Good morning. Thank you, Sean. Sorry I'm disentangling from my microphone here.
If you would turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 14.
And while you're turning there, I will briefly just bring you greetings from your brothers and sisters at Covenant Fellowship Church out in the Philly suburbs.
Sean described it well. I serve on the pastoral team of Covenant Fellowship.
And by God's grace, through the years, we've had the ability at Covenant Fellowship to set different guys apart for different areas of ministry.
So I've been set apart as part of the pastoral team to lead a separate nonprofit we established almost 20 years ago called Covenant Mercies,
which exists to serve alongside our brothers and sisters in the developing world to care for orphans living in their communities.
And so I will tell you more about Covenant Mercies and our programs on the other side of the sermon this morning.
But it is good to be with you. I enjoyed spending time with Sean yesterday.
We did a little Fenway tour and got a little taste of Boston.
And just really love coming to different places and experiencing the fellowship of the Spirit together.
Immediately, we're brothers and sisters.
I know that I'm among family and it is wonderful to be with you this morning.
So if you're with me in Luke chapter 14, I want to begin reading in verse 12.
And just to set the scene, Jesus has been invited to a dinner party.
He's at the table of a Pharisee as we arrive at our text this morning.
So beginning in verse 12,
He, being Jesus, also said to the man who had invited him,
When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors,
lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid.
But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.
May the Lord bless the preaching of his word.
We all know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a kindness that seems to have strings attached.
A kindness that seems a little more motivated by self-interest than by a true spirit of generosity.
The classic example of this for me is what some guys I'll refer to as the squeegee guys in Philadelphia.
I don't know if you've ever had this phenomenon in Boston as well,
but there used to be these intersections in Philadelphia.
I think they must have made this illegal now because I don't see it anymore.
But you'd pull up to a red light,
and immediately the guys would be on top of you with their windshield washers,
and they'd start putting the windshield washer on your windshield.
And, you know, if you were from out of town, you might say,
Oh, wow, city of brother love.
It's really true.
The welcoming committee is here,
and, you know, these guys are washing my window.
Wow.
Well, you would learn very quickly that that wasn't the case,
that there was an expectation there as well.
And by the way, I don't blame the squeegee guys.
They're doing the best they can,
and there's something that's commendable about that as well.
But you'd learn very quickly,
and some of them got very good at kind of halfway doing the job
and then finding out whether you had anything for them
to determine whether they would finish.
My point is, from the perspective of the recipient of such a gesture,
you can almost feel like there are certain types of generosity
you need to be on your guard against
because they're really no more than a thinly-veiled attempt
to obligate you to do something in return.
Well, this reciprocity ethic,
the idea that I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine,
was very common in the Greco-Roman world that Jesus lived in,
very pervasive in Jewish society of that time as well.
And so as Jesus sits at the table of this Pharisee,
he knows well the mindset that he's addressing.
One would act in a generous way toward others
in order to elicit a similar generosity in return.
And conversely, if someone extended a kindness to you,
you'd feel an obligation,
even an ethical obligation, to return the favor.
So this reciprocity ethic,
it's maybe not quite so pronounced in our modern Western societies,
in our modern way of thinking,
but it's undeniably present in our world today
and in our interactions with one another.
If we're honest, we really have to admit
that there's very little we do in life
that isn't somehow motivated by our own self-interest
or influenced by our own self-interest.
And on certain levels, that's perfectly okay.
Think about the business context, right?
I mean, in the business context,
if you provide a product or a service for X number of dollars,
and I'm happy to part with X number of dollars
in exchange for that product or service,
that really defines the ideal business transaction.
And by the way,
if that sounds like an endorsement of free market economic principles,
it is.
But that's not my point.
My point is simply to say
that it's not inherently wrong or evil
to reciprocate in such a way.
However, as Jesus so often does,
he goes down beneath the surface here.
He comes to us with questions
that probe into the depths of our hearts
and our motivations
and push us beyond these natural human tendencies.
See, Jesus calls us here to a selfless love
that expends itself for others
regardless of what they can give us in return.
And I probably don't need to tell you
that this doesn't come naturally to us.
