Podcast: Jesus is Lord? A sermon by Professor Joerg Rieger.

Two weeks ago we announced the Public Lectures by Professor Joerg Rieger from Perkins School of Theology in Dalas, Texas.

I am delighted to let you know that the lectures went off extremely well! Joerg was not only great, he was better than great! So, to start the ball rolling I am uploading Joerg's great sermon entitled 'Jesus is Lord?'

In this sermon Joerg asks the question, if we say that Jesus is Lord, what do we mean by that? He discusses the concepts the Lordship of Christ from Christian scripture, and considers how notions of power and empire have tainted our understanding of Christ's Lordship. This is an inspiring and challenging message that rings with a note of hope about God's capacity to work in spite of our human frailty.

Podcast sermon 'Jesus is Lord.mp3' 17MB mp3

I'll be uploading the two 1 hour long lectures in the next week or so. So, please come back to the blog for updates.

Please, don't forget to listen to the reflection on the Police raid on the refugees at the Central Methodist Church. Let us remember to keep Bishop Paul Verryn, his congregation, and those persons who are displaced and feeling threatened by this action, within our private and corporate prayers.

This amazing post from Pamela, who was at the Church during the raid, was sent to my blog today. It expresses something of the struggle and sadness of those who have sought shelter in our Churches yet been violated by police action:

I am a Zimbabwean legally in South Africa and it breaks my heart. We have been reduced to beggars. We are constantly referred to as "aliens". In that church there were fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, children who have done nothing wrong but to seek refuge in the house of the Lord. Nothing was being done in secret everyone knew of the existence of Zimbabwean refuges at the Methodist Church. By taking this action the South African Police have shown the stand of the government on the mess that Zimbabwe has been reduced to. They are in denial of the suffering of the people. The church is under a biblical mandate to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. It is a mandate from God and I don't care that the government may not subscribe to the authority of God but I and a whole lot of other people do. What has been done is to stomp upon holy ground rip people out of their place of safety and throw them right back into danger of starvation and potential violence. The state has trespassed big time. Let me address the issue from a language that the state understands. We speak of the Bible they speak of the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. Their supreme document states that Citizens have the right to religion. Christian religion demands shelter and food for those in need. The church was exercising its right under the Constitution, its mandate from God and the urge of any sound human heart to help and the response of the state is to damage property and sanctity. It is a disgrace.

Thanks,

Dion