Blog & Pastor Letters

There is the story of a couple in an African village that was attacked in the middle of the night by bandits. They knocked on the door of their single room apartment and woke them. Both realized that there was a problem that needed an immediate solution. In the confusion, the man embraced his wife and said to her in a lovely voice, "I know you have always loved me. Even now I know you do. Please, go to the door and answer whoever is knocking." From outside they could hear the bandits yelling for the door to be opened. The wife responded, "But you are the man, you said you love me. Why not go to the door and see who is there?" After a few arguments between them, the frightened wife took a small number of steps toward the door while the man dove under the bed. The remaining story is better imagined than talked about. The man was caught off guard by this event.

Parents must contend with questions from their children. The questions they ask are as innocent as the children appear. They want to know where the sun comes from, who made the earth, or where do babies come from. Parents do not set out to blame their children for asking such questions. Rather, they try to satisfy their curiosity at their level. The parents' explanations help them understand their world. As they gain more knowledge of the world, they add up what parents have told them and compare it to what is real to them. If these do not match, they argue about what you told them. From the earliest stages of growth, it is good to teach our children truths. This enables them to learn what is right from what is wrong.

We begin a new journey to the core of the zenith in our Lenten period: The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. It was indeed a triumphant entry. The people sang his praises, women laid their clothes on the ground while he rode on a donkey and palm branches were waved at him with some singing. Although we call it Palm Sunday, the proper name should be Passion Sunday, the beginning of the Lord's passion to his death on the hill of Golgotha.

In the first reading, Isaiah says, "The Lord is my help; therefore, I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame." Jesus is about to suffer what the prophets predicted about the messiah, the holy one of Israel. The close friends of Jesus, who ate with him and enjoyed countless miracles from him, are about to betray him. But God did not forsake him.

We begin a new journey to the core of the zenith in our Lenten period: The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. It was indeed a triumphant entry. The people sang his praises, women laid their clothes on the ground while he rode on a donkey and palm branches were waved at him with some singing. Although we call it Palm Sunday, the proper name should be Passion Sunday, the beginning of the Lord’s passion to his death on the hill of Golgotha.  

In the first reading, Isaiah says, “The Lord is my help; therefore, I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.” Jesus is about to suffer what the prophets predicted about the messiah, the holy one of Israel. The close friends of Jesus, who ate with him and enjoyed countless miracles from him, are about to betray him. But God did not forsake him.  

As we inch closer to the celebration of Easter, we reflect on the death of Lazarus, the brother of two prominent biblical figures, Martha and Mary. The gospel tells us that Lazarus, from Bethany, was ill and eventually died. It was painful for the two sisters to lose an only brother. Death is part of being human but painful. Jesus arrived in Bethany four days after the death of Lazarus, to sympathize with the family for their loss. The agony, the pain of loss and the tears had not eased when Jesus arrived with his disciples. Everybody thought that Jesus would do the usual -- empathize with them. But he went out of his way to do the unusual, open the grave of the dead man.

I grew up in the rural part of Nigeria where the food is organic, and the air is unpolluted. I grew up knowing how to interpret the weather and predict what the outcome could be. Weather forecasting by television was absent so I relied on my instincts and guts to avoid a thunderstorm and by safe. When I saw dark clouds from the east, rain would probably fall. If there was a big rainbow crisscrossing the skies from north to south shining out of the clouds, possibly the rain wouldn't fall. I knew what a thunderstorm and lightning could do to a tender body like mine, so I was told to run to safety to escape a strike.

Americans love their food and they love it fast. The fast food industry is one of the most successful enterprises in modern history because when people want their meal, they want it now. Many hungry people cannot tolerate delays. As they rush to grab their food, that is how they rush to the next function. It has become the norm to order a meal and it is delivered in a short period. A family can order pizzas or hamburgers, and everybody is happy munching and watching a movie. There are instances when patrons at a fast food joint line up at the end of long lines. When they eventually get a chance to order their meal and it is not served quickly, they flare up. Moses lost his patience in the desert of Egypt because he oversaw many people who were hungry and angry, and he could not keep them from going astray.

Long before God called Abraham, he was an uprightman. God told him to leave his father’s house for aland he knew nothing about. The Book of Genesistells us that God commanded him to leave Ur of theChaldeans for Canaan and begin a new life. Not onlythat, God promised to make Abraham’s name great;bless him in all his ways, curse those who cursedhim, and make all the communities of the earth blesshis name as the father of many nations. The name ofAbram therefore changed to Abraham to representhis new status, and the seal of the covenant with Yahweh.

One of the inspirational quotes I love from Pope Francis is about confession. He said, "The confessional is not a torture chamber, but the place in which the Lord's mercy motivates us to do better." I find this quote inspirational because the season of Lent is not a period of torture or humiliation but that of reflection about God's Mercy. The "Day of Ashes" Ash Wednesday is also known, reminds us of our nothingness before God who is the creator of the world and ruler of all.

The story of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis chapters 2 and 3 illustrates the gross disobedience of our first parents. God clearly instructs them not to eat of the forbidden tree, but Adam and Eve defied God and disrespected his commands and ate of it. Their action became a negation of God's desire for them to live solely under his rule. Their action introduces the concept of sin in the world. Since Adam and Eve chose to follow their will, they knew instantly that they were "naked" a symbolism for loss of innocence, self-worth, and a self-realization of unworthiness.

According to the introductory lines of the Open Doors Report (2016) titled Freedom of Religion and the Persecution of Christians, ‘the persecution of Christians is getting worse –in every region in which we work –and It is getting worse fast.” The analysis of this statement shows that religious extremism is becoming worse in the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Central Asia. And North Korea is the worst place to be a Christian. By far, the report indicates that the rise of Islamic extremism in sub-Saharan Africa dwarfs when compared to the violence in the Middle East. The persecution of Christians from across the world is fueled by factors such as Islamic extremism, religious nationalism, tribal antagonism, denominational protectionism, communist oppression, aggressive secularism, organized corruption, and totalitarian paranoia.

Jack Myers' The Future of Men: Masculinity in the Twenty-First Century (2016) is a good read for building healthy relationships between men and women. The concept of gender war has caused untold pain to men and women of every generation. Instead of making life meaningful we seek greedy living that further confuses our values of what life is all about. Nonetheless there is nothing new under the sun (Read Eccl. 1:9) and it is amazing how human societies have evolved. For instance, the concept of urban or rural living suggests greater cooperation between the genders in building peaceful societies as compared to lawless republics. One thing is sure; the survival of humans on the face of the earth depends on their ability to respect their laws.

The Greek sage Aristotle once said, "Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime." I reflected on these words for a few days and I found sense in his words. I read more witty quotes from the life of Jesus. The public ministry of Jesus unveiled his mission and vision to the people of Israel. With no contact with the people, Jesus could not have displayed such altruism in dealing with the issues of those he met. Yet, through his daily contact with the ordinary people he demonstrated his inner love for them. He was able to match words with action, and the people could relate with him because they needed a simple man with simple answers to their complex problems.

In my few years in this country, I often get touched by narratives of parents talking about their children. The byline I often hear is, "My kid is a good kid." When a parent talks about their child this way, it reflects the approach to family upbringing. I'm touched the most when I see a grandparent relating with their grandchildren as they just walk together as friends. It is soothing for both children and grandparents. Coming from an extended family myself in Africa, I reminisce how I relied on my grandparents to learn the hard lessons of life.

Although we always disagreed on many issues, they used their better judgment to guide me and to show me all about life and what the future could be. When I look back at some of my interactions with them, I can only praise their sense of judgment, patience and love for me; a child without experience.