Greetings in the Mighty name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ from the Missionary Diocese of Kondoa

Bishop Given Gaula, Kondoa Diocese, Tanzania

“What a friend we have in Jesus”

Luke 5:17-26

When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “friend, your sins are forgiven” verse 20.

St Augustine once said, “A friend is one who knows you and still walks with you”.

Over the last week, I have been meditating on the story of the paralytic person in Luke 5 v 17-26. He had suffered so much, he could not walk by himself. His situation had taken away his strength, his dignity, and his options. He could not reach Jesus on his own. If he was to meet Christ, someone else had to carry him.

His friends did not postpone help. They lifted him. When the door was blocked, they did not turn back. When the crowd was heavy, they did not turn back. When the way was impossible, they did not give excuses. They went up. They broke through. They lowered him at the feet of Jesus.

The Bible says something very simple but very heavy: “When Jesus saw their faith…” A very powerful statement I noted here was not the faith of the sick man, but the faith of his friends. Wow the faith of his friends who carried him to Jesus!

We have good, true friends in the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe who can pray for us when we are too tired. We have good friends who believe for us even when our own faith becomes weak because of the challenges that face us.

I believe we serve God’s kingdom in Kondoa today because of you, our very good friends, who are carrying us. We will continue to stand because thesefriends refuse to give up their love, compassion, generosity and mutual support for us. We are in the church today doing God’s mission because our friends have said we must meet Jesus the Saviour who transforms people’s lives. This is what true friendship looks like in Christ. Not only people who celebrate us when we are strong, but friends who carry us when we are weak.

Our prayer for each one of us will be:

Lord Jesus, thank you for the friends who have carried us when we were unable to walk on our own. Give us a heart that does not abandon others in their weakness. Teach us to lift, to wait, and to love faithfully. May our loving God place around each of you friends who carry you closer to Jesus. May each of our lives become a mat of hope for someone else. And may Christ meet us in every season. Amen