40 Day Journey with Our Neighbors in Solidarity
Week 3: First Lutheran African Ministry, Sioux Falls
Written By: Abraham Gayetaye, SAM/Mission Developer
Isaiah 9:2
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.
Matthew 4:16
the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.”
The people who walked in darkness…
I was born and raised by Christian parents. Morning and evening devotions at home was a daily recipe for living. Enjoyable at times, annoying at most times to any child as it used to be to me and my siblings – 6 boys and a senior girl. The most annoying was early morning devotion before school. Here, you have no option because Dad or Mom wake you up from bed to devotion, then school when you haven’t woken up from sleep. This creates a moment of struggle. The Lord being good, we grew up with it. Though it wasn’t palatable, it helped shape us well. It infused the word of God into us in spite of all resistances. This can be reckoned as a period of walking in darkness. Dad and Mom sacrificed all to teach us God’s Word from childhood. On many fronts I walked my own way trying it all on my own, made scores of mistakes along the line – the period of walking in darkness is absolutely an unsavory period. But the beauty of it all was that I got my baptism early in my childhood – like we proclaimed at baptism “you’re marked with the cross of Christ forever.” This promise continues to play in my life and that of all the baptized. No matter what darkness you’re waking in, the promise is real and its efficacy is not age-bound.
Prayer:
Lord, I thank you for the promise of forgiveness of sin. Me, and all who walked in darkness, you have redeemed. By the act of sacrifice and love you saved the lost.
Show solidarity:
This is possible by reaching out to the marginalized and disadvantaged among us. They’re walking in their own darkness. Yes, they’re all in our community and neighborhood, we pass them daily in the street corners.