In our sinful nature,
we are bent toward doing things
that are in our own self-interest
and toward neglecting things
that really don't offer any personal benefit to us at all.
And so against the grain of his own ancient culture,
against the grain of our cultures of today,
against the grain of our natural human tendencies
and sinful nature,
Jesus teaches us here
that true Christian generosity
goes beyond the bounds of reciprocity.
In fact, one of the defining characteristics
of generosity that is truly Christian,
uniquely Christian,
and by that I mean not just human generosity,
but generosity that is uniquely driven by our faith,
is its intentional focus
on those who can do nothing to repay it.
Jesus says,
you want to know whether your love
is truly Christian love?
Love those who have no capacity
to love you in return.
You want to know whether your generosity
is like that of your Father in heaven?
Give toward those who can do nothing to repay you.
This is generosity in its purest form,
and Jesus wants to be sure
that it's a present and visible trait
in the life of his disciples.
And so in the balance of our time in the word,
I just want to make two observations
about this generosity that Jesus commends to us.
Just two points.
Number one,
it takes selfless, Christ-like initiative.
This generosity that Jesus commends to us
takes selfless, Christ-like initiative.
Now, contrary to the way that Jesus' words
may sound to us on face value,
he's not forbidding us from having our friends over,
from being generous toward our families
and our loved ones,
those we might enjoy hanging out with.
In fact, if he was commending that to us,
he would be commanding us to violate other scriptures.
So he's certainly not saying that.
Remember, Jesus is at the table of a Pharisee here.
He knows what their practices are.
He knows what our human tendencies are,
as we've just been reflecting on.
And so he's using some hyperbole here.
He's using some intentionally strong language
to jar us out of our complacency,
to jar us out of our comfort zones,
and to make a point.
And so what point is Jesus making?
Well, he's saying that as God's people,
our generosity shouldn't be limited
to that which is normal.
It's normal to be generous toward those
who can return the favor to us somehow.
As disciples of Christ,
we're called to take generous initiative
toward those who can't repay us,
and listen, I love this,
precisely because they can't repay us.
I just love the way Jesus explains the reason
why we shouldn't invite our friends,
our family, the rich,
who we might want to hang out with
to our little dinner party.
He almost as if it should be intuitive to us.
He says, no, don't do that.
Don't invite them,
lest they also invite you and you be repaid.
I just want to say, oh yeah,
what a tragedy that would be, right?
I mean, let's say I invite Elon Musk
and his wife to my home,
and we have a nice dinner together,
and then I get invited to their
presumably palatial estate,
and maybe Elon says,
hey, let's go up in SpaceX.
This one's on me.
Jesus is not suggesting
that that would be a tragedy.
What he's saying is,
that's the way the world thinks.
That's the way the world operates.
If your generosity remains only within those bounds,
what difference really has the grace of God made?
Read with me again in verses 13 and 14.
But when you give a feast,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
and you will be blessed.
Why will you be blessed?
Because they cannot repay you.
Notice that.
He doesn't say you'll be blessed
even though they can't repay you,
or despite the fact that they can't repay you.
No, you will be blessed
because they cannot repay you.
There's a cause-effect relationship here.
The blessing for you
is the direct result of the fact
that you have selected,
as the object of your generosity,
those who cannot return the favor.
And as you take initiative
toward those who can't repay you,
fully aware that they can't repay you,
God promises that he will repay you
for that very same reason.
And this, Jesus says,
is one of the things
that ought to characterize us
as Christians
and distinguish us from the world.
This is a characteristic
that differentiates Christian love
from love that we might think of
as natural and normal
even apart from Christ.
Earlier in Luke's gospel,
Jesus spoke in similar terms
when calling us to love
even our enemies.
I think we have a slide
of the verses in Luke 6,
so you don't have to turn back there
in your Bibles,
but beginning in Luke 6,
verse 32,
Jesus says,
if you love those who love you,
what benefit is that to you?
For even sinners love
those who love them.
And if you do good
to those who do good to you,
what benefit is that to you?
For even sinners do the same.
And if you lend to those
from whom you expect to receive,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners
to get back the same amount.
