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CALABAR’S CENTENARY SERVICE SERMON

CALABAR’S CENTENARY SERVICE SERMON. Rev. Dr. Stephen Jennings. Base Passage: Jeremiah 32: 1-25. Jeremiah’s country Israel was being besieged by the Babylonians & was erupting in societal and personal crises as a consequence

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CALABAR’S CENTENARY SERVICE SERMON

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  1. CALABAR’S CENTENARY SERVICE SERMON Rev. Dr. Stephen Jennings

  2. Base Passage: Jeremiah 32: 1-25 • Jeremiah’s country Israel was being besieged by the Babylonians & was erupting in societal and personal crises as a consequence • Jeremiah was instructed by God to buy a field from one his relatives, and did so • He did, as a sign of practical hope in face of overwhelming despair • Jeremiah prayed a prayer of national repentance and hope, which was a prophetic recounting of Israel’s history with a view to helping it understand its present & to negotiate and shape its future

  3. Base Passage: Jeremiah 32: 1-25 cont’d • Our country is being besieged by Elitist Domination & is erupting in societal and personal crises as a consequence • We are being instructed by God to observe the 100th Anniversary of Calabar and the 50thAnniversary of Jamaica’s Independence, and are doing so • We do, as a sign of practical hope in face of overwhelming despair • We need to learn from Jeremiah’s prayer of national repentance and hope. We need a prophetic recounting of Calabar’s ( & by extension Jamaica’s) history with a view to understand our present & help us to negotiate and shape the future

  4. Prophetic recounting of Calabar’s History • The Idea of Calabar • The Ideals of Calabar • The Independence of Calabar • The Iniquity of Calabar • The Inquiry to Calabar • The Instructions to Calabar

  5. The IDEA of Calabar IDEA Links between the African mainland & the African Diaspora especially because of the inhumanity of slavery and the need for re-humanisation as expressed in the liberating gospel of Jesus Christ (1843-1911)

  6. The IDEALS of Calabar IDEALS Muscular Christianity as displayed in God-honouring, other-respecting mentoring & mission, service, & dedication particularly towards the poor and needy –“My Utmost For His Highest”- Oswald Chambers (1911-1948)

  7. The INDEPENDENCE of Calabar INDEPE NDENCE The IDEAS & the IDEALS of Calabar came together in the Calabar-led quest for decolonisation and national self-determination (1948-1990)

  8. The INDEPENDENCE of Calabar INDEPE NDENCE • Arthur Wint & Herb McKenley, who led Jamaica’s charge to Olympic glory in 1948 & 1952, & thereby helped an entire people, not only Jamaicans but Africans everywhere that they could be world-beaters & changers • The Sherlock Brothers, Hugh and Phillip, one of whom help to write the National Anthem , while the other helped to found the first University College in the entire Caribbean (UCWI/later UWI); others in every field • The Calabar High School colours helped to provide the colours of the Jamaican National Flag, and doubtless also lent support for the interpretation of its symbolism

  9. The INIQUITY of Calabar INIQUITY The INIQUITY of Calabar- We (all) moved away from the IDEAS & IDEALS of Calabar, and have undermined the quest for INDEPENDENCE, through our uncritical embrace of neo-liberalism, materialism, consumerism, individualism and secularism (1990-present)

  10. The INQUIRYto Calabar INQUIRY How much, as a people in general and as Calabar in particular, are we aware of our INIQUITY as a people, and how much do we wish to change this, given its outcome(s)?

  11. The INSTRUCTIONS for Calabar The need to: • Revisitthe IDEA of Calabar • Recall the IDEALS of Calabar - God-honouring, other-respecting mentoring & mission, service, & dedication particularly towards the poor and needy –“My Utmost For His Highest” • Rejoiceat the INDEPENDENCE of Calabar in this 100th year of the school & Ja.’s

  12. The INSTRUCTIONS for Calabar • Repent at the INIQUITY of Calabar in light of the INQUIRY to Calabar • Return to IDEA & IDEALS of Calabar, (The need to link with Africa(ns) and the need to take up God-honouring, other-respecting mentoring & mission, service, & dedication particularly towards the poor and needy –“My Utmost For His Highest”) even while renewing the (trans)national quest for non-elitist self-determination particularly in Economic Realm

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