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When grandad is also chief executive – Times LIVE.

St. Mary says to the servants: "Do whatever Jesus tells you!"

Today’s posting of the Lutheran order of the divine service in Zulu and Tswana includes a sermon for the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany written by Rev. E. Mkhabela from Gamalakhe, which is part of the Lutheran Congregation of Ohlangeni near Port Shepstone. The sermon is part of Series III and is on 1.Cor.2,1-10. Read the Zulu sermon here: Zulu Sermon on 1.Cor.2,1-10 for the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany by Rev. E. Mkhabela and the Tswana Sermon here: Tswana Sermon on 1.Cor.2,1-10 for the 2.Sunday after Epiphany by Rev. E. Mkhabela. I preached on the same text this morning at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Arcadia and this sermon is available in German: Predigt am 2 Sonntag n Epi 2011 ueber 1.Kor.2,1-10

F W DE KLERK FOUNDATION CONGRATULATES THE ANC ON ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY

The F W de Klerk Foundation wishes to congratulate the ANC on its 100th anniversary. For the first 82 years of existence the ANC was the principal voice of generations of disenfranchised South Africans who were striving for full political rights and equality. The ANC, together with other prominent political parties, played a leading role in the negotiations that led to the establishment of our present non-racial constitutional democracy.

Since 1994 the ANC has led South Africa through the first critical years of democracy. During this period our country has made heartening progress in many areas:

•    under President Mandela a great deal was done to promote reconciliation and national unity;
•     President Mandela and his successor President Mbeki implemented exemplary macro-economic policies that helped South Africa to achieve 14 years of uninterrupted economic growth;
•     a great deal of good work has been done in providing housing and services to our people;
•    South Africa is once again playing a prominent and constructive role in the international community.

At the same time, the ANC acknowledges that much remains to be done in the areas of education; job creation; the combating of crime and corruption; the improvement of service delivery and the promotion of equality. It will also be important to continue the work that President Mandela began in promoting  national reconciliation and non-racialism.

The Foundation wishes the ANC well in its efforts to address these challenges and in its work to promote the values, rights and vision in our Constitution.

ISSUED BY THE F W DE KLERK FOUNDATION
CAPE TOWN
8 JANUARY 2012

This is a fascinating story of Karl Kuppelwieser, who was born in Austria, trained as a catholic priest and worked as a missionary in the E.Transvaal (Middleburg, Witbank, Bronkhorstspruit) and even Swaziland. It’s about diaconic work amongst the poorest of the poor and always about the question: “How does the Church, the missionary, the christian congregation work most effectively in this world.” Politics in Church and country played significant roles then and now, but also leadership structures, personal relations and fundraising. A good introduction to the issues facing a missionary, but also the church today in South Africa. The influence of Vatican II is obvious and I think it is quite enlightening, how this marked a watershed in the ideas of mission. Even Lutherans can learn a lot from this. Pity it’s not translated into English, but if you can read German and are interested in the workings of mission, then this is worthwhile reading.

10 years after the Book of Concord was published, this Lutheran theologian from Württemberg, who together with Martin Chemnitz and others was principally responsible for editing the Formula of Concord published in 1577 and then the Book of Concord in 1580, died on the 7^th January 1590 and passed from this time into eternity.

He now sees, what he here believed – as surely as our Lord Jesus Christ is faithful and does, what he promises: “”I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”  (Joh 11:25-26 ESV)

Read more about him here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakob_Andreae

African Martyrs of the Holy Scriptures

On the 7th January the Christian Church commemorates the many holy martyrs in North Africa, throughout the provinces of the Roman empire; who, when emperor Diocletian, in either 303 or 304 after Christ, commanded the holy scriptures of the Bible, wherever found, to be burned, chose rather to suffer torments and death than to be accessory to their being destroyed by surrendering them into the hands of the professed enemies of their Author. This is all the more relevant today as the Christians in Nigeria, Egypt, Pakistan etc are suffering persecution by ruthless enemies of the Church and their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ + Lord have mercy on them and us all + Kyrie eleison +

Jesus Christ is the salvation for our sins

There is a lot of work to be done. Whereas we Christians believe that we can only enter the presence of the living God through the forgiveness of our sins (Confession & Absolution at the beginning of the divine service), the ANC still holds to the pagan view that the spirits of the ancestors must be pacified so that their proceedings/celebrations would be blessed by these dead of days gone by. It is abundantly clear that democratization, political independence and economic prosperity do not entail conversion to Christianity per se and do not bring forth the only saving faith in Jesus Christ automatically. The danger in our time is the unwholesome mix of truth and misleading ideology and syncretistic idolatry – and our president is functioning as the most prominent first high priest of this animistic religion.

The living God clarifies in his first commandment to all people of this world: “You shall have no other gods besides me – neither up in the heavens, nor on the ground, nor in the water under the ground. Don’t pray to them and don’t serve them either!” What does that mean? “You are to love, trust and fear God above all things.”

The struggles of Elijah against the false prophets of Baal illustrate the point at stake even today in Bloemfontein. Elijah asks his people: “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” (1Ki 18:21 ESV) We too can’t continue serving the old bygone ways of Africa, which are futile and detrimental, but must follow the new ways of Jesus Christ, who alone brings light, life and truth to this continent and all its people. There is no other way to salvation, to heaven or to the living God – only through faith in Jesus Christ.