But love your enemies
and do good
and lend expecting nothing
in return
and your reward will be great
and you will be sons
of the Most High.
For He is kind
to the ungrateful
and the evil.
Be merciful
even as your Father
is merciful.
Now did you note
the similar logic there?
How do we demonstrate
that we are sons and daughters
of the Most High?
Well it's not by merely
doing the same things
that are possible
and even normal
apart from faith.
As Jesus might say,
what credit is that to you?
How does that distinguish you
from the world?
The world
neglects to show kindness
toward those
who can do nothing
to repay that kindness.
But Jesus says,
not so with you.
It shall not be so for us
as His disciples.
We demonstrate
that we are children
of the Most High
and disciples
of His Son Jesus
by taking initiative
toward where it wouldn't
be natural,
where it wouldn't be normal
for us to do so.
By loving even our enemies.
I think sometimes
we get so familiar
with those words
rolling off of Jesus' tongue
that it doesn't jar us
the way that it should.
Loving our enemies.
These are the people
that we would naturally hate.
and in a similar way
by intentionally ensuring
that our generosity
extends to those
who can do nothing
to repay it.
Now let's bring the scene
back to our Pharisees' table
because a most profound accent
is placed on Jesus' exhortation
to us here
in this simple fact.
And it's a simple fact
that goes right over the head
of His original hearers
as they sit around this table.
We should see
that it doesn't go over our heads
this morning.
It's even a rich reflection
for this Advent season.
That simple fact is this.
The one who is sitting there
with them at this table
is Himself God incarnate.
He's sitting there with Him
because He didn't consider
equality with God
a thing to be grasped
but humbled Himself,
made Himself nothing,
took the very nature
of a servant
and took initiative
toward those
who could do nothing
to repay Him.
Soon He'll turn His attention
toward Calvary.
He will move toward the cross
and He will endure death
on a cross
for those who could do nothing
to repay Him
for His sacrifice.
We sang about it this morning.
Mild He lays His glory by,
born that man no more may die.
He left the glory
and riches of heaven
to seek and save
lost sinners
like you and me.
Who could do nothing
to repay Him?
Now if you're here today
and you're not a Christian
or maybe you're exploring
what the claims
of the Christian faith
are all about,
I want to be abundantly clear
about one thing
right here.
There is nothing you can do
to repay God.
You don't come to Jesus
as a way of repaying God
for the wrongs
that you've done
or repaying Him
for the kindness
that He's shown you.
You come to Jesus
as an act of faith,
believing that His death
and resurrection
are sufficient
to cover the penalty
for your sins
and restore your relationship
to God.
So we need to see
that we don't get this backwards.
But for those of us
who are already
in a position of faith
this morning,
I trust you see
the rich gospel truth
that's bound up
in Jesus' calling
to us here.
Be merciful
as your heavenly Father
is merciful.
Take initiative
toward those
who can do nothing
to repay you.
Lavish them with love
and generosity
and kindness.
Why?
Because that's exactly
what Jesus did
when He left behind
the riches of heaven
to come to earth
and seek and save
lost sinners
like you and me.
The generosity
that Jesus commends
to us here
takes selfless
Christ-like initiative
toward those
who can do nothing
to repay it.
Well, second observation
about this generosity
is simply that
it's driven by faith.
This generosity
is driven by faith.
Even as Jesus calls us
to a generosity
that's not self-interested,
He simultaneously
lifts our eyes
to a reward
that can only be seen
through the eyes
of faith.
Again, reading verses
13 and 14.
But when you give a feast,
invite the poor,
the crippled,
the lame,
the blind,
and you will be blessed
because they cannot
repay you.
For you will be repaid
at the resurrection
of the just.
Amazingly,
as we put off
this normal human tendency
to be motivated
by the things
of this world
and take initiative
instead toward those
who can do nothing
to repay us
in this world's terms,
Jesus promises us
that we will be
repaid in eternity.
Now, we embrace
this reward
by faith,
by simply trusting,
by believing
that what Jesus says
to us here
is rock-solid truth
even though we can't
see it and grasp it
in the here and now.
that what we sacrifice
in this life
will accrue
to our credit
in eternity.
