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2023 Lent Devotional: Week 4

Experiencing the Cross with Jesus Christ to Calvary
Luke 23: 26-31

By Rev. Lloyd Nyarota

In this text, Luke 23:26-31, we read about groups of people who are suffering with Jesus on his way to Calvary. These people are not known, they are are at the bottom of the society’s ladder.

First is Simon of Cyrene: This man is believed to had came from Africa to worship in the temple in Jerusalem, most likely an African Jew. Simon is picked in the crowd to carry Jesus’ cross by force just like Jesus was being forced to carry the cross on which he was going to be crucified. Simon is chosen because he looked different from everyone else, he was an African and black. The act of picking on Simon of Cyrene was purely a racist action. This black man is targeted for being black and looking different. Forcing him to carry Jesus Christ’s cross was an act of humiliation, mocking, and degrading. His crime was being an African and looking different. He had not committed any crime, just like Jesus himself whom the crowd was also mocking.

Similar incidences happen to people of color in many situations. We have, in the USA, situations of black men who are beaten, shot and killed just for being black. Even though today we look at Simon of Cyrene with respect and admiration, not many preachers preach the story of Simon of Cyrene as part of humanity’s salvation story. He is usually forgotten, maybe because he was an African man. Overall we do not hear many good stories from Africa being preached about.

Do we do justice to the story of the cross when we tell it without Simon of Cyrene, the only other person besides Jesus himself to carry that cross of salvation?

The second group is made up of women who are mourning for Jesus. This is a group that is affirming their love for Jesus at a time when the majority were mocking, beating, and pushing Jesus towards execution.

At this hour in time, all of Jesus’ male disciples had run away and abandoned their master, but we see a group of women who are affirming their love for Christ. When others had disaffiliated from Christ and left him, there were brave women who could not leave him despite the dangers of being known as his follower. We also learn that Jesus could not resist their love for him. In the midst of suffering Jesus took time to address them. Jesus acknowledged and affirmed them as his most faithful followers during his journey to the crucifixion.

These two examples show us who is usually there when the church is going through trying times. Those with power, authority, and control were focused on protecting their positions of power and influence which led to the accusation, trial, and sentencing of Jesus to death.

There were those of insignificant relevance who stepped into the suffering shoes of Jesus. As we journey in this season in our church of divisions, misinformation, bad mouthing the ministry of the United Methodist Church by people who have influence, power, and control. We believe God will raise more people like Simon of Cyrene to step up and help Jesus carry the cross towards calvary.

As I read the news and follow social media posts I read about women who are weeping and wailing as they experience the pain of seeing their churches being ripped apart, being broken into pieces, and snatched away from them by the disaffiliation votes. There are stories of some who have gathered courage and started new congregations. May we also learn from these stories, take courage, and build the church we seek together.

You make our collective work possible by your witness for justice every day in your church, community, and Annual Conference. MFSA does not receive any financial support from the United Methodist Church's giving channels. 100% of our budget is funded through your membership dues and your generosity in giving.

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Rev. Lloyd Tichaenda Nyarota

An Ordained Elder in the Zimbabwe East Conference. Started Ministry as a Lay pastor in 1989, ordained deacon in 1995 and elder in 1997. Served several appointments in Zimbabwe in the local churches, Districts, Conference and Episcopal Area responsibilities. Former Secretary General of the Africa Central Conference. Served as part-time, Africa grassroots organizer for GBCS 2012-2015.

Have travelled on church missions across Africa, the Philippines, Norway and was to Israel and Palestine occupied territories on a fact-finding mission for United Methodist Kairos Response. Have engaged in Mission work across Zimbabwe with several conferences and congregations from across the USA. Currently in Canada as spouse of Rev. Tazvionepi Nyarota, a GBGM missionary, where Lloyd is serving an ecumenical appointment with The United Church of Canada on a shared ministry appointment at St. John's United Anglican Church in Northern Alberta.

Have written a book: Religious leaders in National Political Conflicts Lloyd has also written several articles contributing to the debate in The United Methodist Church. A two-time graduate of Africa University with a Bachelor of Divinity and a Master in Peace, leadership and Governance. Lloyd is and Team leader of the Central Conferences Outreach Team, the writers, and promoters of the Christmas Covenant legislation to General Conference. He is advisor and consultant to the United Methodist Africa Forum. Ph.D. Student with MF, Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society.

