Overcoming fear with faith - sermon preached in Johannesburg by Dr Roderick Hewitt

Sermon preached in Johannesburg, on 14 July
By Dr Roderick Hewitt, CWM moderator
At special Assembly on Zimbabwe, organised by SACC, CWM, UCCSA, UPCSA
Copyright (c) Roderick Hewitt


Overcoming Fear with Faith
1Kings 18

Introduction
You have entrusted me with this awesome responsibility which I regard as a great honour and privilege of delivering the message at this opening service of the Zimbabwe Summit. I am an African Jamaican who has been influenced by the philosophy of that great Jamaican and Pan-Africanist, Marcus Mosiah Garvey and Rastafarai hermeneutics that strongly embraces an Afro-centric worldview. I can still remember how Jamaicans joined with millions around the world and celebrated the liberation of Zimbabwe from Ian Smith’s illegitimate colonial government. It was Bob Marley who penned the famous words: “Africans a liberate Zimbabwe” in celebration of the liberation struggle that resulted in the overthrowing of the government. To thousands of independent citizens with great hopes and aspiration for their nation he sang out in Harare “Africans a liberate Zimbabwe”. Mugabe and his War Veterans danced on Independence Day, April 18, 1980 as Bob sang the opening verse:

“Every man gotta right to decide his own destiny,
And in this judgement there is no partiality.
So arms in arms with arms, we’ll fight this little struggle
‘Cause that’s the only way we can overcome our little trouble!”
In response the chorus line affirmed: Brother, you’re right, you’re right, so right!

In this judgement there is no partiality
Why then after 28 years, are we gathered in this place to remind the regime that every one within the nation of Zimbabwe got the right to decide the nation’s destiny? It was not right when the Western Powers’ Trojan horse, Ian Smith was in power and it is still not right when Mugabe the liberation war hero has betrayed the revolution because of his regime’s oppression of his people. Bob Marley prophetic words remind us that: “in this judgement there is no partiality”! Marley warned him about the possibility of a great betrayal of the Zimbabwe people:

“ No more internal power struggle;
We come together to overcome this little trouble
Soon we’ll find out who is the true revolutionary
‘Cause I don’t want my people to be contrary”

Betraying the Liberation
Bob Marley must be turning now in his grave when he sees what is going on in this beloved African nation that has been for so long a symbol of hope to so many Africans at home and in the Diaspora. Now it has become our worst nightmare. Right now if Bob were alive in flesh he would be in the struggle against the actions of this regime whose hands are stained with the blood of suffering Zimbabweans. He would want to remind Mr Mugabe of the final verse that says:

“To divide and rule could only tear us apart;
To every man’s chest, there beats a heart.
So soon we’ll find out who is the real revolutionary
And I don’t want my people to be tricked by mercenaries”.

“Brother, you’re wrong, you’re wrong, you’re so wrong!”
The new chorus would go like this: “Brother, you’re wrong, you’re wrong, you’re so wrong!” In the same way that Ian Smith’s regime was wrong, your regime is wrong because of the harm you have done to your own people. It makes no sense to hide behind the veil of a sovereignty cult. You are so wrong in believing that being heroes of the liberation struggle indemnifies you from accountability. The rogue behaviour of the militias suggests that they genuinely believe that they have been ordained to rule Zimbabwe forever. They have become addicted to power and cannot do without the drug! Former UN Secretary General and African statesman Kofi Annan declared that no government has the right to hide behind national sovereignty in order to violate the human rights or fundamental freedom of its people”. Again I echo the words of Bob Marley “Brother, you’re wrong, you’re wrong, you’re so wrong!”

Killing in the name of false sovereignty
Who would have believed that in 28 years this beloved nation would be held to ransom by a regime that murders, starves and brutalises the very citizens for whom a war of liberation was waged? How could one so respected and loved betrays the dream of so many? What is so troubling and painful is how the regime allowed militia to participate in killing and maiming ordinary Zimbabweans including women and children without revulsion. Such behaviour can only be explained in what is observed in animal pack group dynamics. In any state that nurtures a security culture that demands unquestionable obedience, as was in Rwanda and Germany, then ordinary people can be schooled in the name of ideology to kill even their own family for the agenda of the party.

Lest we forget
Today, we say to the peoples of Mashonaland with burnt and empty villages harassed by state-sponsored militias that used violence as a tool to control and force a people to submit to their one party state, we will remember and will hold accountable the perpetrators of your pain. To the people of Matabeleland who experienced genocide when about 20,000 persons died at the hands of a military junta, we will hold accountable those who have done this horrendous and evil act. To the many who disappeared of whom no one can say where they have been taken, today we say they will not be forgotten! And to you the refugees who have fled this tyranny, Jesus, the refugee saviour understands your plight because he also had to flee the tyrant Herod as a child when his parents found refuge in Egypt.

The Church taking sides
We are here as churches united in our solidarity with the suffering peoples of Zimbabwe . We were there with the people of Zimbabwe during their struggle for independence. Against much criticism from conservative political and religious forces the WCC and the AACC took sides and supported the Liberation movement. Allan Bosack reminds us in his open letter to the Zimbabwean churches, that these ecumenical organizations were accused of being communists for the support that they gave. What an irony that this regime is now opposing their work because they are standing up against their injustice! With the same prophetic voice that the church used to speak out against the rogue government of Ian Smith regime and the continuing failure of the British Government to live up to the Lancaster House agreement, so too Mugabe’s regime is found to have been weighed in the balance and found wanting! Claiming neutrality in the face of injustice and oppression is not an option for the Church’s understanding of its ministry and mission. It is better for us to risk failure than non- involvement! So the peoples of Zimbabwe who are suffering can be assured of the continuing practical support of the ecumenical movement.

