Clothe yourself with Love Col. 3:14

We live in a world where we are constantly encouraged to pursue a version of success: a better career, more money, a stronger appearance, healthier relationships, greater influence. Our culture often defines success as winning in every area of life. But is that truly attainable? And what is the real cost of chasing that imagined life? At some point, something has to give. Will it be our family life or our work life? Our health or our ambitions? There is a cost to everything. The question is whether we are honest enough to recognize what this pursuit of success is taking from us. So often, we look for the best and easiest path... the way that requires the least sacrifice and inconvenience. We do this because we don’t like to suffer. We avoid pain, discomfort, loss, and sacrifice whenever we can. The words of Jesus call us to discern a better way: not an easier way, but the way we were truly meant to live. Jesus gives us the map when He says: “ If any want to become my followers, let t...

Matthew 15: 10-28 . It can be surprising to learn how human societies organize themselves. We draw lines between the in-group and the outsiders. God knows this about us. The trouble comes when we go too far—when we decide certain people are “anomalies” to be pushed out, rather than neighbors to be loved. From the beginning, God wanted to correct this impulse. To Israel he said, in Ex. 12:49, “ There shall be one law for the native and for the alien residing among you .” God knew how quickly we would create laws for different people and decided to clear this up. History tells us that we have done this over and over again. Yet humans became creative at building walls. Let me tell you Angelique’s story. When the civil war broke out in Rwanda, she was caught in the violence, badly injured, and left unconscious. The Red Cross found her hours later, under a pile of dead bodies, and pulled her out. Society had decided she was the ‘anomaly’ to be eliminated. That same ‘in-group’ mentality is ...

There is so much we don’t understand about the mysteries of God’s Kingdom. It’s no wonder Jesus used parables. They give us pictures—snapshots—of what the Kingdom looks like in the middle of real life and in an imperfect church. I’m not trying to be heretical here, but let’s put in some everyday words. What does God’s Kingdom of heaven look like here on earth? Even better, What does it feel like in the middle of our busy schedules and stress, our anxieties and ambitions, our hopes and disappointments? Paul reminds us in Romans 8 that, as life rushes along, there is a spiritual trajectory underneath it all. Some people are being quietly pulled along by an unseen force that leads toward decay, destruction, and separation from God. Many don’t even realize it’s happening. A friend of mine recently sent me an album of American rap to listen to. He said it's important to listen to the lyrics of today's youth because, their aspirations and experiences are all there. But the question ...

We live in a world that is losing authenticity more and more. There is so much fake around us that it can be hard to know what is true anymore. Every day, for example, on my phone I get ads promising miracles that are clearly AI, not real: an image of a dish soap that can make an old pot look brand new, (and believe I have old pots so it pulls me in) or a lotion that will supposedly erase all wrinkles. I have to admit, I’m sometimes surprised by my own heart — I catch myself wanting to believe it and considering to order the product. Of course, I would love to say I never fall for any of it, but that would not be completely honest. Paul helps us understand why this happens. Of course sin disguises itself as good but it's fake. Paul speaks about the luring power of sin working in our natural selves (our ability to fall for the fake is stunning!) Paul even cries out, “ Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death ?” That is the reality of our connection to sin ...

Today’s Scriptures give us a front-row seat to God’s priorities. Have you ever stopped & wonder what God values most? A helpful way to think about it, is this: how well do we really know people in our own families? What do we understand about their hearts, their aspirations, and even their struggles ? Some of us may be surprised to get some of the questions wrong! This is a good test for us, because the same applies to our relationship with God. What do we know about God? When Israel first arrived in the wilderness of Sinai, they found themselves in a very uncomfortable place, especially when compared to Egypt. But it was there that God spoke to Moses and reminded them, “ You saw what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself .” God was not just leading them geographically; He was leading them spiritually, bringing them out of fear/panic and unrest into a place where they could learn faith, healing, and trust. What is so striking is t...