And this,
brothers and sisters,
is the great paradox
of giving
in the kingdom
of God.
It is a sacrifice
to give
toward those
who can do nothing
to repay us.
We shouldn't pretend
that it's not a sacrifice.
It is.
It will cost you something.
It will cost you
the ability
to use those same funds
toward some other purpose
that might benefit you
more in the here and now.
But,
when we consider
that sacrifice
in light of the
eternal reward
Jesus promises us here,
it really is
no sacrifice at all.
It's better thought of
as an investment.
And this is about
the most secure investment
that you could possibly make.
If you think about it,
there are many sacrifices
that we make in life
in the short term
for a result
that we expect
to receive
in the long term, right?
I happen to be someone
who loves gardening.
Sean was asking me yesterday,
what do you enjoy doing?
Well, I love
getting out on my day off,
especially in the springtime,
get some dirt
under my fingernails,
and I love planting
those vegetables
in the spring
and just enjoying
the fruit of it
all summer long.
A few years ago,
I began to really get
into planting
and cultivating
perennial fruit-bearing bushes,
especially blueberries.
And so when I,
we've got about an acre,
sorry, I know
that's a little weird
for city dwellers, I guess,
but we've got a whole acre
and I love,
I got 11 blueberry bushes
of different varieties
and got them spread around
different places
in our yard.
And I just love
getting out there
and cultivating these bushes
and you've got to do
a little research
to do blueberries right.
So I did my research up front.
I had to amend our soil.
The blueberries like
a more acidic soil,
so I had to put the right
kind of components
into the soil
so that they would thrive.
They have very shallow
root systems,
so you want to, you know,
mulch heavily around them
and keep them kind of wet.
But the third thing
that I learned,
and this is what I want
to focus on here,
is that when you plant
baby blueberry bushes,
you need to pinch the blossoms
for the first three seasons.
That's the advice
that you're given.
So plant it from a little baby,
little stick, basically.
It takes root.
It begins to leaf out
in the spring
and blossoms come out.
And then they tell you,
pinch the blossoms
those first three seasons
because what you're doing
is you're telling the plant,
don't focus any of your energies
on producing fruit.
Those blossoms,
I'm guessing you know,
are what become the berries
after the bees
do their miraculous work.
So you pinch the blossoms
and you're saying,
don't spend your energy
producing fruit.
Spend your energy
developing a strong root system.
And then if you get
a good solid blueberry bush,
it might produce fruit
for you for 75 years.
So I followed that advice.
I remember the first two seasons,
it wasn't too difficult.
There's only a few blossoms.
That third season,
it was a little harder
because, all right,
we've been at this
for a while now.
I'd like to taste
the fruit of my labors.
And the blossoms
are a little more plentiful.
But I remember
being very intentional
and saying,
no, I could taste
these blueberries now,
but I'm going to do
what I've been told.
I'm going to pinch
these blossoms
and I will trust
that that will produce
more fruit for me
in the long run.
Well, last year,
we got 72 pints
of blueberries, by the way.
So it's working out
pretty well so far,
although I think
we're only scratching
the surface.
But my point is,
what Jesus is saying
to us here is,
do you want to be satisfied
with a couple of handfuls
of blueberries now?
Or will you believe me
that by sacrificing
that small pleasure now,
you will receive
an abundant harvest
that you cannot even fathom
in this moment?
Well, this is a reward
that can only be seen
by faith.
And I believe God is glorified,
even uniquely glorified
in a way,
when we simply take him
at his word.
Even though we can't
grasp it right now,
we take him at his word.
We say, yes, Jesus,
I'm going to live my life
in light of that reality.
When we fix our eyes,
not on the things
that are seen,
but on the things
that are unseen.
Because the things
that are seen
are transient,
but the things
that are unseen
are eternal.
So Jesus is lifting
our eyes
to that unseen reward,
which,
though unseen,
is every bit as real
as the tangible sacrifice,
only far more lasting.
Several years ago,
I became aware
of a couple
in my home church
who were sponsoring
seven children
through our
orphan sponsorship program.
In a few minutes,
I'll tell you more
about our orphan
sponsorship program.
But this couple
was sponsoring
seven children.
