| Gratitude
and thanksgiving has always been a deep part of the I find it is more
difficult to receive than to give. But I do
because refusing such gifts would offend their cultural values. Three stories: |
|
| Gratitude
and thanksgiving has always been a deep part of the I find it is more
difficult to receive than to give. But I do
because refusing such gifts would offend their cultural values. Three stories: |
|
At almost every well you are greeted by dancing singing and a sound of joy made by whipping the tongue back and forth. At one well, a woman I guessed would have been in her sixties, threw herself at my feet. She clasped her hands together in a sign of gratitude and literally writhed in the dust before me
I was taken
back and felt awkward not knowing what to do. So
I knelt down in the dirt and took her hand. Through
our interpreter she told me her story.
 |
(These are
tough people. They sleep on woven mats that
they spread out on the ground or in the case of the more affluent, the concrete floor of
their huts. They till their land by hand with
a crude ax & hoe combination made out of pieces of automobile struts heated and burned
into a handle. They fetch wood and cook on
outdoor fires.) This elderly woman had
to walk over two miles to their water hole and then carry a bucket of water back on her
head – two more miles. Twice a day she
had to do this. She told me that for the past
year she could only make the trip once. Others
did it for her or she did without. |
She was
overcome with joy because now her water would come from a well no more than several
hundred yards away from her village.
The tears
rolled down her cheeks as she indicated she had regained her independence.
At another
village we were invited by the village headman to join him under the shade of a tree. There he had placed several chairs for Russ and I
to sit upon.
Cokes,
which are enjoyed by the average Malawian only on holidays, were offered to us. They cost
roughly 30 cents in
I am
diabetic and avoid cokes. To the village
headman I explained that I had a disease which causes too much sugar in my blood. I took a small sip and asked if he would be
offended if I shared my coke with several children standing nearby.
He said
that would be ok. I carried the coke to the
children. Through gestures I indicated that it was for them to share. Then I handed the coke over to the oldest.
I stared
in amazement at what happened next! The boy to
whom I had handed the coke took a sip and passed it to the next child. There was no grabbing! Each in turn passed the bottle. Each took a sip.
There was no gulping or two sips!
Everyone in his or her turn took an equal share. Can you believe that?
But the
story doesn’t end there. As we were
leaving I told the headman, through our interpreter, that I was very grateful for his
coke. That he couldn’t have given me
anything that would have brought me more pleasure. That
it was such a joy for me to see the children so happy and sharing of the coke.
He said to
me with a puzzled expression, “You must be Jesus Christ.” In a rare spirit inspired moment I replied,
“no but I am trying to follow him.”
It was
probably the finest sermon I have ever preached.
It is a
story of one of the proudest moments in my ministry.
| This year
Marilyn and Randy Biehler donated a well in honor of their daughter Paige’s 17th
birthday. When I
thanked them for their donation and told them what a wonderful and meaningful gift I
thought it was, this is what they told me. They had
asked Paige what she wanted for her birthday. She said to them, “donate a well for
me.” (Someone is doing something right.) |
 |
“I
was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.”
It’s from the Gospel of the day - A
parable about accountability.
It
concerns God’s judgment and how judgment is rooted in God’s way of choosing to
care for His children through the Body of Christ. Both
sheep and goats are judged by their deeds not their creeds. It
is one of the few places in the Bible where Jesus is the judge. And the standard of Jesus’ kingdom is doing good – not feeling good.
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