LWF General Secretary Burghardt and South African bishop Sikhwari discuss Assembly theme through lenses of unity and hope at Africa Pre-Assembly.
Bishop Naledzani Sikhwari of the Evangelical Lutheran Church In Southern Africa delivers a keynote lecture as Lutherans from across the continent of Africa gather in Nairobi for a regional, Africa pre-assembly to the LWF. Photo: LWF/Albin Hillert
African church leaders look towards Assembly in discussion of “One Body, One Spirit, One Hope”
(LWI) – African delegates to The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Thirteenth Assembly discussed the Assembly theme of “One Body, One Spirit, One Hope” at the Pre-Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, this week.
In keynote addresses, Bishop Naledzani Josephine Sikhwari, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa, and LWF General Secretary, Rev. Dr Anne Burghardt, offered insights into unity, hope, and the church as the Body of Christ.
Solidarity in expectation and action
“The whole world, the whole creation, is yearning for hope today,” said General Secretary Burghardt. However, our globe is becoming increasingly complex. In Africa and worldwide, anxiety is growing due to challenges like climate change, conflicts, and terrorism, as well as economic uncertainty and unemployment among young people. “Fake news, conspiracy theories, and polarization add to this anxiety.”
The churches have a unique role to play in addressing this. “We need unity and hope,” said the General Secretary. “Unity is created where reconciliation between God and human beings is translated into reconciliation between human beings, which goes hand in hand with making new creation and justice visible around us.”
LWF general secretary Rev. Dr Anne Burghardt delivering her address, at the Africa pre-assembly. Photo: LWF/Albin Hillert
The African churches, witnessing in contexts where ethnic and tribal diversity is seen as both a challenge and an asset, can offer an encouraging example of how to live in unity, despite differences. “This can be a powerful sign in today’s world, where people tend to look more at what divides than what unites them.”
“We understand hope as the experience of God’s Spirit that compels us to bridge the gap between the all-encompassing peace and justice God has promised and the reality of the world,” said General Secretary Burghardt. “Hope unites,” she added, “creating solidarity in expectation and action.”
“Bring hope to the hopeless”
Our “world consists of fragmented bodies, societies, and ecosystems,” said Bishop Naledzani Sikhwari in her address on the theme of the Assembly.
“The Body of Christ is the Christian church all over the world, that transcends beyond race, ethnicity, and gender,” she added. “The body is diverse according to culture, gender, language, skills, and citizenship. Diversity is necessary for a healthy body.”
However, when “individual bodies are attacked, defaced, desecrated and demoralized, the larger community suffers.” Racism “is a thorn in the Body of Christ, and gender-based violence dismembers the Body of Christ.”
Bishop Naledzani Sikhwari delivering keynote lecture, at the Africa pre-assembly. Photo: LWF/Albin Hillert
Against this and other injustices, the church should “bring hope to the hopeless.” The church is "a sign of hope in the midst of God’s creation as it participates in God’s holistic mission.” It should be “strong in challenging the inequalities and injustices that break down and cause harm to the Body of Christ.” It is the church’s responsibility to “re-ignite the hope as the engine for social transformation,” added Bishop Sikhwari.
“Loving God cannot be measured,” she said, “but will be seen when we treat each other with dignity and pursue justice.”
The calling of the global communion of Lutheran churches is “to spread love by showing up in the communities that have given up in life, the poor, those battered because of their gender – LWF member churches becoming the voice of the voiceless.”
The Thirteenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation takes place 13-19 September 2023 in Krakow, Poland. The theme of the Assembly will be "One Body, One Spirit, One Hope." It will be hosted by the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland.
