David Bahn – Reflections

My Podcast is on hold this week. You can listen to past podcasts here, including the sermon I preached at Angaza Igoma Lutheran Church in Mwanza, Tanzania

John 17:20-26

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Everyone. Every Day. Everywhere. 

This is the theme for our four-day conference here in Tanzania. We want to be Together in Mission. This is nothing new. From the earliest days of the church we see this idea. Ministry is not just for the Apostles. The first Christian martyr (!) was one chosen to wait tables. A great persecution broke out against the Christians and everyone was scattered except the Apostles. And those who were scattered (not the Apostles) preached the word wherever they went (Acts 8:1-4).

Our Christian faith is not a one-day-a-week thing. It is not a slice of the pie Our Christian faith is the sum and substance of true life. We live and move and breathe in God. The gospel message is not for only certain people to believe or to share. It reaches far beyond the church walls. It is all of life.

This morning I provided a review of our first two years’ teachings. After I had gone through the material, I realized that we had more time left than we had planned for. Diane and Heavenlight Mono (Pastor Daniel Mono’s wife) took the women for a time of reconnecting. The men were to reflect on their applications of the last year’s teachings in their own contexts. We had at least 15 minutes more time for that than we had planned for.

I was quite concerned whether I had made the connections in any meaningful way for them. We asked them to gather in their collegial groups for discussions. Corresponding to the teachings of last year’s conference, the two questions:

1. What was the most difficult change you made last year?
2. What was the most rewarding change you made last year?

When the time came for their reports, I was so pleased to learn that each had truly engaged and applied the teachings they had learned last year. Reports of new church starts, new ministries instituted, new attitudes cultivated, and challenges faced. I was also pleased that I could offer some probing questions based on their reports as well as offer some insights based on my experiences that would translate to their contexts.

Some of the issues they face may seem quite simple. How do you get meetings to start on time? Answer: The best way to make sure you don’t start on time is to wait for everyone to arrive before you begin. We must honor those who come on time, and so must those who are not on time. How to give leadership to younger people? Another way to ask it, How do you get long-term leaders to turn loose of the reins so others can help shape the church’s ministry? That requires a different attitude on the part of the leaders. Rather than thinking of leadership as a privileged position, we must teach them to view their leadership as a position of service. They can help by recruiting and training other leaders. There were other very encouraging reports.

In all honesty, I needed this encouragement. Getting to Tanzania is no easy task. Once we arrived it was an overnight stay at Kilimanjaro, and another plane ride to Mwanza. After two nights there we came to Sengerema which involved a ferry ride and travel over some pretty rough roads. The beds are not like home. We are challenged on those levels. I was wondering if it was worth it to travel all this way. So when I saw the pastors and spouses really engaging in the questions, I realized it is worth it. And truly, it’s not that big of a sacrifice. Satan would want me to think it is. But that’s a lie, and I reject that notion.

I hope this doesn’t sound like a pity party. It is, rather, a simple recognition that there are challenges to what we are doing, but they are not insurmountable. And there are many more blessings than challenges. I thank God for the opportunity to be here and pray that this first day is a portent of things to come.

NOTE: Diane and I are in Tanzania, teaching pastors and their spouses about discipleship (following Jesus). If you want to track our experiences in Tanzania, you can check my Smugmug photo website. I’ll include photos there throughout the week.