The Planting of the Lord

The gospel of Luke, describes a dramatic scene in which Jesus stands before his friends and neighbors for the first time and announces his life’s mission. Luke tells us that Jesus comes to his home town synagogue and reads an excerpt from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 61.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Jesus’ words resonated with his audience. They had suffered greatly for generations, and even as Jesus spoke, they were suffering under the brutal domination of the Roman Empire. They longed to hear good news.

So when he finished by saying “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing,” it must have created quite a stir.

The people of the Nuba Mountains have likewise suffered greatly for generations under the hands of brutal dictators and self-serving regimes. And yet, they remain strong and determined, with a deep culture and dignity that transcends their circumstances.

The theme of this blog is The Planting of the Lord. It comes from the same prophecy that Jesus quotes, and it is a fitting description of the Christians of the Kadugli Diocese of Sudan. There has been a Christian presence in this region since the earliest centuries of the Christian faith. The people of the Nuba Mountains have been a Planting from the Lord from as early as the 1st or 2nd century after Christ.

Isaiah says that a time will come when God will create a people who will be “…the planting of the Lord, that He [God] will be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the devastations of many generations.”

Today we see Isaiah’s prophecy being fulfilled in virtually every nation on earth. Christians have become a source of life and renewal in communities devastated by war, disease, and persecution. This is evident in the most vivid ways in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains. When the Nuba Christians rebuild schools destroyed by war, when they share their sparse resources to help their neighbors, when they cross religious and cultural barriers to build peace and community, the Christians of the Nuba mountains are rebuilding ancient ruins, raising up former devastations, and repairing the devastations of many generations. They are proclaiming Jesus’ gospel of peace

Pax Dei for Nuba exists to support the efforts of these people, our brothers and sisters in the faith. In this blog, we hope to give you glimpses of their life, their faith, and the work they do. Stay tuned!