St. Paul admonishes the Europeans of yesteryear (i.e. the Corinthians), who were also tempted by such unholy syncretism as is haunting us today: “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” (2Co 6:14-18 ESV) We Christians in South Africa can’t continue serving the old ways and still think we are pleasing Christ our Lord. It is either or! Just as St. Paul writes to the Europeans of that day and age in his first letter to the Thessalonians: “You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1Th 1:9 ESV) – so we too need to be converted, break with the old and move to the new faith. We can’t serve both the dead ancestors and the living God.

In the letter to the Hebrews it is clarified that Jesus Christ brought the only satisfactory sacrifice once and for all. There is no other sacrifice needed to pacify the living God. The blood of goats, sheep, cattle or any other beast can’t wash away sin, can’t grant free passage and can’t bless occasions such as the ceremonies in Bloemfontein. On the contrary, this kind of futile offering and service of the dead, casts a bad spell on the practitioners and their idolatrous plans, schemes and actions. No good can come of it!

The slaughter of beasts – even magnificent bulls – is no longer necessary, yes, it is detrimental and counterproductive as it diminishes the honour of Christ and reaffirms the empty, vain and useless hopes of our pagan forebears, who served their own kin, but did not know Christ. These old and futile ways have past, since Jesus Christ has made everything new – Christmas, Good Friday and Easter – for Africa too. We now live in the time of the Holy Spirit, who was poured out over us in holy Baptism to cleanse us from the filth of the ancient sins and the hopeless clinging to ancestral spirits and other evil spirits of this time and age and has given us a good conscience trusting in Christ’s blood and cleansing alone. We are no longer under the spell or rule of the ancient spirits of this world and age, but under the regiment of the one Holy Spirit, who leads and guides us in all truth of Jesus Christ and his heavenly Father.

President Zuma and his entourage are wrong on this count. They need to repent and turn from the old, condemnable ways of serving the dead to serving the living God in the only way commendable, in faith, hope and love to God alone, in righteousness and holiness serving him alone and obeying his commandments and precepts! It is as we sing every Sunday: “Soli Deo Gloria!” joining in the choirs of the angels and archangels – just as the heavenly hosts were praising God on Christmas there in Bethlehem.

via ANC centenary ritual slaughter begins| News24.

Come and see the child in the manger: The Lord of all and savior of the world +

1. WeZion, vuka manye uyihlabelelele iNkosi, uMsindisi.  Bhek’ inkanyezi yakhe, iyasitshela, ithi: Usefikile yena uMsindisi wezwe, uMthokozisi.

2. Inkazimulo enhle, ihhamba phambi kwethu, siyilandela yona; siyaya, Nkosi Jesu, sikudumise manje. Uzamukele ngomsa lezisipho zethu, ezingelutho.

3. Mawuzamkele, Nkosi, izinhliziyo zethu; okunye asinakho. Sicela, uzigeze; ak’ ukwandise khona okuhle nokulunga. Uvuthele kuzo ukukuthemba.

4. Lelizwi lakho, Jesu, malibe ukukhanya; sihambe kukho njalo, usiqinise ngalo nasekuhluphekeni, nasekulweni kwethu, sihlaliswe yilo, nanxa sesifa.

5. Nkanyezi enhle, khanya laph’ emphlabeni wonke; baguqe bonk’ abantu ezwni likaJesu, bacele ngokwethemba ngaleligama lodwa: bahlangane bonk ngokuthandana. (Incwadi Yokuhlabelela 1992 Nr. 70 Translated by J. Wallin)

A very blessed Holiday of the most holy Epiphany of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ + Many of you will only celebrate this miracle of the Epiphany on Sunday. Here are the propers for the festive celebrations in the divine service with a sermon for this joyous occasion in both Zulu and Tswana.  Find out more here:

Zulu Sermon for 2012 January 6 for the Holiday of Epiphany by Bishop Weber and translated by his father and also

Tswana Sermon for 2012.01.08 Holiday of Epifany by Bishop Weber and translated by his father.

and also the sermon (not the entire order of service) in English: English Sermon on Col.1,24-27 for Epiphany 2012

Divine service in the Lutheran Church

For nearly 150 years the Lutherans from Hermannsburg have proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ in isiZulu. Today theologians like our Rev. Eliot Sithole are working with the United Bible Society of South Africa on the revision of the Bible translation in isiZulu. The Revision of the existing Book of Concord and not only of Luther’s Catechisms is an ongoing project. We have various Lutheran hymnals and probably should aim at the publication of a representative and pan-Lutheran Hymnal for the Zulu speaking regions in Southern Africa. We do however also have various copies of Lutheran Agendas like the “iAgende elincane. Izimiso kokukonza kwebandhla lamaLuthere” by the Hermannsburg mission or the “Incwadi yeAltare” of the Schreuder mission. We need to work on an authoritative version for all Lutherans in the Zulu speaking regions here too. I pray that this work will be successful and help to allow Lutherans to worship the triune God faithfully in harmonious unison, sincere credibility, linguistic beauty and biblical truth on the basis and in the parameters of the Lutheran faith.

Attached please find a basic draft of such an updated Agenda as used by the congregations in the Zulu areas of the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa: Lutheran Agenda in Zulu

Southern Africa archbishop tells Mugabe to end church persecution

(ENInews)–The Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town has called on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to put an end to persecution of the Anglican Church after state police on 3 January broke up the annual prayer retreat of clergy from the Diocese of Harare. Episcopal News Service reports that about 80 diocesan priests were meeting at Peterhouse School in Marondera, capital of Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland East province, when police intervened and halted the gathering, reportedly on the grounds that it had not received official legal clearance. [363 words, ENI-12-0006]