And by the way,
I don't look
through our database
to find out
how many children
my friends are sponsoring.
I just stumbled
upon this information.
And it was notable to me,
not just by the number seven,
which is very nice,
but frankly,
we have people
who are sponsoring more.
What was notable to me
is that I know
this couple very well,
and I know
their standard of living.
They're just a very normal,
I would even say,
solidly middle class,
working class family.
And it was notable to me
that they were sponsoring
seven children.
So once I became aware of that,
I just said,
I got to drop them
a note in the mail,
let them know
how much I'm,
how grateful I am
that they're giving
sacrificially like that
toward our children.
So I dropped a note
in the mail.
Sometime later,
we bumped into each other,
and they referenced the note,
so we had a little
conversation about it.
And I came to learn
that this couple,
just like most of us,
when we launched
the sponsorship program
way back in 2003,
they started by sponsoring
one or maybe two children.
And then each year,
as the husband,
as the breadwinner
of that home,
would receive a raise,
they would just add
one more sponsored child.
Just kind of based
on the premise
that the Lord provided
well for us last year
with the income
that we had.
Now he's given us
an increase.
Let's share a little bit
of that increase
with a child in need.
And I was just
blown away by this.
In fact,
because I was bringing
this message again,
I checked in our database again,
and sure enough,
this couple's up to 13
sponsored children now.
So they're investing
in a major way
in our ministry,
even though they're
just living a very normal
American lifestyle.
My point in bringing
up their example
is not to say
that we should all
be sponsoring 13 kids,
or we should all
follow that practice
of adding one new child
each year.
My point is simply
to say this is a family
not of significant means.
The sacrifice
they're making is real.
They could be using
those funds
for some other purpose
to enhance
their own standard of living.
And you know what?
None of us
would even take notice.
None of us would say,
wow,
they're living high on the hog,
or that's self-indulgent.
We would never know
the difference.
But this couple
is not living
in accordance
with the things
of this world.
This is a couple
whose eyes are fixed
not on the things
that are unseen,
but on the things,
not on the things
that are seen,
but on the things
that are unseen.
They are sacrificing
in the here and now
for a reward
that's being kept
in heaven for them
where moth and rust
will not destroy,
and where thieves
will not break in
and steal.
Well, I don't know
about you,
but I want to live
my life in light
of that reality
as well.
And when I think
of our,
when I think
of Jesus' exhortation
here in Luke 14
to be generous
toward those
who can do nothing
to repay us,
I really can't help
but think of the children
who are growing up
sponsored in our
orphan sponsorship program.
If you are sponsoring
children through
our program,
it is virtually impossible
that they will ever
be able to give back
to you,
to do anything
to repay you
for your sacrifice.
Well, that is exactly
the kind of giving
that Jesus is commending
to us in this passage.
It's precisely this kind
of generosity
that he promises
to repay
at the resurrection
of the just.
And his use of that phrase,
the resurrection
of the just,
immediately puts me
in mind of Matthew 25
where Jesus talks
about the final day
and he talks about
saying to us
that enter into
your reward
for when I was hungry
you fed me,
when I was thirsty
you gave me something
to drink,
when I was in prison
you visited me,
and we'll say,
Jesus, when did we do
all these things?
And he'll say,
even as you've done
it to the least of these,
my brethren,
you've done it unto me.
Now, I just imagine,
this is my imagination now,
we're outside of Matthew 25,
but I just imagine
that Jesus might
in that moment
pull up a young lady
by his side
and say,
this is Kalkidan.
I want you to know Kalkidan.
She was born with HIV
in Ethiopia,
both of her parents
had lost their lives
to AIDS,
she was on a trajectory
to die of AIDS as well,
but because you gave
to her
when there was nothing
she could give you
in return,
she was restored
to good health.
And this also brought
a lady named Helena
into her life,
and Helena shared
the gospel with her
and led her to faith.
Kalkidan is here today
because you gave
when there was nothing
she could give you
in return.
Or maybe he'll pull up
a young man by his side
and say,
this is Charles,
you should know Charles.
