We have just recently finished the first year of our second term with the Kei Region of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa.  Our work continues, both with HIV/AIDS projects as well as agricultural development.  Our children, Khaya and Aly, are both doing well and growing quickly.  They are enjoying the crèche and are involved in many activities including swimming, sports, and ballet. 

As we write this letter, we are living in a time of much uncertainty, both here in Africa and around the world.  South Africa is entering a time of political uncertainty as we prepare for elections next year and rival parties vie for power.  Many places in Africa such as Kenya, Zimbabwe, Sudan, and Chad are in crisis and many people, especially the poor, are caught in cycles of violence in which they have no control or say.  Even within the United States, fear of "the other" drives us to make war and build fences.  When we look at our world and our lives, we each want to hunger and thirst for peace and for justice, and we wonder if and when it may come.  Jesus' words from the Gospel of Matthew give assurance that, even in the face of violence, oppression, and injustice, righteousness is still possible.

For many of us, because of how we have heard the term defined and talked about in sermons and Sunday School, we think of righteousness in terms of personal morality.  To many, being righteous means not doing certain things, not acting in certain ways, and not hanging out with those that do.  But the word righteousness, when used in scripture, means much more than personal morality.  It means seeking justice.  "Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for justice ..." And seeking justice is very difficult, for it is not just about my own personal life and story, but about my willingness to involve myself in the lives and stories of others.  In a word, righteousness is about solidarity.

In this time of Lent, as we think about the life our Lord led, let us remember the radical solidarity that Jesus lived.  It was a radical solidarity that led him to befriend prostitutes, tax collectors, and thieves.  It was a radical solidarity that led him to stand up on behalf of the poor, the widows, the orphans; those that society paid no attention to.  It was a radical solidarity that led him to the cross.  His was a life lived in search of righteousness, longing for justice.