MAY 26, 2008: MEMORIAL DAY HOMILY

In my culture, the dead are very much part of our lives. Even though we grief their passing away, continue to keep their memories fresh in our lives. We do this by giving their names to newly born children in the family; we bury them in our compounds to signify their ever presence with them. Whenever we look at their graves, we remember the time they spent with us and the wonderful influences they had in our lives.

Our celebration of Memorial Day is a reminder of the lives of the many men and women who gave their lives for our freedom. We also remember our loved ones who have died. In many parts of the world today, millions of people are living under political and economic bondage. There are people who are still enslaved today and there are those who have been denied the choice to make decisions for themselves. The government decides for them and usually this is not good for them. We have been so privileged in this country to have freedom. Our freedom did not come easy, it came at a great cost. It came about because many persons in this country decided to offer their whole lives for the service of country. We have our freedom because many men and women chose that fundamental principle “I am my neighbors keeper” and they were ready and willing to die that we might live in freedom. We must respect their generosity to our country. Their actions show the depth of their love for every one of us. Jesus Christ tells us, “no greater love than one has for his friend than to lay down his life for him.” This is what our men and women in the military did in the past for us and are continuing to do for us.

Our freedom is not freedom from God, but it is freedom for God. It should lead us to build a civilization of love around the world. President George Bush told us in 2003, “Freedom is not America’s gift to the world, it is God’s gift to the world.” It is the will of God that everyone in the world should live in freedom and peace. While most times we have to employ our military might to protect ourselves from our enemies or those who wish us harm, it is not always the answer. The answer is building a civilization of love everywhere in the world, so that in all the continents, the people may know the peace and freedom that has been offered by Jesus Christ.

The primary cause of the wars, ethnic violence and unrest in many parts of the world is as a result of poverty, illiteracy and disease. The rich dictators and political Lords in these regions use the most vulnerable members of the society to cause unrest for their own political or economic benefits. In order to live, the poor do all that they are led to do. It is very unfortunate because most of the victims are young people who should be the light into the future of these countries. The insecurity in these regions of the world, affects our own security. No amount of military power will bring us the security that we need. If we can build peace through a civilization of love throughout the world by aggressively ending poverty, disease and illiteracy, we can then enjoy the freedom that Christ has given to us.

Luke 19: 1-10 (Tuesday, November 20, 2007)

Zacchaeus story is an invitation to stretch out to the Lord. He wants to encounter the living God and nothing will stop him from encountering Jesus. He does not let his height stop him; he doesn’t let the crowd stop him; he doesn’t let his riches stop him; he would not let his life of sinfulness stop him. All he wants is to see Jesus. He fought all barriers that would have stopped him from seeing Jesus and he was victorious. The moment he encountered Jesus, he received the gift of salvation. In our own lives too, sometimes we want to see Jesus but we cannot because of certain barriers: disease, family, poverty, wealth, our jobs, sin, etc. Like Zacchaeus, we must keep stretching, keep making efforts and we must overcome all these barriers and proclaim our victory. If we stretch hard enough, we will see Jesus and in his presence there is healing, joy, peace, happiness, and above all, the fullness of love.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, we want to see you. We want to be in your glory. Give us the courage and the power to overcome all that stand our way and prevent us from seeing you.

Luke 4: 16-30 (Monday, September 3, 2007 – Labor Day United States)

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. These words are what we may the mission statement of Jesus. They are his mission plan. This was an important ministry to Jesus and it made him stand in opposition to many, including the political and religious leaders of the time. He lived out these words and gave away his life that we may experience liberation. Jesus invites us Christians to continue this ministry. This challenges us to against injustice in our society. It is not enough that Christians pray against injustice but Christians must work actively to end the reign of injustice, oppression, poverty, captivity, and corruption in our society.

As we celebrate Labor Day, we must as a Christian community apologize to all those who have worked for us that we did not pay them just wages; give them their due benefits or treated them fairly. We cannot fight injustice in the society if we do not first live radically the life of justice in our Christian community. This will mean paying our staff just wages; providing retirement benefits to them if they qualify and give them basic things such as health insurance. Those of you who have employees, you must treat them in that way too.

Prayer:
Lord, help us to be people of justice. We apologize to all those living or dead whom we have treated unfairly in the past. We apologize most especially to our employees living or dead whom we took advantage of and did not pay them just wages or provided benefits that would have significantly improved their lives. We are sorry lord. Help us to do better.