Cross thoughts: Christian ideas seen in Sudanese every day life.
An anniversary is a date when people celebrate something important that has happened in a previous year. These pictures remind me of teaching at a pastors’ conference in Bahri, preaching to young people in Arabic ministries near Suk 2 Khartoum, and taking a service in Fittihab ECS. All three events were in the last century!
The month of May in recent years holds many sad memories for Sudanese people.
It is the anniversary of:
North fighting a war with Southerners in Abyei, over oil, in 2008.
North occupying Abyei, a then disputed border region, 2011.
Sudan pledging to pull out and resume bilateral talks on Abyei, in 2012.
Conflict between Southerners displacing over 1million people and forcing 5 million (almost entirely Southerners) on to humanitarian aid in order to live, in 2014.
Only GOD KNOWS what is going to happen in Sudan and South Sudan during 2015. (I write this 13/04/15).
Let’s pray for a just peace to come.
When Joshua erected a memorial of twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan river at the very first campsite they made in the promised land, it was to act like an anniversary. In following years, every time people saw it they were to remember what God had done drying up the river until everybody had safely crossed. (See Joshua 3:14-4:13).
Christians regularly remember the human body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ when celebrating Communion (the Lord’s Table/Supper/the Eucharist). (See 1 Corinthians 11:24-25). He sacrificed Himself to get into the position where He could be the Saviour of the world. It is a ‘bloody’ feast, but it is His pure sinless blood that makes it effective. Only Jesus is Mediator between humans and God. He is God’s appointed Way.
What anniversaries or memorials, will you think of this month? A touched wedding ring may remind you of loving promises. Eaten bread and wine do show eternal salvation.
A national and international peace accord will surely mean a lot when it is reached? So,
“We pray for all in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Saviour”, Part of 1 Timothy 2:1-6.
And we keep on doing what good we can.
May 2015.
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