“Longing For A Better Country!”

“Longing For A Better Country!”(Heb.11:13-19a).
After the first match of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon at the World Cup 2022, the slogan of patriotism “wuo take that cup” now comes out stammeringly because of the defeat suffered in the hand of the Swiss team. But what has been a shocking revelation is that Embolo who scored that lone goal is a Cameroonian by birth.
The venerable Prof Andrew F. Walls states that “Church history has always been a battle ground for two opposing tendencies;” with each of the tendencies having its origins in the gospel itself.
On the one hand it is of the essence of the gospel that God accepts us as we are, on the ground of Christ’s work alone, not on the ground of what we have to become or are trying to become.
By becoming a new creation in Christ does not mean that you start or continue life in a vacuum, or that your mind is a blank slate. You are formed by your past history and culture which will continue to influence you.
On the other hand is the pilgrim principle in which you are being alerted that God in Christ does not only take you as you are. He takes you as you are in order to transform you into what he wants you to be. While the indidenizing principle makes your faith a place to feel at home, the pilgrim principle whispers to you that you have no abiding city and warns you that to be faithful to Christ will put you out of step with your society.
This may explain why some people say that even though Embolo scored the lone goal, he messed up many other opportunities of scoring. He was being influenced by this indigenizing principle; but on the other hand, he had to brave it and face the pilgrim principle and remind himself that he no longer belonged to his people. He had to score. (Take note that this illustration only approximates).
Both the Indigenizing and pilgrim principles explain our faith stances and the tensions we experience when we want to take that great leap of faith.
The leap of faith as in the pilgrim principle is to admit that we are aliens and strangers on earth, looking for a country of our own. By faith, like Embolo, our allegiance on the pitch is no longer for the country we have left. Instead (but unlike Embolo), we are longing for a better country – a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called our God, for he has prepared a city for us.
Let us fix our eyes on the things above. Whatever we cherish here and now, whatever we see now is temporary; and sometimes illusory! Faith makes us see the future! And the future is in God’s hands and the future is bright!
Weekend prayer: Lord Jesus Christ thank you for showing us the way to the abiding city of God! Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.