Webinar APARTHEID-FREE COMMUNITIES:

Exposing and Rejecting Israeli Apartheid, Occupation and Settler-Colonialism

Wednesday, 15 March 2023

9am PT, 10am MT, 11am CT, 12pm ET (US, Canada) / 4pm GMT / 7pm Palestine

PLEASE NOTE: this webinar starts one hour earlier than our usual time.

The international human rights community agrees:

Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian people amounts to apartheid.

In the first two months of 2023, we have seen the current Israeli regime horrifically doubling down on the brutal oppression of Palestinians. World powers are doing nothing to curb this frightening escalation.

Nevertheless, citizens of the world are standing up to expose and reject Israeli apartheid and to put their words of opposition into action. Apartheid-Free Communities (AFC) is a bold new campaign being organized this year by many faith-based and civil society partners.

In this webinar, we will learn from an exceptional panel the inescapable reality of Israeli apartheid and how it works today, both inside Israel and in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

We will also learn about concrete steps we can take now to become part of the solution.

Join us for this unique briefing on current apartheid realities in Palestine/Israel and the newly emerging collective action to reject and dismantle Israel apartheid.

OUR SPEAKERS

New webinar speaker! Omar Shakir, author of the groundbreaking Human Rights Watch report on Israeli apartheid.

AIDA TOUMA-SLIMAN has been a Palestinian member of the Israeli Knesset since 2015, representing the political party Hadash-Ta'al. She has chaired the Knesset's Standing Committee on Women and Gender Equality. Aida is a leading activist for feminist causes and the founder and past head of the Arab feminist group, Women Against Violence. Born in Nazareth, Touma-Sliman was previously the editor in chief of the newspaper Al-Ittihad. She is frequently featured in reporting by news outlets around the world.

DOV BAUM is the director of Economic Activism Program at American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). She is an Israeli citizen who refused to do mandatory service in the Israeli military. Dov is also a feminist activist and scholar who has taught about militarism and the global economy from a feminist perspective in Israeli and U.S. universities. She co-founded Who Profits from the Occupation and the Coalition of Women for Peace in Israel, and she has been active with numerous groups in the Israeli anti-occupation and democracy movement, including Boycott from Within, Zochrot, and Women in Black.

Stop Israeli Settlement Expansion

"While the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) recently issued a statement opposing Israel's settlement activity, settlement expansion and infrastructure development continue unabated on the ground. A prime example is the January 2023 announcement of land confiscation orders on 207 dunams (50 acres) of Palestinian land in the West Bank village of Wadi Foquin (Fukin).

Help us protect land and life in Wadi Foquin and the West Bank.

We call on the State Department, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and President Joe Biden to end U.S. complicity in land destruction and annexation in Wadi Foquin and throughout the West Bank by stopping aid to the Israeli government until these actions are halted."

Sign the Petition

Webinars: Learn more about Developments in Africa for the Future of the UMC!

There are a couple of exciting developments in The UMC that are hopeful and will strengthen relationships across our connection and foster unity for The United Methodist Church in Africa.

The Western Methodist Justice Movement and United Methodist Africa Forum (UMAF) will host online gatherings via Zoom to raise awareness about these exciting developments. This will be an opportunity for United Methodists across the connection to hear about, and support, the work being led by those in Africa and other central conferences.

Join on these dates:

Wednesday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time and/or Sunday, March 19 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific time.
Register here.

March 20 at 12 noon Central, 1 pm Eastern and March 22 at 7 pm Central, 8 pm Eastern.
Register here.

United Methodist Africa Forum (UMAF), is a new group from across the African continent dedicated to promoting unity and the future of The United Methodist Church in Africa. UMAF exists to promote African values, and to support mission and ministry within the African context while strengthening connectional relations across the UMC. UMAF supports regionalization as expressed in the Christmas Covenant legislation.
For more information, go to the UMAF website: www.umcafricaforum.org

The Christmas Covenant is a proposed set of legislation that transforms the current seven central conferences into seven regional conferences and creates a new U.S. Regional Conference. If passed and its constitutional amendments ratified, it would allow all regional conferences to adopt policies and design ministries for their unique missional contexts. This strong regionalization also works towards decolonizing the UMC by establishing structural parity throughout the global church. The Christmas Covenant came from Central Conference United Methodists outside the US.
For more information, go to the website: www.christmascovenant.com