Joining those who are stripped of their power.

Luk 4:1-13  Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread."  Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"   Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'" Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"  When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

 

This has been a week that has dis-empowered women: this was the week in which Reeva Steenkamp, was shot four times on the morning of Valentine's Day; a week in which a policeman in Koster (North West) shot and wounded his wife before killing himself; this was the week that we mourned the gang-rape and murder of Aneen Booysen,

Jesus came to our world to speak about power.

But this is not the power one has when dependent poor people flock to you to be fed from your largesse; it is not the aura of a powerful political ruler when all bow before you; and it is not that of a worker of powerful magic that attracts gullible crowds. This is not the power that comes from getting on top of other people; and this is never the power that comes from “making a name for myself”. Instead this is the power that prompts us to sit alongside the weak, and the hungry, and suffering – and give them courage for life. This is the power to have compassion for the little people, and the forgotten people, and those who are abused and raped.

This was the week that we began Lent: a time when we mark ourselves with ashes to show our solidarity with those who sit in ashes. It is a week when we voluntarily take on a symbol of suffering through fasting. This was also the week where women asked us to show solidarity with those who are raped and abused through a campaign called ‘Thursdays in Black – Towards a world without rape and violence’.

It is time for us all to invoke the power of God to join the victims in their grief;  to assist victims to get back on their feet; and to work for a society that takes power away from bullies, and violent men, and all who seek to crush the life out of the weak. I will join the Thursdays in Black campaign as my commitment for Lent. And I will commitment my time, effort and power to protecting the weak and the powerless.

So does God care?

Yesterday I described how Dianne Worringham, Mark Duncan and myself were running down Alexander Road extension, when we came across an accident: a drunk driver had driven into a runner out training in the early morning and killed him.

Does God care about this?

see my reflection on this at www.rockinthought.blogspot.com

Lost for Words

This morning at 8am a drunk driver drove into runners out training and killed one of them. We were running the same road, probably fifteen minutes behind them.  Running with Mark and Diane, we came across the scene – a car that had driven up an embankment and rolled; a bloodied driver sitting on the pavement; and a distraught runner repeating over and over again that “he has been cut in half”.

I experienced a range of emotions – and have not yet worked them all out.

·         I was grateful that we had not been 15 minutes earlier in our run. It could have been us!

·         I was/am still angry that someone can be under the influence of alcohol at 8am in the morning....

·          and even angrier that this person should choose to drive a car. Driving after drinking seems to be part of our culture.  Men do not even blink when they pick up their car keys after a few drinks. Even more disturbing is the fact that the people around such a person do not protest or stop him.

Once again I state my case: I am opposed to mixing alcohol and motor vehicles. Anyone driving on the road should not drink at all. It is as simple as that. I drive sober. Period.

I pray for the family who have lost someone they have loved – because another person chose to impair his driving skills with alcohol.

Ignorance is Bliss

So I was stalked this week!

I was walking down Boom Street in Pietermaritzburg heading for Pieter Kerchoff Street, quietly minding my own business. Unbeknown to me I was being followed by two men who were discussing the contents of the sling bag I carry over my shoulder.  They speculated aloud whether I was carrying a camera, or if there were other valuable things inside it.  I, unaware of this conversation, reached the travel agent I was seeking and entered the building. We all went on our way having missed the moment that we might have met each other in an unfortunate encounter.

I only know this because our Seminary caretaker was walking down the same road behind the two men, listening to their conversation. He was wondering how he could intervene to prevent anything happening. He too went on his way, relieved that the moment had passed.

Musicals

I grew up loving musicals. My first memory is of Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke singing in the musical film Mary Poppins. This was followed by Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, and Julie Christie and Christopher Plummer in The Sound of Music, a host of singing stars in Oliver, and the catchy songs from the Jungle Book. My coming of age memories were deeply shaped by the Rocky Horror Picture Show, John Travolta and Olivia-Newton John in Grease, and Neil Diamond in the Jazz Singer. With the arrival of my children I have happily sung my way through the songs from the Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and a host of other Disney movies.