Leadership in Crisis
I was led by the Spirit to read again 1Kings 18 and 19 that outlined the epic struggle between Elijah and the evil regime of King Ahab who married Jezebel, the daughter of the King of Phoenicia whose faith commitment was to the god Baal and not Yahweh. Leadership is a strategic ingredient in the development of any nation and when there is poor and dysfunctional leadership then the people will surely pay a heavy price! For far too long has there been an unholy intimate connection between the welfare of the country and the welfare of the leader. It follows that where unstable and unfocussed leadership exist then the nation will reflect this instability. As it was with Ahab’s leadership, I submit that the government of Zimbabwe has encountered its worst nightmare and a day of accountability is coming very soon! It has deluded itself in believing that the battle is with western forces. But that is simply scapegoating! The real battle is between the regime and the Zimbabwe people that it is seeking to enslave and any regime that builds its authority by oppressing the people has incurred the wrath of God.

Ordinary people pay the price for failed leadership
The Northern Kingdom of Israel was in a terrible state of drought and famine. The failed leadership of Ahab and Jezebel brought the country to its knees. The people were reduced to a powerless and hopeless state. Through fear, intimidation and assassination the people became enslaved by one who claimed to be their leader. They were so beaten that they feared imagining an alternative to Ahab’s power. They were led to believe that the cost would be too great to change course. He silenced his critics with bribes and they became spiritually impotent. The true Priests and prophets of Yahweh were on the run hiding in caves. Jezebel launched a crusade against the true worship of Yahweh and installed her own “Bishops and Priests” who would be accountable to the political directorate rather than to Jehovah! When the earthly powers believe that they are sovereign and all powerful then God appoints an Elijah.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely
It’s interesting how the Zimbabwe regime is modelling that of Ahab and Jezebel. Ahab’s wife was his key advisor. She was a jealous and fanatical worshipper of Baal, the Canaanite god of rain and fertility. Even though Ahab was brought up as a true worshipper of Yahweh he changed course through his quest for total power. He helped Jezebel build a temple to Baal (1Kings 16:29-34) and did nothing to stop her persecuting the worshippers of Yahweh. Those who were unable to stand up to the suffering and persecution gave in and bowed to Baal. In doing so the political powers gave them privileges. In a time of drought and famine they got subsidized food and no harassment from the secret police. People are always ready to give their loyalty to those who give them privileges.

Abdication of responsibility
To stand up for Yahweh at a time of great persecution was not easy. Elijah appeared on the scene proclaiming that Ahab’s reign will be characterised by a season of drought because of the regime’s bare-faced and self-centred life that was rooted in serving and giving loyalty to gods of their own making. It was the tyranny of Ahab and Jezebel that oppressed and divided Israel and the same can be said of Mugabe’s regime. Elijah saw no room for compromise with Ahab, Jezebel and their Baal gods. It is time for show down! People must choose where they stand. God’s people must take sides! The church must take sides! Sitting on the fence folding arms is not an option. Not choosing is to choose! Ahab and Jezebel accused Elijah of being the troubler of Israel ! They took no responsibility for the crisis in their nation. They looked for external enemies to blame for the ill in the nation that their poor leadership created. Like Ahab, it is Mugabe’s unquenchable lustful quest for and maintenance of power that in the end will undo him and expose his real weakness.

The Lord sees, hears, is concerned and is ready to rescue
Today our presence in this place is meant to send a message to the blood-stained hands of this illegitimate regime in Zimbabwe that the battle is not yet over; it has only just begun! We are here to proclaim the word of the Lord, that he sees the misery of his people; he has heard them crying out because of their oppressors; he is concerned about their suffering, and he has come to rescue them (Ex. 3:7). Today we call on the people of Zimbabwe to choose…to take sides to reject fear and intimidation. Our duty and purpose here today is to send a strong signal to the peoples of Zimbabwe that they must not surrender to the despot because he is not sovereign! God alone is sovereign! His days are numbered and the day of decision is near. The showdown in Zimbabwe is consistent with what happened to Ahab. It is all about loyalty and sovereignty. Listen to the question that Elijah posed to the nation of Israel: “How long will you go limping between two opinions? (18:21)

Stand Up and Face up to what you believe in!
A great show down is coming soon when the peoples of Zimbabwe will see for themselves that this all powerful regime that demonstrates such audacity, insolence, arrogance and petulance is really like an emperor with no clothes. It behaves like that because at the core it is really weak and impotent.

Show down on Mount Carmel
In the show down on Mount Carmel ! The regime of Ahab and his priests of Baal thought that the scales were tipped heavily on their side. This was a contest that they could not afford to loose, but a severe humiliation awaited them. In the end the people saw through deception and rogue power. The regime made gods for themselves to support their deception. The whole situation resulted in severe humiliation for a leader who had forgotten how God-given kingship should function. This big bad bully that cut down the prophets and priests of Yahweh failed to perform at the contest that he could not fix! In the open with neutral monitors present, there was no room for manipulation and the people saw for themselves that Baal was no god at all!

The drought is ending! Rainfall is coming!
Let those who have ears to hear, listen to what the spirit is saying! Because the regime refused to listen it brought God’s judgement upon itself.” The regime was dead set against the truth and in the end it was the truth that led to its down fall. Ahab was devoted to untruth and protected himself from truth at all cost. As Ahab returned to Jezreel to continue his feeble rule, his wife unleashed a deadly attack on the critics of the regime and Elijah was top on the assassination list. But did they realise that the end was near. A time will come when the people will be free from their fear of rogue powers. Better days are coming! The people of Zimbabwe will overcome. From this conference a strong word will be sent to Harare that Rainfall is coming! The time of drought is ending! Prepare to plant again, it is going to rain!
(c) Rev Dr Roderick Hewitt
Moderator, Council for World Mission