Charles was born in Zambia,
he was able to go to school
because you invested
in Lighthouse Christian School,
he was able to get
a quality education,
he even gave his life
to Jesus as a young boy
because of a VBS
they did on a school break
at Lighthouse Christian School.
Later he was able
to access a scholarship program
and go off to university,
he became a teacher
and he was able
to influence the lives
of so many others
because you gave to him
when there was nothing
he could give you
in return.
My mind can just get going
when I think about
the ripple effects
of the investments
we're making
into these children's lives now.
Think of the ripple effects,
think of the future children
and grandchildren,
of the children
that we're giving toward now
who will know
the love of Jesus
because their mother
or their grandfather
received Christ
when he was just
a little child
running around the community
with insufficient care
but somebody invested
into him.
Well I believe
part of our reward
in eternity
will be the joy of seeing
with the eyes of eternity
the full glorious impact
that our acts of kindness
and generosity
we're able to achieve
in this life.
It takes the eyes of faith
to see that
in the here and now
and I couldn't be more grateful
for the faith
that God has given
to so many
who have invested generously
in the work of Covenant Mercies
for 19 years now.
So I'm going to turn the corner now
and just start to introduce you
to the ministry
of Covenant Mercies
which will turn 20 next year.
We're about to
become young adults I guess.
The main centerpiece
of Covenant Mercies
ministry
has always been
what we call
our orphan sponsorship program
and it's through this program
that sponsors are able
to invest
into the life
of a fatherless child.
So for the purposes
of our program
we define an orphan
as a fatherless child.
Sometimes the mother
is still alive
other times
they've lost both parents
and grandparents
have taken the children in
or an aunt or an uncle
has taken the children in
and then through the teams
we build on the ground
with our indigenous
church partners
we're able to go out
into the community
and to deliver
some basic nutritional,
medical,
and educational care
into the lives
of the children.
Well it is an exciting time
for us
after 19 years
of ministry
you might imagine
a lot of the children
that we started with
when we were young
as a ministry
they were very young children
and now they're
beginning to graduate
from our programs
and take their place
in society
as young adults.
So some of them
are able to express
in their own words
the impact that
the program has had
in their lives
so I want to introduce you
to a young lady
named Masai
from our program
in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
she's now a graduate
of that program.
I'm told there might be
a little bit of a delay
in the audio
of the video
but hopefully
you'll catch it.
My name is Masai Ayyeli
I was born in Addis Ababa
I'm 17 years old
the reason we came
to Covenant Mercies
is because
we were in trouble
my dad died
and then my mom
couldn't find a job
we didn't have
anything in the house
so we left
and went to the street
that's when
Covenant Mercies
found us
they helped me
attend school
they got us
to where we are now
Masai had a little
fight with her mom
it was very
like minor thing
and then
she said
bad things
about her mom
and then
she was cursing her
she was feeling
really bad
and then she
left the house
when I got
on the street
I couldn't find
a place
to spend the night
I stayed
three weeks
on the street
and then I found
some girls
and they befriended me
and we begged
people to give us
money to pay
for bed
each night
Helena kept
calling my mom
and she couldn't
find me
for a long time
so my mom
came
and she found
me where I used
to be
she told me
Helena been
looking for you
she wants
to talk to you
so in our
meeting
Masai was
she was
she was so
stubborn
she said
she doesn't
want to
there is no
need for her
to talk to us
but she just
simply came here
to tell us
that she doesn't
want to be
part of the program
I told her
I want to get
out of this
sponsorship
delete my name
I was going
to leave
and she said
ok let's pray
before we leave
but then
I asked her
if it's ok
for us to pray
and then we
prayed
and
surprisingly
after the prayer
she was a
different person
and then when
I asked her
to write
her goals
the goals
she was writing
was completely
different
like she was
saying she
wants to
go back to
school
make peace
with her
mother
and then
start old
friendships
with healthy
friends
and then
start studying
hair styling
which is her
dream
since I
returned to
the Lord
he has
done a
lot of
great
things
in my
life
I read
my Bible
I go to
church
and I
obtained
some of
the Bible
classes
those are
great times
the Lord
has done
great things
in my
life
now my
relationship
with my
family is
so much
better than
it was
before
it's
joyful
before
we didn't
have peace
