Tunawesmake:
Yes We Can! - Change
“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
-2 Corinthians
3:18.
There has been so much
talk of change lately. As the entire world watched enviously, Americans were
recently told, “Yes we can! Yes, we can change!” and Kenya is currently being
told, “Tunawesmake!”
Meaning, “We can make
it!” All political parties are promising
change. Now, regardless of which presidential candidate one will vote for, we
will all be waiting to see what change the next five years will actually hold
I wonder though, What if all the promises of change that politicians make
were to be fulfilled? What then? Would this world really be so different
than it is today? All this talk of change reminds me of a young Macedonian king
who stormed across Asia in the fourth century B.C. With 30,000 warriors,
Alexander blazed a trail of victorious battles from Asia Minor to North Africa
and beyond the Khyber Pass onto the plains of India. Before he died at the age
of 32, Alexander had expanded his realm of influence to an unprecedented
breadth. Remnants of his culture and language remained long after his death, continuing
to hold their influence even to this day.
Through the centuries Alexander has been remembered as The Great, yet by
at least one measure his legacy turned out to be greatly exaggerated in my
opinion. Following his death, his kingdom was torn apart more rapidly than the
amount of time it took him to establish it. In other words, he gave the world a
culture and language but no kingdom. He was the ancient equivalent of an
entrepreneur who builds a business empire that disintegrates in the months following
his own retirement or death. Or, we might compare Alexander to a gifted
communicator whose congregation scatters to the wind soon after he leaves for
another post.
His name was known and
revered across the earth, yet souls were untouched. For Alexander, this was an
intentional decision. He prided himself on leaving his subjects alone to cling
to their own idols and keep their private little kingdoms intact. He demanded
almost no taxes from his conquered subjects, once even saying, “I hate the
gardener who cuts to the root the vegetables of which he ought to cull the leaves.”
In other words, Alexander anticipated reaping a harvest without paying much attention to the roots.
In other words, Alexander anticipated reaping a harvest without paying much attention to the roots.
Yes We Can! - Real Change
Another king was born about three centuries
after Alexander’s megastar legacy was enshrined across Greek speaking Asia. As
a small child, Jesus may have even scampered through the alleys of Alexandria,
the great Mediterranean coastal city Alexander had marked out and ordered built
on the north coast of Egypt. This was the second largest city on earth at the
time, and home to the greatest population of Jews outside of Palestine. Whether
Jesus ever stepped foot in Alexandria or not, he lived his entire 33 years in
the windblown ashes of Alexander’s conquests.
As he grew up, Jesus must have pondered the
emergence of his own kingdom. He too, would lead warriors over deserts,
mountain passes and onto distant shores. But his realm would be so much deeper.
He had no intention of forming a paper thin kingdom that would breeze across
nations only to shrivel up and evaporate, leaving a somewhat hollow shroud of
rituals, religious verbiage and Tuesday night bingo tournaments.
Jesus was a radical. The word radical is defined as “arising from, or going to the root, or source.” Ah, the audacity of Jesus! His kingdom would be pervasive. Beginning with the soul, he would then conquer hearts, minds, bodies, passions and possessions. His kingdom would indeed cut to the roots, setting humanity free, permeating and ruling over all of the cosmos. Jesus was no doubt aware of Alexander’s words about the zealous gardener when he said, “I am the true vine and my Father is the Gardener. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away; and every branch that bears fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit … He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Speaking for the Gardener that Alexander had claimed to disdain, Jesus then boldly proclaimed that any tumbleweed who does not abide in him would wither up and be hurled into a fire.
I am reminded of my good friend Suji, who was born in the remote Kenyan village of Bukura. When Suji was eight years old, his father died. His mother had little money and could no longer afford to raise her children. Following the funeral, Suji, his three younger sisters and baby brother were taken away to live with different families. Suji’s childhood became a cauldron of painful memories, rejection, loneliness and hopelessness. He spent some time at a local orphanage in Kayole, and then it suddenly closed. He ended up sleeping on the streets, surviving with the occasional help of a motorcycle mechanic. A lost soul, Suji began to get involved in gangs and selling drugs. At this point in Suji’s life, all the words, rhetoric, maneuvering, welfare programs, conservatism, liberalism, promises and political philosophies on earth had no chance of ever helping him.
Jesus was a radical. The word radical is defined as “arising from, or going to the root, or source.” Ah, the audacity of Jesus! His kingdom would be pervasive. Beginning with the soul, he would then conquer hearts, minds, bodies, passions and possessions. His kingdom would indeed cut to the roots, setting humanity free, permeating and ruling over all of the cosmos. Jesus was no doubt aware of Alexander’s words about the zealous gardener when he said, “I am the true vine and my Father is the Gardener. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away; and every branch that bears fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit … He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Speaking for the Gardener that Alexander had claimed to disdain, Jesus then boldly proclaimed that any tumbleweed who does not abide in him would wither up and be hurled into a fire.
I am reminded of my good friend Suji, who was born in the remote Kenyan village of Bukura. When Suji was eight years old, his father died. His mother had little money and could no longer afford to raise her children. Following the funeral, Suji, his three younger sisters and baby brother were taken away to live with different families. Suji’s childhood became a cauldron of painful memories, rejection, loneliness and hopelessness. He spent some time at a local orphanage in Kayole, and then it suddenly closed. He ended up sleeping on the streets, surviving with the occasional help of a motorcycle mechanic. A lost soul, Suji began to get involved in gangs and selling drugs. At this point in Suji’s life, all the words, rhetoric, maneuvering, welfare programs, conservatism, liberalism, promises and political philosophies on earth had no chance of ever helping him.
Just like all of us, Suji desperately needed
something much deeper.
In this moment of desperation, Suji was invited
by a family to stay with them in their home. There he encountered even more
than a place to sleep, safety, schooling, and three meals a day. He encountered
the living God. Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has
gone, the new has come!” From the inside out, Suji began to experience
transformation. As a teenager, he was filled to overflowing with the fruits of
the Spirit. Reborn, his life was awakened, activated and unleashed. Suji began
to dream of a future serving others, of winning souls, and of advancing God’s
kingdom. Today, Suji is in his last semester towards completing his Master’s
degree in Theology abroad. Now working as a missionary teacher, he has returned
back to his own village, the original location where his mother still lives.
There, where there is no school, he is in the process mobilizing resources to
start building a new Christian school.
Rebirth. Life. Transformation. Redemption.
Awakening. Hope … and yes, change.
“Yes, he can! Yes, HE can change the world!”
When seen in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, how these words sizzle and
leap in our hearts! They represent what we are so passionate about. They drive
us to our knees, burn in our hearts and motivate us to persevere.
“God, continue to work in and through your
people. Bring hope and transformation into the lives of children and teenagers,
setting them free to rise up and honor you with redeemed souls and transformed
lives.”
In his service, with YOUth in Mind
Bantu Moses
Bantu is a student at
St. Paul’s University, studying Divinity. He is also a trained youth worker and
the Founder of The Urban Hope Project;
an outreach ministry that works with young people in schools, children homes
and streets; preaching Jesus Christ, sharing practical love and rekindling
hope.
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