Inkulumo ephathiwe ekuvalelisweni kombhishophi omdala uTswaedi nasekungenisweni kombhishophi omusha uWeber ngmhla ka 21 Mashi 2010

Brother Tswaedi, mfowethu Wilhelm I have come here, leaving my home in the lovely KwaZulu to be with you here in this place of many cars on this great day of our church. I have brought with me a story about an old Zulu man and his beautiful herd of nguni cattle.

Once upon a time, it was in the Kingdom of the Zulu, kwaZulu, an old man lived with his herd of cattle eduze kwasoTugela, that great river. He had a lovely home, ikhaya lakhe laba ikhaya elihle ngempela. Grass was always plentyful and his cattle were fat and fertile. His ngunis, the cattle of the Zulu, like all ngunis, were very colourful, colourful like the rainbow. He loved the brown, the white, the black, the red, the yellow, the red and white, the black and red, the black and white and he loved the ones with three colours, of course knowing each one by name, like “Orange” or “Khalisamadoda”, “Thawula” or “Twentyten”. He had big bulls, that could fight for a whole day, bellowing and challenging each other across the valleys. He had wonderful cows, that where good mothers, not scared to fight of Leopards with their long and shining horns, and of course many beautiful calves, that could tshekula for the joy of being alive. Boy, did this man love and know his cattle. We ma, lomuntu wazazi, lomuntu wazithanda izinkomo zakhe kakhulu.

When the ploughing season came, he would take a look at his oxen. To see which ones would be put under the yoke. Never would he choose an ox by it's colour, but only by it's ability to work in his field. Being a nguni oxen your colour did not matter but your strength, your endurance, your patience. For his work the old man needed big, strong, healthy oxen. Oxen that he had taken care of for many months. Oxen that responded to the sound of his voice. Oxen that had been trained by him. The old man let his one son take the plough. The smaller son took the lead rope. The well trained massiv oxen followed the umholi, the leading boy. Even though he was only half their hight he led them, he showed them the way, he held the lead. The oxen had to work together, they had to pull this heavy plough together, the old oxen, the amafolozi helping and guiding the young ones, the young ones pulling with great strength and vigour. The old man knew when the oxen needed to be rested, he knew which one would tier, which one would hold, which one would pull hard. At the end of the day the field would be ploughed, ready for planting, ready for the seed. The oxen would be rested, fed, they would be led to good water. It was a good life in the herd of the old man, there near the big Tugela river.

The herd of the old man, dear brother Tswaedi is the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. You have been the ifolozi in the LCSA for many years, you have pulled hard, you have supported, you have burdend with the other oxen. You are not out of the ploughing team, but you have been given a slightly lighter yoke. Thank you for your work, thank you that you are still available for pulling that heavy plough which is the gosple. I wish you a slightly easier ploughing season. More time to be with your favourite cow and calves, more eating of grass, more time to chew your cud, more rest in amongst the herd.

Brother Wilhelm in this season you have been choosen to be the leading ox in the LCSA. Not the only ox, but the leading one. Next to you is another ox. Behind you are older oxen and younger ones, stronger and weaker ones. To be the leading ox takes great care, don't tear yourself loose from the leaders rope, let the Holy Spirit lead you. Ungabi njengenkhunzi ethanda ukulwa, ukugoloza, ukuba nenkani. Thamba fowethu, njengekabi ebhekezelayo, ekwazi ukuzithoba, bangabantu alabo Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ holding the plough, his gosple, he will guide you with his word. Listen to the bellows of the other oxen. Eat and drink at the fountain of life. Don't try and pull on your own, the plough is much to heavy. You are a big ox, Jamludi obomvu njengentolwane, but the plough, the gosple is bigger. Let other oxen help you pull, let them take their part of the burden. So we can prepare the soil for planting the gosple in South Africa. And don't forget the calves and the cows, stay in the herd, in the congregation, rest with them, eat with them, live with them, because without them our life as oxen would be a shame.

May the Holy Spirit lead you, Jesus Christ guide you, God the Father protect and keep you. Mfowethu donsa igetsha levangeli, thwala umsebenzi wakho, uNkulunkulu makakuthwale, makakuhole, makakuqinise kulomsebenzi onzima kabi. Siyabonga.