My love of musical movies was supplanted by a love of musical stage productions. Because of South Africa’s apartheid-isolation from international arts, we had to be content with hearing recordings of the musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice rather than seeing them.  I learned the words for Joseph, for Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Phantom of the Opera. In 1984 Jenny and I visited London, and were blown away by the live stage performance of Evita, followed a few nights later by Cats. We were hooked on live musicals – and as South Africa opened up to musicals we have enjoyed everything from Chicago to David Kramer’s District Six. But my all time favourite is Les Misérables.

Les Misérables , first published as a Victor Hugo historical novel in 1862, is a reflection on the tension in live between Grace and Law. My friend Alan Brews bought Jenny and me tickets to see it in Cape Town, and we were deeply moved by its message of hope in the love of God. I was privileged to see it again in New York with my friends Charmaine Morgan and Sidwell Mokgothu. Again I was moved to tears. Now it has come out as a musical film, and I intend seeing it. Will keep you posted.       

 

PS: I am intrigued to discover that the lyricist for the English-language musical adaptation is South African born Herbert Kretzmer. Born in Kroonstad in 1925 of Lithuanian Jewish immigrants William and Tilly Kretzmer, he left South Africa to become a journalist and theatre critic in London. He turned the original French words into the English version that – as of the end of 2012 - has become the longest running musical in the West End.

Breakfast Ride

There were 16 bikes and an open road. Need I say any more?

The club is called 100s - as in "how is it going?" "I am hundreds". This is local slang for "everything is just great". And that was the mood this morning. It poured with rain last night, with storm warnings for today. But we set out in relatively clear weather, and had a dry day. The club insists on three rules: wear a reflective jacket, ride in formation, and no drinking and driving. This suits me because it makes for safer riding, and less stress when there are a whole lot of bikes around me on the road.

We headed for Scottburgh for breakfast. And took the back road/off highway road. Not only was it a great ride, but I got to meet some great people. I am just hundreds today.

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Thundered into Submission

Mark Duncan & Pete Grassow

Last night I was washed away.

A text message from my friend Mark initiated the episode: “Pick you up at 5:15 to run the time trial”. This is a weekly meeting of our running club where we either run a fast 4km or 8km over a measured (and timed) route. It is intended to keep us sharp, and to improve our speed. Usually it is my reminder of how the passing of the years has slowed my legs, so I did not go often in 2012. But this is a new year, and time for new resolutions. Mark and I have committed ourselves to being at the weekly time trial for 2013.

Yesterday saw a gradual building of an enormous thunderstorm, and by mid-afternoon lightning and thunder swirled over Pietermaritzburg.  When the text popped into my in-box I had hoped it would say something like – “Let us skip this afternoon” but instead he added “Be prepared to get wet”. Mark is a hard core runner! Because I was not about to be outdone by him, I waited dutifully at my gate at 5:15 ... in the rain. We drove to the run with mark cheerfully reassuring me that the rain was stopping.

Six of us arrived to run. A few more arrived, declaring that they were not running – one of whom is the top female runner in the club. She said that the thunder was returning, and Mark scoffed at her comment: “It has stopped raining” was his confident assertion. We set off at a blistering pace (in my opinion), and within minutes it began raining. At the 1km mark the rain got harder, and one of the (many) runners ahead of me turned back home. I gritted my teeth and kept going:  Mark was ahead of me, and I was not going to be out done by him. By 2km thunder was cracking overhead, and rain was running down the road in rivers. The 3km point saw me drenched to the bone, and splashing through the water that ran off the pavement. A car stopped to offer me a lift – and behold it was Mark! He had taken a short cut back to start to get his car and told me to get in.

Smugly I waved him on, telling him that I was a better man than he, and would not be frightened by a little bit of water. As he drove off I immediately regretted my hasty words as lightning cracked nearby, and the rain came pounding down. “Foolish prideful idiot”! But instead of leaving me to suffer the consequences of my pride, Mark proved to be a good friend, and stopped further down the road where I gratefully accepted a lift. As things turned out, everyone had abandoned the run and found shelter.

 

Oh – the “blistering pace” turned out to be a very pedestrian 5:30 minutes per km!     