Today, on Trinity Sunday, the Church turns her attention to the mystery of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not merely a doctrine to be explained, but a mystery to be adored. And yet, while the Trinity is beyond our complete comprehension, the Scriptures reveal something essential about the heart of God: God is not indifferent. God is not distant. God is not unbothered, something all survivors need to hear: God is deeply concerned with his creation. He is moved by suffering. He is attentive to human need. He is present where there is chaos, and he brings peace where there is disorder. This is the witness of Genesis. In the beginning, the earth is formless and void, covered in darkness, and the Spirit of God hovers over the waters. Before God spoke order, the Spirit was already there, present in mercy and power. Then with divine authority, God spoke: “ Let there be light .” And there was light. Great revelation of divine purpose: He brings order out of chaos, life out of deat...

One question from the disciples in Acts has always stuck with me. They asked Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” You can almost hear what they were really wondering: Is everything about to be made right? And if we’re honest, that question lives in us too. Look at our world—its injustice, its divisions, its brokenness—and we wonder: Can things ever truly be fixed? Can we build a society that really works? We all long for a world that works—a just, peaceful, well-run society. Humanity has tried. Systems have come and gone—pure communism, pure capitalism, social democracies and everything in between. Some say that if the planet’s wealth were to be shared more fairly, if those who have much, gave more generously, we could correct the imbalance we see around us. But then a harder question comes up: how much of our own resources, our own comforts, our own security, are we ready to surrender for the sake of others? Not many of us are ready for that ki...

Our Old Testament reading today begins with these words from Exodus 17: “ From the wilderness of Sin …” Now, that doesn’t sound like a good place to be, does it? The Israelites found themselves in quite a messy situation—and honestly, it’s one we may find all too familiar. Have you ever been absolutely sure your plan was going to work out… only to watch it fall apart? That sinking disappointment? That’s where Israel was. God had already led them victoriously out of Egypt, through miracle after miracle. They were on their way to the Promised Land—but patience, as we all know, is not a common virtue, not then and not now. How patient are we this Lenten season? This time, Israel faced something serious: Lack of water. In the desert, that’s a death sentence. It’s serious! But, remember, this was supposed to be a people of faith! And yet, what did they do? They panicked. They freaked out! They looked at the problem—and forgot God’s promise. Before long, they were arguing, blaming Moses, a...

Most of us have seen what a full house renovation looks like! I don’t mean a little cosmetic here and there, I mean a complete transformation of the house. It can be such a joy to see the final result of a house being renovated! But the process is messy! We all want to see quickly the finished product but it takes time! Time to plan/ to refine, to remove walls and roof, to apply a new roof, new windows, new paint, new chimney, new Kitchen, new bedrooms, new pantry closets… It takes time to remove old things! I wish I can show you the before and after picture of a renovated house! It is simply amazing! Just to gaze at the transformation! Jesus did not compare human transformation to house renovation, I did. Jesus compared human transformation to a new birth! A Jewish leader in the Great Sanhedrin (Nicodemus) had come at night to ask a question about our souls’ salvation. What is beyond all this that we see in this world? He knew Jesus was a teacher from God with great revelation from h...

The Gospel of John begins with the words: “ In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God. He was with God in the beginning .” John is a brave man. If it were you, what words would you have used to convey the idea of the God the Father’s relationship with the son? Obviously, John is calling Jesus God’s Son, the eternal word. Many OT passages talk about things done by the Lord, as done by the word of the Lord. John provided clear evidence that Jesus is the Son of God, who did not come into being only when he was born here, but rather he was already eternal before he came to be born into the world that he created for us. The Father speaks through the son as the son speaks to the Father about us, which is an amazing relationship that is observed in the words of Jesus especially when Jesus told us that He speaks the words that he heard from the Father. The more we know who Jesus is, the more the light of Christ shine forth through our lives, so others can b...