in the
house
but now
we all
love each
other
and live
together
in peace
after I
finish school
I want
to help
people
who are
like I
used to
be
what I
want to
say to
my
sponsors
I run
out of
words
when I
think
about
them
may
God
retay
them
may
God
give
them
all
kinds
of
good
gifts
the
Lord
is
great
and
will
do
great
things
in my
life
I
know
that
there's
so many
reasons I
love to
show that
video as an
introduction
of our
ministry
and I
don't
I
won't take
long to
highlight
them
but just
briefly
obviously
Messiah's
deep
appreciation
for the
difference
that her
sponsor has
made in
her life
by persevering
with her
and giving
even through
those kind
of challenges
the emphasis
on the
family
we work
with the
family
and we
see it
as a
provision
of God's
common
grace
that family
ties are
very strong
in all the
African
nations
where we're
working
and so
rather than
removing the
children from
that context
in an
institutional
setting
we just
come alongside
the family
and it's a
beautiful story
there of the
restoration of
that family
and then
I just love
the opportunity
to introduce
you to some
of the
godly
competent
indigenous
leaders that
the Lord
has provided
for us
so you get
to know
Helena a
little bit
there
we are
blessed
with such
competent
and godly
brothers and
sisters that
we are
working with
and they are
integral to
our ministry
in covenant
mercy
so a few
of our
core values
come out
in that
way
even just
in telling
Messiah's
story
well through
19 years
of ministry
in sub-Saharan
Africa
we have
learned that
effectively
breaking cycles
of poverty
and making
a significant
difference in
the life
of our
children
requires an
intentional
and increasingly
direct investment
in the education
of our children
from day one
in our program
education has
always been
important and
we've always
recognized
it's going
to be critical
to help these
children break
out of cycles
of poverty
and yet
simply putting
a child in
a school
uniform
paying their
school fees
providing them
with the basic
necessities of
going to school
isn't enough
in many cases
when a hundred
other students
may be in the
classroom with
them depending
on which program
area we're talking
about and maybe
there's one teacher
and a few textbooks
to share among
those hundred
students
if our goal
and this is the
way we define
our goal in the
life of each
individual child
if our goal
is to restore
them to everything
God has created
them to be
as his image
bearers
then an investment
into their
education will be
critically important
for us
and a hundred
students in a
single classroom
will be a major
obstacle
that's why 15
years ago now
we began
collaborating with
our partners at
Lighthouse Christian
School in
Zambia
in 2006
we sponsored
just one classroom
of kindergarten
students
and then we
just grew the
school by adding
one new grade
each year to
the point that
today we have
children in grades
pre-k through
grade 7 at
Lighthouse serving
more than 300
students each and
every year to
receive quality
Christian education
there
we also partnered
with our partners
there to buy
land and develop
the campus through
the years as the
school has grown
so I think you're
looking at some
of the pictures of
the campus that we
have developed
over the years
we've been so
pleased with our
investment into the
students there at
Lighthouse that a
couple of years ago
in March 2019 we
broke ground on
Hope Community
Primary School in
western Uganda
where we have about
500 of our
sponsored children
and this was after
spending much of
oh first you're
looking at the
groundbreaking photo
that man with the
big smile on his
face on the far
right is Moses
Nkwatsibwe he's the
pastor of our
partner church there
and we have had
so much joy in
developing this
school project with
them I think you've
got a slide of our
this is the site plan
that Lord willing we
will phase in over a
period of years and
by God's grace we
were we've been able
to complete phase one
very quickly and so
you can get an
overhead view by the
way you can rent a
drone in western
Africa or western
Uganda so the next
photo will show you
the progress we've
made on that campus
thus far and we
had the joy of
opening that school
in February 2020
for about 90
students in grades
pre-k through grade
one and we plan to
add a new grade each
each year just as
we've done at
lighthouse in Zambia
and continue to grow
that school so that
by 2026 Lord willing
we'll be doing the
same thing grades
pre-k through grade
seven we'll have
hundreds of students
that will were able
to serve in this
severely underserved
region of Uganda by
that year now our
sponsorship program
carries the children
through grade 12 or
the basic vocational
school equivalent but
in recent years we
have also established
what we call the
Mapalo Scholarship
Fund for Higher
Education this is for
graduates of our
sponsorship program so
if they're able to
graduate from grade 12
and they are eligible to
continue on for
