One of the exciting things that can happen in any culture is when some truth of the word of God is understood and then expressed in relationship to something else familiar in the culture. That's when you know that people are really getting it, wrestling with the scriptures and the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ and trying to figure out how it intersects with and changes their lives. Jesus Himself taught this way using images and truths familiar to his audience to make his points.
Today at the church we attend in Gaborone, the pastor talked about how chickens are transported from place to place. You tie their feet together and then put them in a box and move them around. He then related the well known fact (well known to them anyways) that when you have arrived at the final destination, you can untie that chicken and it will still just stand there, it does not know that it has been loosed and that it is free, it thinks and acts like it is still bound until you give it a kick or shoo it with your hands and it realizes it is free.
In the same way, the pastor continued, many of us have been dragged down by the sin that has bound us, has held us down, has imprisoned us. But Christ has released us from that bondage. Yet so many of us are stuck, not realizing we are free, not realizing who we now are in Christ. And we remain that way until the Word of God comes along and gives us a kick to show us we are free and what we are capable of in Christ because we remain in Christ.
May we all be moved (or kicked if you like) by the freedom given us so graciously in Christ Jesus, may we be moved to serve in love, helping others, and freely forgiving when wronged as we have been so freely forgiven and loved. Grace & Peace.
PS - prayers requested as Rich travels to meet village chiefs and church leaders in the villages of Kang, Hukuntsi, Lehututu, and Tshane. Prayer for good meetings, helpful dialogue, safe travels, and for Maya and the children remaining in Gaborone. Pray also for wisdom as we make the move to Kang. More to come!