 

 

Sunday - Stormday

Sunday was a hot and humid Pietermaritzburg day. The kind of day that wakes you to sticky lethargy.  Lisa, Jenny and I went to church at Prestbury Methodist, where I had the privilege of leading worship, and being able to appreciate the preaching of Dianne Worringham. She is a gifted minister, and I valued her challenge to discipleship. Her essential thought was this: “A disciple of Jesus can only become a leader if first prepared to be lead by another.”

We then shared a long, lazy lunch at the Duckpond. This restaurant is behind a nursery, under shady trees with – naturally – a duckpond ..... and lots more ducks than we normally encounter. It is run by Riaan, who told us that someone had contacted him just before Christmas and asked if they could drop off some ducks. He was away, and told his manager to expect “some ducks” to be added to the three or four that normally swim in the pond. To his dismay, when he returned he found forty ducks swimming in his pond. I would not be surprised if the Sunday menu is altered shortly!

Back home in the afternoon saw the day getting darker and darker, as storm clouds began building in the sky. The humidity had built to a poihnt where we longed for the storm to break, and restore some cool air. Then the distant thunder was heard approaching over the hills from Durban, with the beginnings of lightening. At four in the afternoon the storm struck Pietermaritzburg. We experienced fierce winds, followed by torrential rain, and rumbles of thunder, laced with lightening. The back yard began rapidly filling with water from our over-flowing gutters, and for 30 minutes it became difficult to hear ourselves speak.  Subsequent to this storm we have discovered that many, many trees were felled across the city, accompanied by the destruction of walls, roofs and powerlines.

Jenny and I went outside to look at the retreating storm, and were struck by the silence after the storm – punctured by a lone bird tweeting a defiant tune. I can only imagine the terror this bird must have felt during the storm, contrasted by such joyous release expressed in song afterwards. Perhaps this is the essence of life: we have moments of fear.

Let us learn to sing our way through our fears, and so reclaim life after the storm.       

Cycling and Vehicles on the road

Today South African Olympic mountain biker Burry Stander died after a collision with a taxi o the south coast in Kwazulu-Natal. This month two years ago, another top cyclist, Carla Swart, died when she was hit by a truck while on a training ride. AA managing director Karen Bryden  notes the tragic regularity of cycling accidents on our roads:  "During 2010, 252 cyclists alone were killed and an estimated 800 more injured." (http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Cyclist-deaths-on-roads-increase-20121017).

This is close to home for me. My good friend Allen Rodgers was hit from behind by a driver who never bothered to stop. He lay in a coma in hospital for a week, before beginning a very painful and slow recovery. And I have a nephew who is a professional cyclist, braving traffic every day while he trains for road races.  

I am angry. And sad. Because we drive our vehicles with reckless disregard for human life. It seems that getting behind a steering wheel de-sensitises us to the humanness of the other people who share our road space. Instead the daily commute becomes a competition for road space that is conducted with viciousness and brutal efficiency.

I will choose to drive with sacred regard for the lives of those around me.

 

New Blog

As noted on New Year's Day - I am setting myself the goal of a daily reflection on the Scriptures. The passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants :, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983). I plan a short reflection on the assigned passage for the day. However - this is a departure from the format of this blog, which has been running for the past six years.

On reflection it seem more useful to locate the daily reflection in its own blog - and leave this blog to continue to be my place of reflection on life. So I am inviting you to go to http://rockinthought.blogspot.com/ if you want a daily Bible reading and reflection

Last Words of the Condemned Man

2 Peter 1: 3-11

His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature. For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For anyone who lacks these things is short-sighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins.  Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble.  For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.

If I was given the opportunity for a few final words before my death, I wonder what I might say? The words above from 2 Peter are the final words from one who knows he is about to die (see 2 Peter 1: 14 & 15).  It seems likely that it written in Rome by Peter, or a disciple of Peter, during Nero’s persecution of the church – possibly 68AD. Reading the last words of a condemned man therefore takes on a special poignancy.

 He assures his readers that we have all we need for life. This is made specific, in a world that is corrupted by lust. Put in other words – those who follow Jesus are reminded that there is a choice to be made: either allow human greed for more possessions to control you, or choose to trust that the power of God “has given us everything needed for life”.

