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Dear Covenant Family,
Last Sunday Covenant was honored to host Rev. Nta William Nche, from Cameroon, as our guest preacher. Rev. Nta is the national coordinator for peace work in the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, a central African country where division between armed groups and government forces has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and scores of displaced people. His church’s efforts center on building the capacity of individuals and organizations to be peacemakers in their communities. He is one of twelve peacemakers brought to the US in September by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and his multi-state itinerary included preaching and teaching at various congregations and educational institutions.
The sermon was based on James 3, a New Testament text that warns against the power of the human tongue to do good or evil. Several metaphors in the passage compare the tongue to a bit in a horse’s mouth, the rudder of a ship, or a small flame that can cause a forest fire. I found it interesting that with his vast experience in complex peacemaking, Rev. Nta focused on basic communication, which can be either the root of blessing or evil. How we speak to each other is so important. Do we lift others up or tear them down? Do we disagree with respect or with condemnation? Do we spread gossip or seek the truth? Our words matter to God and to the spiritua health of our communities. Those who make peace sow the seeds of justice by their peaceful acts. James 3:18
The Presbyterian Church of Cameroon is made up of 2.3 million Christians, more than twice the number of Presbyterians in the United States. Their largest church has 6800 members. Many of their congregations are strong, vital, and flourishing faith communities despite the crippling problems of poverty, disease, and political conflict. Rev. Nta asked us to pray for his people and his church, claiming Jesus’ promise that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church (Matthew 16). I asked him to pray for us too, that we could experience the joy and vitality of being a unified church, persevering in works of justice and love.
Take a close look at the beautiful yellow dress worn by Rose, an elder at John Knox Presbyterian who accompanied Rev. Nta to worship. It is the “uniform” of the Cameroonian Women’s Association, worn to church each Sunday. This clothing is so associated with a woman’s faith that they are buried wearing it. “Serve the Lord with Joy” is their motto, and I think it should be ours as well.
In this Season of Peace, let us all build our capacity for encouraging speech and prayerful action. I hope to see you this Sunday for our celebration of World Communion.
Peace,
Pastor Jessie
jmacmillan@covenantweb.org
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