A message of justice and equality for all

FOR followers of the biblical way, the Christian calendar this week communicates great sacrifice, deep spiritual significance and a restoration of hope.

The church of God remembers and confesses that Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.

Jesus known as the son of God, the Messiah, journeyed into Jerusalem on a donkey all those years ago not only symbolising peace but also embodying peace. Christ showed us an excellent example of peace and his death showed us all to believe in something bigger than ourselves.

Many people around the world started this week with the remembrance of the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. Jesus the son of God riding into the holy city on a borrowed donkey has for centuries inspired a time of reflection and contemplation. Importantly the passivity of Christ must not be misunderstood for silence.

The very presence of Jesus Christ in the midst of Roman imperial rule and oppression sent a prophetic message of justice and equality for all. Martin Luther King jr said true peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.

Christ protested for those who were wronged and exemplified the highest form of humanity through laying his life down for the sake of others.

Through the life and death of Jesus the world witnessed forgiveness, compassion and acceptance.

This week in commemorating the story of the cross we are called to love God, love people, and to love sacrifice.

The call towards holiness at this time therefore is not self-serving or self-empowering, it is for the benefit of others.

To be holy is to live a life of service. The scripture reminds us in Micah 6v8 to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

In this challenging period of Covid-19 the church continues to protest against all forms of injustice and corruption.

We cannot celebrate the Resurrection without the poor, without those who have been wronged, without the weak. Matthew 12v20 reads: “He will not break off a bent reed, nor put out a flickering lamp.

“He will persist until he causes justice to triumph.” Christ would not hurt weak people, he purposed to be kind to people who are not strong for the sake of justice and equality.

Let us protest and think about the many injustices in our communities,

let us think about the community of Mfuleni, let us think about Mozambique. THE REVEREND STEVEN-JOHN BAM | Southfield