For this New Year I will learn from one who is about to die: I choose to trust my life in God’s hands, and will keep resisting the corruption of  lust.

New Year’s Day

A new year has begun. And I am setting myself the goal of a daily reflection on the Scriptures. The passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck,  A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants :, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983). Clearly this is an adventure that will unfold in its own time, but I plan a short reflection on the assigned passage for the day. This reflection will arise from my own devotional exercises for the day, and if anyone else finds this helpful – so be it.

 John 15: 12-17
"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.  I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

"...my commandment, that you love one another...”. For those who first heard this, it must have seemed a difficult activity. The disciples of Jesus struggled to overcome their jealousy of one another (Mark 10:35-45), and their anger at other groups that followed Jesus (Luke 9:49).  Now they are commanded to replace their desire for competition with a decision for co-operation.

The Gospel of John records this commandment of Jesus one hundred years after Jesus was born – a time when new followers of Jesus also found it very hard to love one another. This was a time of many different Jesus-following groups, many of whom claimed to have the “right version” of Jesus teaching. In time the Donatists, the Marcionites, the Gnostics and the Hellenists would clash with each other as they struggled to define the true doctrine of Christ. And somehow the intention of commandment to love one another was lost in the competition for religious power.   

This command has continued to haunt the followers of Jesus through the past two thousand years, as each succeeding generation of Christ-following groups have wanted to hold the moral high ground on spiritual truth. Today we see the clash of groups under the banners of liberal and conservative, fundamentalist and post-modernist, traditional and emerging church, and each time the commandment of Jesus come alive again: “Love one another as I have loved you”.

My New Year’s resolution is this: to practice the love of Jesus with unconditional regard for the group that person represents. I shall join with religious fundamentalists, atheists, and those who believe anything in-between, and seek to love each with equal passion. I shall show the same loving acceptance of those who are bewildered by the truth and of those who claim to have monopoly on all truth. But be warned – loving someone does not mean that I will be tolerant of behaviour that is the opposite of love: injustice, oppression and abuse will be opposed. To this end I shall join hands with anyone who seeks to lay down their lives in the cause of love – for all love comes from, and leads to God.

May God bless us with love for 2013.     

Light in the Darkness

My sermon yesterday: preached at the Rusthof Methodist Church.

 

Christmas 2012

Joh 1:1 – 14

  Text: Joh 1:5  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

Intro: I want to take us to Christmas day nearly 2 000 years ago. It is 100 years after Jesus was born, and a group of Christians have met to celebrate his birthday – but they did not feel like there was much to celebrate. In the first 100 years it felt like everything had gone wrong:

1.     They had experienced two insane Emperors:
          Caligula – who was assassinated by his Roman guard.
          Nero – who killed his own mother, and probably burned Rome to get rid of shacks that blocked his palace entrance.
2.    70 AD a huge Roman army conquered Jerusalem. Their commander was Titus, the son of the Emperor, who killed one million residents, and took another 97 000 captive as slaves.   
3.    79 AD: Mount Vesuvius explodes, completely destroying the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and the deaths of at least 20 000 people.
4.    89 AD : Titus the Emperor dies, and his brother Domitian begins a reign of terror.
And so the World is in Chaos:
Ø  Corrupt Emperors who reign by terror
Ø  Jerusalem is gone – no place to worship
Ø  And the Christians are thought to be remnants of the rebellion in Jerusalem.
A very gloomy Christmas gathering of Christians: Their teacher gets them together and says to them: let me remind us about Jesus:Their teacher’s name is John.And John says that Jesus came for a time such as this: Jesus comes to bring light into darkness.

When John begins talking about Jesus his story opens with the words “In the beginning”. Let us note that this Gospel starts in the beginning: this is not with Mary and Joseph (as in Matthew and Luke) or with John the Baptizer (as in Mark);John takes us to a time before creation! This is a deliberate link with Creation accounts of Genesis:

Gen 1:1  In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,
Gen 1:2  the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep
This appeals to the fear that Jewish people had of water. When the world began it was wild and chaotic – and then God stepped in! The breath of God moved over the face of the waters and brought order from chaos.

