The Ethiopian Church Journal Blog

The Beginning And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. And God said, "Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.

Charleston and Christian Response By Mitiku Adisu Here is the story: On June 17, 2015, a young man showed up to a Wednesday night prayer meeting with a concealed weapon on his person and a heart loaded with hate. It's not the normal way to join or remain within the believing community. Judas did Jesus in with a stealthy kiss. Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane at the time, and it was night. Nothing is really new; no one knows, save God, what goes on in a person's heart and mind—not even the person once he or she is possessed by demons. "Then Satan entered Judas" [Luke 22:3].  The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve."  [Jeremiah 17:9–10] The Charleston visitor was made welcome, probably too overtly, because not many show up on a Wednesday night, especially for a praye

Why Spend Money On What Is Not Bread? Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. [Isaiah 55:2] The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone.Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for foo

  End of the World? By Mitiku Adisu "The Last Judgement" by Afewerk Tekle, 1958, 3 x 2.5 meters Prophets, priests, and politicians have all speculated when the world will end. By prophets, we mean the type that can't even cheat the lie detector. We need not waste time on politicians [and some in the "climate" camp]. Many have come and gone, including sincere but misguided Christians, warning us to prepare for a Doomsday that never came.What this does is spread cynicism to the point of making the idea indistinguishable from the characters proclaiming it. As we write this, the news that has been twirling for over two years is that Maya priests have finally figured out 12-21-12 as the real  end of the world! Let me go ahead and predict that the end of the world will not happen tomorrow! How can I say that? Well, first, the date is too  specific ; secondly, to mark such a momentous matter with such specificity is not what humans are made for. I will admit, h

  Twelve, Twelve, and Twelve By Mitiku Adisu   Today is the 12th day of the 12th month in the Year of our Lord 2012. Let me say this; Every day of the month and every month of the year is the Lord’s. In other words, there is no day, month or year that is not the Lord’s. It was God who instituted time in six days of Creation, reserving the Seventh for rest and established weekly, monthly, yearly observances, etc. So what makes today unique other than that it has arrived with three 12s in tow? Well, according to this retired professor of mathematics those who are on the Gregorian calendar and want to see a repeat of a similar event will have to prolong their earthly life by one hundred years! I am sorry but the likelihood of any reading this post not reaching that mark is 100 per cent. But should that stop us from making a statement of the Century and, per chance, launching few choice words for storage in The Cloud, if only someone would show us how? But first we want to distanc

Love Reconciles Bishop Festo Kivengere, 1919-1988    In our community, after Christians were liberated by the power of the risen Lord, people of all sorts were shaken by contact with them.    Take, for instance, a Muslim shopkeeper. One day a customer came into his shop and said, "Here, these 200 shillings are yours. I cheated you out of this money and you didn't find out." He explained how it happened.    "Well! Why do you bring it now?"    "Jesus has changed my life and has told me to pay my debt to you. I felt poor with 200 shillings in my pocket, but I am a rich man now that you have them. Please forgive me." In those days that was a lot of money, and so when the man left, the shopkeeper's mouth was gaping.     Some British officials were jarred. At times there were so many people waiting outside to return or pay things that the district commissioner complained that it was hard to get his work done.    A man would say, &qu

Give Thanks It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands. How great are your works, O LORD, how profound your thoughts!  My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. "His love endures forever." Give thanks to the God of gods. "His love endures forever." Give thanks to the Lord of lords: "His love endures forever." to him who alone d