These two texts were shared by friends on the occasion of South Sudan's independence. The first was shared by Rev. Paul during prayers at the church on the eve of independence. The second was shared by Roger S. during the independence day celebrations.
Acts 28: 1-6
Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
Honestly when the text was read, I wasn't sure where Rev. Paul was going to go with it. He shared that South Sudan was finally going to be independent after many many years of war and trials. He said that South Sudan has survived the shipwreck, but now even with independence there was still a snake. He called men and women of South Sudan to shake off the snake. Shake off poverty. Shake of disease and sickness. Shake of hunger. Shake off a lack of education. Shake off all the things that will continue to attack South Sudan even now that it is an independent nation. I wish you all could have seen the congregation joining Paul as they all swung their arms to shake off the snakes attacking South Sudan.
Job 14:7-9
“At least there is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its new shoots will not fail.
Its roots may grow old in the ground
and its stump die in the soil,
yet at the scent of water it will bud
and put forth shoots like a plant."
Roger has a long history with South Sudan. He was living in South Sudan as a child in the 1950's for Sudan's independence. He was too young to remember that day, but his parents told him it was a day of apprehension for Sudan. He lived in Mundri for many years, learning the local language, planting gardens, and even marrying a Moru woman. He now lives in Nairobi with his family, but was welcomed back to share on this occasion.
Roger said that the first independence for Sudan was a day of apprehension, but that this day, independence day for South Sudan was a day of joy!
In coming back to Mundri, he visited a piece of land that once was his garden. Many teak trees he planted had been cut down. As he looked closely though, he saw a new shoot growing out of the old stump. That new shoot would not be like a tree grown from a seed but would benefit from the roots from tree that had been cut down. He said that July 9th, 2011, South Sudan's independence day, was like the scent of water for the new nation and that new shoots would grow up from the trees that had been cut down. South Sudan has a foundation to build on and will be stronger for it.
Roger was pouring forth wisdom during his entire speech. Karen and I were quickly trying to scribble down notes. He shared a lot more, so keep your eyes open on our blogs for more wisdom from Roger.
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