This Gospel of John is written at a time when the world seemed to be in chaos. And it is in this context that John writes to the first Christian Church: “Remember how in the beginning God brought order from chaos? Well God has done it again”.

  Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Joh 1:2  He was in the beginning with God. Joh 1:3  All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being Joh 1:4  in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. Joh 1:5  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

John is saying: Do not be afraid if you see chaos around you – God will bring order; Do not be afraid of the darkness – God will bring light; Do not be afraid if you see death around you – God will bring life. And how will he do it? He will do it in the same way as he did in the beginning:

He will speak a Word.
God said “Let there be light …. And there was light”
God said “Let there be dry land … and there was dry land”
God said “Let there be plants, and animals, and people … and they came into being”

And

God said “Let there be love … and there was Jesus”

When there is chaos – God speaks a word and brings his order.
Let us hear the invitation: to discover the links with our own lives.
We also can be overwhelmed by the darkness:
·         Internationally: Children killed at a preschool in USA /
·         We still have corruption: Emperors / businesses / officials.
·         We have death on our roads: Since 1 December an average of 34 people a day have died on our roads.

Perhaps personal darkness:

Ø  Sadness at the dinner table when you see an open place…. A beloved member of the family has died.
Ø  Illness has struck you down – and this Christmas feels dark
Ø  The year ended badly and you feel like 2013 is dark?
Ø   My personal darkness: my youngest daughter is not here for Christmas: Amy is working in Japan – and a bit of light is missing for Christmas.

 We have darkness around us the question arises: “Who will speak the Word of God?”

Who will speak light into darkness …?
And my question is:

Will you speak the light of Jesus to someone else?

A choice for today:

Either go to lunch and speak about the darkness – complain about everything that is wrong in your life ..Price of food / corruption / your mother-in-law
Or you can speak of the light. Tell stories of how Jesus has helped you through this past year;

I want to challenge you to go from here to:

1.     Celebrate:  This is claiming light even when it feels like darkness.

2.    Light a light for someone else today..

 So am offering you a reminder – a candle. (Stewards to hand out candles)

Light this before your meal and pray a prayer where you claim the light of Jesus for your family, and where you speak with your family of a way in which you can light the darkness of someone else..

Catching Up

I have not written here for a while.

I have not had the energy to write anything extra - mostly because I have been frantically finishing revisions to my Phd thesis. My thesis examines the life and thought of Rev. William Shaw, a Methodist Minister who accompanied a party of settlers from England to South Africa in 1820. Once his party (the Sephton Party) was settled in their new home, he moved on to become a missionary to the amaXhosa. My interest is not so much on what he did – rather than on what he thought.  I set out the theology that formed him in England, and speculated at how this shaped his actions when he arrived in South Africa.

No sooner than this was finished than I had to set end of year examinations. I have taught a course on the History of the Christian Church in South Africa, and a course on Preaching. I then helped my classes finish off their academic year, and prepared them for exams. The good news is that I have just finished marking! This is really the worst part of teaching – 30 answers to the same question ...many times over ...wearies the brain! My best answer? "The Muslims bought slaves on the flee (sic) market".

And the other good news is that I submitted my thesis – and it has been accepted. My graduation is on 15 December at the University of Cape Town. So December promised to be a good month: first there is the wedding of my nephew Ryan; then graduation, then Christmas with the family.

And for those who are wondering: yes I am still running. Below is a table of my running this year. I have run 269 days of 2012. My goal is to run 300 days of this year – so I have 31 days left.  If you have not heard, I am running for a charity that cares for street children. I hope for one Rand for every day that I run – you can donate as follows: You can donate safely online through the BackaBuddy site:http://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/irun4icare

Count:	269 Activities
Distance:	1,987.78 km
Time:	254:26:40 h:m:s
Elevation Gain:	25,349 m
Avg Speed:	7.5 km/h
Avg HR:	--
Avg Run Cadence:	--
Avg Bike Cadence:	--
Calories:	167,366 C

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good News in Paul Roux

Paul Roux is a small Free State town that was established in 1909 by Dutch Reformed dominee Paul Roux on the farm Palmietfontein. According to local legend there was dispute as to the name of the new town, with the decision being reached by the roll of a boulder from the koppie above the town. The boulder landed face up displaying the name of the town as we encountered it today.