God’s love for us is amazing! He never gives up on us! We see God’s tenacity to the promise he had made to Israel’s ancestors. By the time of the prophet Isaiah, God was still communicating the same promise concerning the redemption of humanity. The story is that all generations have made a mess of things, but God’s promise remained intact through time. God always tried to steer Israel back on track, sadly many times in vain. Here we are treated to a conversation between the prophet speaking for God and King Ahaz. Ahaz had already chosen his allies to save him in case he is attacked. Then God comes into the picture: to bid him to choose a sign so God would show him how powerfully He can save him. But Ahaz refused because he had trusted the Assyrians, their forces and their gods, and would not place himself under the God of Israel anymore. Beloved, Ahaz symptoms are still with us today, especially when our own choices reflect a level of rebellion to God’s ways. When we are conscious of...

Our readings (Isaiah 2:1-5 and Psalm 122) inspire us to reach out towards the house of the Lord or to the mountain of the Lord, looking beyond this mortal life. It’s a state of a person always seeking God in life. But sadly, often enough it’s when we realize that we have no options left, that we begin to genuinely seek God for guidance/rescue. That sounds a lot like Israel’s journey! Today as the first Sunday in Advent, we are encouraged to seek God regardless of our circumstances during this new church season to prepare for the coming of the Lord. How fitting that the prophet Isaiah is instructing Israel the correct posture of those who are seeking the Lord at the same time as we, ourselves are preparing to celebrate the coming of Christ our Savior into the world. What should be our posture in this new Church season? Will we be found reaching out to God in the house of the Lord? btw God’s house is here! It’s not going anywhere. Also, wherever you are, you can talk to God and worship ...

Our OT lesson begins with a word from God by the prophet Malachi a contemporary of Nehemiah. The Temple was already rebuilt, but there was still idolatry and neglecting the Temple service. We would think that since they had already returned from exile and had suffered enough that they would shape up for now, but no. Malachi helped them discover where they went wrong and showed them that God’s true intention was to heal them and to tell them of his plan to send them the Messiah who would to take away their sins. His words were scary; they are a warning! He said: “The day is coming burning like an oven! The day that will burn all the arrogant and evildoers!” As good people of the book, Israelites understood that this wasn’t good at all. It was a warning from God against those who were sleepy, complacent, indifferent to God’s word. They were dishonoring God in those very things where they should honor him. Paul saw this danger in Thessalonians and warned those who were idle and careless....

Today we celebrate the Feast of All Saints! If there is one thing to recognize in the lives of the saints, it would be that they came to know their need for God. This is the very heart of the matter for Christians in every age – a recognition of our need for God. This is a world of confusions and anxieties; with so much fear about the future – we often wonder …where is it all going? We certainly have asked this question during the cold war era. Has it all changed now? No. We still wonder if we are closer to WW3. This is a world that has increasingly gone ungodly/unspiritual. A world that seeks no longer its solutions in God the creator. Yet here in the lives of the saints, we have sure signposts for the Church in the present and into the future of how they lived Christian lives in their world with so many tough challenges. They faced unimaginable executions like being put in a barrel full of hot burning oil. This torture is still existent today: In some places in Africa, on account of...

Facing truth can suddenly be very alarming to us, especially when what we know we should do and what we do (head and action) don’t match. We fall into what psychologists call cognitive dissonance. So, to avoid its stress and anxiety, we begin making excuses to explain away the contradiction. There is no end to which people will not go, to provide such excuses trying to maintain coherence. This happens to individuals as well as nations. The same is true in Genesis: When God asked Adam: " What have you done ?" Adam replied to God: “ The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit to eat and I ate .” These excuses serve as a lollipop to soothe ourselves from the dissonance. Jesus knew this problem. That’s why He showed us the profile of a true disciple because, a disciple is a person who keeps learning to face truth with courage, to acknowledge personal flaws and failures and still heed Jesus’ teachings. Jesus’ description of a disciple is such that, it becomes unmista...

