The first day at Mwiri Primary School, Jinja still lingers in my memory. It was one of the best primary schools in the country at the time, and certainly the best in our region. My parents were thrilled to get me in there and they did not hesitate to communicate that to me. I was so glad to get to school. And I gleefully said my farewells.
When our kids were getting ready to start school, I remember how my wife and I prepared each of them for their first day. We gave them special clothes and made special conferences with each one of them: telling them much of what we knew about their school. We gave them much hope. They were filled with joy at the prospect. We took pictures for historical purposes, seeking to preserve the special irreplaceable moments. Yea, though we have a wonderful time at the start, the honey moon soon ends and ‘real’ life starts. . .
We have come together at Asbury to study and reflect, to prepare for a lifetime of ministry. This is not to say that we have not been in ministry. But it is going to mar the start of a new phase of ministry. Even after one or two days of seminary experience, you are not the same as before. God enabling, all the classes will improve us and make us better ministers of God's word and sacraments. So I pray for the professors and fellow students, that we together will stand in God's presence and learn at Jesus' feet. . . Like me in primary school, and my kids going to school for the first time, the start of semester is such an exciting time! For new students, it is a new experience, so much cool stuff around us. For returning students, joy fills our hearts at teh sight of old friends and new acquintances. For now, it is all joy!
It is later in the semester that we begin to wonder if this was our best choice after all. We wonder if this was even good for us. Well, was it? One young lady, having found her man, joyfully told a friend about him. The friend said: “When the days of difficultly and darkness come, do not doubt what the Lord revealed to you in the light!”
Similarly, we do well to remember that: when the assignments pile up and something or another isn’t working as it should. When tiredness sets in and blistered tongues cannot taste of food; when beckoning phone calls arise from our past, inviting us home again . . . and threaten to hinder our current progress, or when our new society we fail to perceive; when all is dark and difficult – let us remember to look up to the One who called us here. That One will sustain our hope. It is about Him that David wrote in the psalm: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil because you are with me. It is not because we are out of danger that we relax. No, it is because the danger we are in does not match the might of our Friend and Companion on the slippery downward slopes. Danger must first deal with our God before it can ever reach us. It is a matter of faith: do we trust God, or do we not? When things get difficult: take heart my friends. You will get there. Your enemies will watch you spread a napkin over your your lap to dine with the Master in victory! And I say, halleluiah!
Your first day at Asbury will soon turn into the next and the next. The first week will soon turn into weeks of hard work. I must say, though, I quite enjoy the school. There are many improvements that are constantly happening. While we are getting used to one innovation, behold, another appears in the distance. This is a good time to be at Asbury! And there is a lot of good to learn here. Let’s take the advantage of what has been served up on our plates. And let us move forward in the way the Lord has allotted for us.
Robert Magoola
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