest minds in Oxford, England. His name is Eddie Obeng. By original location of his parents, he is originally from Ghana. As we were having tea, somebody asked him a question: “So, Eddie, where are you from?”

Eddie responded in a way that stayed with me since then. He said: “Do you mean where am I from this morning, last week, last year, ten years ago, thirty years ago, hundred years ago, a thousand years ago, or six thousand years ago?” Of course Eddie knew what the person who asked the question meant. He was just making a point. If he said he was from London, he did not know what we thought of Londoners. If he said he was from Africa, or Ghana, or Kumasi, or that he is Ashanti, he did not know what our attitudes are to those identities. We would put him in a box, and he did not like that.

If I call myself a Muvenda, I define my origins as being less than a thousand years old. If I define myself as a South African, my origins are less than five hundred years old. If I define myself as a Guatenger (somebody from the Gauteng province of South Africa), I define my origins as less than ten years old. As you can see, my identity is what I see my origins to be.

As a converted xenophobic pastor, I had to redefine my origins. Now I see myself as a human, a descendant of Adam, the first human. I am not a Muvenda, but you may call me that if calling me human leaves you feeling short-changed.

When God started the Christian church two thousand years ago (church is simply a group of Christian believers), he started by breaking down the main human symbol of identity in human society, namely, language, because he wanted the church to be comprised of humans, and not Jews, not Greeks, not Romans, not males, not females, nor rich, nor the poor from the other side of the tracks. This is what happened on the Day of Pentecost, the day the church started in its current form.

^“4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability… ⁶ When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. ⁷ They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, ⁸ and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! ⁹ Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!”(Acts 2: 4-11 NLT)

Paul having gotten the point of what the church was, changed his view of believers and people in general. He made this point repeatedly in his writings:

^“26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus... ²⁸ There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:26,28 NLT, see also Rom. 3:9; 3:30; 10:12; 1 Cor. 10:32; 12:13; Col. 3:11).

Jesus became a human, and died for humans, so that humans can become humans again, as God created them to be. He removed the wall that divided humans, namely, language, culture, location, gender and social status. “¹⁴ For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.” (Eph. 2:14 NLT)

So, are you xenophobic? It is a matter of how you see or define yourself, or what your assumed identity is. If you are anything other than human, you will be surprised at what humans may become when an opportunity arises. Ask the Rwandans. Ask the South Africans. Ask the Germans. Ask the Americans and British slave owners. Ask the Zimbabweans.

You see, when there is only one peanut left, and somebody must have it, it most often will be Takalani Musekwa, and not Bizza Musekwa. Why? Because for some strange reason, Takalani has a right to the peanut, and not his brother.

Thank God he has saved me from the foolishness of my old identity. Our South African Constitution Fathers, had the foresight to state in the preamble of the South African Constitution: “We, the people of South Africa, Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.” You have heard my confession. Are you xenophobic?

Stranger than Fiction: A Donkey Tale

Years ago when I was about 9 or 10, my mother used to send me to a shop about 5 km from home. For about 4 km to the shop we walked through a deserted road through the bush. One day as we were walking back from the shop with my cousin, we saw a donkey cart coming from behind us heading to our village, same direction as we were going. Donkey carts were the most common mode of transport for the "middle class" of the village. There was only two men in the whole village who had cars at that time.

My cousin and I got excited when we saw the donkey cart. It was common courtesy that those with donkey carts will give lifts to pedestrians like us when they find them on that stretch of road. As the donkey cart approached we raised our hands to hitch a lift. The man, who was probably in his late 20s or 30s, started hitting the donkeys harder for them to run faster as he approached us. We were devastated when he passed and did not stop.

After passing us, the man stopped hitting the donkeys, so they slowed down and started walking. When they were about 200 metres further down the road, the donkeys actually came to a standstill. The man started hitting them hard again, and the two donkeys would not move. When we about 100 metres from them, the one donkey bent his knees, and then lied on the ground. The other donkey followed suit as he was pulled down by the other one. The man got off the donkey cart and started hitting the donkeys even harder. There is a saying, "As stubborn as a mule", but after what I saw that day, I think the donkeys are more stubborn. As we got to where the man and his donkeys were, he was sweating and angry, and we dared not say anything to him.

As we were passing, he asked us to get on the donkey cart and hold the reins as he continues hitting the donkeys. My cousin and I jumped at the opportunity. As soon as we boarded the cart, the two donkeys got on their feet and started walking! The man jumped onto the donkey cart, and before he hit them again, they started jogging. He never had to hit them again, they jogged all the way to the village, with my cousin and I nicely seated next to the man. We said nothing to each other all the way, and he said nothing either.

When we got to the village he dropped us us next to my home and he proceed to his house further into the village. As we were walking home, we talked about the strange behaviour of the donkeys, and how kind they were to us. It was an incident incident I could not forget.

Years later I read a story in the bible about a man called Balaam and his donkey. When I read it, it sounded so familiar, that I knew why those donkeys behaved that way when I was 10 years old. Here is the story of Balaam and his donkey:

The story is found in the book of Numbers 22:21-33
"21 So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. 22 But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the LORD to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along, 23 Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. 24 Then the angel of the LORD stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. 26 Then the angel of the LORD moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. 27 This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff.
28 Then the LORD gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.
29 “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”
30 “But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?”
“No,” Balaam admitted.
31 Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.
32 “Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the LORD demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me.”

Recently, I came across another donkey story that reminded me of my donkey story. It goes like this:

A man once left home on a long journey. He took with him a donkey and a mule. He placed all his goods and luggage on the donkey’s back, and though he walked most of the time, he would occasionally ride the mule.
The donkey carried his load easily. He was accustomed to bearing heavy burdens. But when the three travelers began to climb the side of a steep mountain, his load became too heavy to bear.
The donkey, struggling under his load, turned to the mule and asked him to help carry some of the load, explaining that he would gladly take the full burden back again after they had climbed the mountain. But the mule refused to help even a little bit.
Before long, the donkey slowed and collapsed beneath his load. Though the man beat him mercilessly, he was too weak to go any farther.
Not knowing what else to do, the man began unloading the packs from the donkey’s back and placed the entire load on the mule. Then, leaving the donkey where he had fallen, the man and the mule continued the journey.
The mule, groaning beneath his heavy burden, said to himself, “It serves you right. If I had only been willing to help the poor donkey, I would now be bearing half the load I carry, and would have a friend besides.”

The common theme of these donkey stories, two of which are real stories, including mine, is about kindness. I have no doubt that God had pity on me and my cousin that day, and decided to stop those donkeys so that we could get a lift. I don’t know whether that man ever got the message, but I got the message loud and clear. When you have an opportunity to be kind, don’t be like the man from my village, or even the mule. Show some kindness. In fact, you will find that when you are kind, you receive kindness in return. That’s how God’s triune life between Father, Son and Holy Spirit is. That’s the life God wants us to share in, today, tomorrow, and forever into eternity.

Kindness is good for you, not just the person you are being kind to. Patience is good for you, not just for the person you are being patient with. Love is good for you, not just for the person you are loving. “You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:35.