Jesus gives a lesson in humility. I discovered here that there is no shortage of slippery slopes in life. We all have had opportunities to commit faux pas, or we have tripped on a slippery slope and fallen in front of people and embarrass ourselves beyond words. Not always in the physical sense, because we say: “Gee, I put my foot in my mouth on that one.” Well, many of us have done it! For me, living in another culture, I have quite a few stories which I won’t share. It appears that Jesus was speaking about a situation that most likely would bring us to a slippery slope. The expected outcome is embarrassment, which could be severe than that. You see, He cares about our steps in life and He brings a light ahead of us so that we can see and avoid slippery slopes. One thing I nearly missed was, the fact that Jesus was invited to dinner at the house of a Pharisee leader. This is huge! How many of us can honestly say, they invited to dinner those they don’t see eye to eye? A risk that thi...

What/ how we think, eat or do, can get us sick. I prefer to prevent it. Sad to know that we can contribute to it. I am afraid this was not a choice for the lady in our Gospel today. Her condition that could be best described partly as Osteoporosis, Arthritis or Scoliosis which cause sideways curvature of the spine through spinal instability, vertebral collapse, or joint degeneration. The Bible describes this condition differently from our modern view. It says it was a spirit that had caused it! Not what your typical doctor is likely to say. Now this ancient understanding may sound odd to us, but verse 16 actually emphasizes that it was a bondage to Satan (Spir. Lense.) Jesus came to give us abundant life. He healed/freed her from such Satanic bondage. Jesus saw her pain, bearing this unclean spirit for 18 years! So, being ‘bent over’ is like when carrying burdens so heavy that we can’t stand upright in our inner life. Be in her shoes! You see the ground, no eye contact, no social cues...

You probably know people in your life who were instrumental in helping you become a Christian believer. Mine was Pastor Mitachi. He was Pentecostal (half Congolese & half Tanzanian). He had a wife and six kids and yet welcomed 7 of us in our family. We shared every meal in the evenings. They didn’t have enough for themselves and yet shared what they had. It was the best witnessing of Christian life I had ever been exposed to. It changed me & brought me back to base camp, to regroup & remember God’s goodness. This brings me to ask: How have you experienced the reality of God’s Kingdom? For Abram, the birth of an heir was a big concern, and for Jesus’ disciples, his presence signaled a huge upcoming change that they had yet to understand fully. How about us in our modern world? What is the highest of concerns in our lives? Is it one that consist in making our lives more comfortable? Most likely! The thing is, that’s not actually what the Gospel is advocating for: Our Father’...

On January 2nd 2024, a Japan Airlines jet collided with a coast guard dash 8 aircraft resulting in 5 fatalities. 1 (from the dash 8) survived and everyone else 379 people survived, partly because the passengers listened to crew instructions, resulting in a smooth, efficient emergency evacuation before the whole aircraft was engulfed with flames. I learned something: They did not retrieve their belongings. I would have gone for the overhead bin to retrieve some stuff! It would have wasted precious seconds to let everyone out. This story connected with today’s Gospel for me: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” We love our stuff a lot! So much that we think we are doomed without them. It’s a lesson for all of us that true life and worth are not found in material wealth no matter how our culture insists, but it’s in spiritual values and one’s relationship with God. This leads to seeking a life of purpos...

Lord, teach us to pray! Those are words of Jesus’ disciple. They resonate with us because most of the time, we don’t know how to pray. However, when circumstances in our lives are extreme, we are forced to come out of our shell in desperation and pray. I am sure you have heard the words: We cannot know the strength of our faith until it is tested. It’s a nightmare that parents of victims of Tx floods know something about. I know it’s awful: War came to our door and reality hit. I prayed like I have never prayed before. I saw portraits of courage emerging for the sake of others: People saving other people, going to great length beyond capacity to save others. We also saw people run away from their own families to save themselves. That’s what hit me in today’s Scriptures! I saw what was drawing God’s interest: It is that portrait of courage for the sake of others. Abraham was not advocating for himself; he was passionately advocating for the righteous people of Sodom and Gomorrah. We ar...