university studies
they're also eligible to
apply for a scholarship
through our Mapalo
Fund Mapalo means
blessing and it sort
of provides the blessing
of continuing studies for
those students who are
eligible well one of our
current Mapalo scholars is
a young man named Michael
Nkata and I think we got a
photo of Michael circa
2008 when he was first
enrolled in our program
lost both of his parents
raised by his aunt near the
school and from the time he
was enrolled at Lighthouse
Christian school he was
just a standout student
the teachers were keeping
their eye on him through
the years well fast forward
to today he's now a
pre-med student at the
University of Zambia on a
combined government and
Mapalo scholarship so he
earned a 75% scholarship
through a government
scholarship program and
then we were just topping
up the final 25% to send
him on a full scholarship to
the University of Zambia in
his Mapalo application
Michael described his desire
to become a doctor and his
desire to serve the
underserved as a doctor in
the following way he said
quote being an orphan and
being raised in a community
of people with low social
status has made me want to
study hard and be one person
who came from such a
background and still made it
in life and be able to give
hope to people where hope has
died and I just remember when
I was have the pleasure of
reading these Mapalo
applications as they come in
and just being part of the
decision process and I
remember reading that
statement in Michael's
application and just being
struck with the fact that
you know Michael is able to
pursue that dream today
because somebody gave him
hope where his hope might
have died because someone
gave to him when there was
nothing he could do to repay
them and all of this in
response to Christ who came
to us when there was
nothing we could do to pay
him back well there are
many ways that we can
respond to this this
exhortation from Jesus in
Luke chapter 14 and I'm
certainly not here this
morning to say that
covenant mercies is the
only way to respond but I
do want to invite you to
consider whether you might
want to join hands with us in
a few different ways first of
all your sponsorship of
children is what enables our
partners on the ground like
pastor Moses there like Helena
and others to you mobilize
them as a sponsor to go and
and serve in our children's
lives and to build that
bridge for the gospel into
their lives and even the
lives of their families so we
have a table in the reception
area over here where we'll be
hanging out afterwards and
there are profiles of children
who are awaiting sponsors if
you'd want to consider
sponsoring children I'd be happy
to answer any questions that
you may have about that the
schools that we're developing
are we raise funds separately
for those schools so we don't
utilize the sponsorship funds
sponsors give $39 a month and
that's a direct investment into
the life of that child but we
raise funds in other ways to
develop those schools and then
Lord willing years down the
road we will have more of those
students who are eligible to
continue on for higher higher
education studies and so we are
building them Apollo fund today
with that future day in mind in
the end we trust that these
young people will become
influencers in their home
communities influencers in
their families in their
churches in their communities
and those ripple effects that
we were kind of dreaming out loud
about earlier will take shape
through their lives well again I
hope you'll stop by the table and
consider perhaps sponsoring
children we are I didn't even
mention we're up to almost 1600
sponsored children in those three
different countries in fact you'd
send me home a very happy man if
the 16 kids in there were
sponsored and that would push us
over 1600 but those are just
numbers please we also have some
as I mentioned you know we raise
funds in other ways for those
school projects and different
things that we invest funds in
outside of sponsorship so we have
some merchandise I've got these
beautiful do justice love mercy
Micah 6 8 t-shirts that that we
sell for all the extra small
through extra large people on your
Christmas list also have these
beautiful true Africa photo books
dear friend of mine traveled with
me several times to all the
African nations where we serve and
he's just you can we've got one
there you can leave through it's a
little pricier but you could
consider that as well as a gift for
someone perhaps and also a gift for
us as a ministry regardless of
whether you decide to join hands
with covenant mercies specifically
today may we all grow even this
Advent season may we all grow in
this generosity that Jesus commends
to us may we grow to be disciples
who take selfless Christ-like
initiative toward those who could do
nothing to repay us knowing knowing
with the confidence of faith that we
will be repaid at the resurrection of
the just amen