We have often driven past this Free State dorp without much thought. But today curiosity got the better of us and we decided to turn off the N5 and explore it.

Having driven down the main road (in this case 'up the road'), around the Dutch Reformed Church, and past the undertakers, we found the Pink Tricycle coffee shop. Take it from me - this is a good spot to stop! Its delightful owner hails from George, and bragged that she is "the only Coloured in this town". To add to this, she is also married to a local Afrikaans Boer. And if this was not enough of a challenge, he is 38years her senior! She speaks of her contentment with her life. She owns the coffee shop and the adjacent B&B. He owns a shopping centre in Bethlehem. She reassured us that their respective families have survived the shock, that the ooms and tannies of this town love her, and that there is no obstacle in her life that good humour and perseverance cannot solve.

In the midst of so many 'bad news' stories, this one gives me hope. And we will return to visit this place of inspiration.
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Presiding Bishops Conference 2012 Address | The Methodist Church of Southern Africa

The Methodist Church of Southern Africa encompasses six countries in southern Africa. The Annual Conference (senior leadership) of the church is meeting in Swaziland. Here is the opening address of the Presiding Bishop of the church:

Presiding Bishops Conference 2012 Address | The Methodist Church of Southern Africa

Graduates jet off to Japan

My daughter is now in Japan - here is a link to an interview with her just before she left:

Graduates jet off to Japan: Amy Grassow, 21, is off to a new life in Japan after being selected as one of 31 postgraduate students to teach English.

Dr Khoza Mgojo

I am at the funeral of a great man. Thousands of people have arrived, packing the Ugu Sports and Leisure Centre in with the colourful black, red and white of the South African Methodist Church.
On arriving at this stadium just outside Port Shepstone we - Peter Storey and myself - joined the queue of cars waiting to enter the grounds. The hearse accompanied by police vehicles swept past us and entered the grounds, where they were engulfed by a police honour guard. After finally getting a parking, we joined the crowd that jostled to get through the security barriers. Clearly there were some serious VIPs here. Glancing through the programme I saw the names of Bishop Siwa, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Dr Zweli Mkhize, Dr Dandala, and a string of national Methodist leaders (past and present).  His community awards and honours are numerous. But for me, I remember him in my formative years:Khoza Mgojo was my seminary teacher. When I first arrived at the seminary I tried to avoid him.... because he was insisting that I study both Greek and Hebrew. He had gained his PhD from Harvard University in Biblical languages, and could not understand why anyone would try to avoid these languages. When he finally cornered me he threw this question at me :"So you don't want to speak the language of Jesus!". It is thanks to him I now have two years of Greek and a year of Hebrew under my belt. I do not regret this.  So here I am peacefully typing my own tribute on my BlackBerry while tributes are given by family and friends - when we are interrupted by two military helicopters landing on the sports field next to us. Clearly another VIP has arrived ... a "Very VIP" because Jacob Zuma, the President of South Africa, has just arrived. I watch the procession as it winds its way to the podium, and wonder at the appropriateness of the military weapons displayed by those accompanying him. This has just ceased to be a funeral of a Methodist Minister. I fear that it now becomes an opportunity to gain votes for the forthcoming elections for the leader of the ruling political party. Eish! I think I will leave soon.

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Cape Town-rugby

Emily joined us for the opening match of the season: Western Province vs Natal Sharks. We are helping her understand the finer points of shouting "kill him" and "Proooovince".
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Visiting UCT

Today I dropped off my PhD thesis at UCT. This is a revision on my original submission at the end of last year. I had three external examiners - two passed me and one asked for further revision. However, my life at the beginning of this year was complicated by the death of Ross Olivier, the president of the seminary I teach at. Because of the consequent added responsibilities, I was not able to do the revisions. I finally got to them in June and July, and am pictured here handing the revised thesis in to Birgit, the amazingly efficient administrator at the Department of Religious Studies. Now the wait to hear from that (anonymous) examiner.
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