Hawking the word of God

He gets up every morning and strolls Kigali streets to preach the word of God. Standing there, holding Bible in his hands trying to woo city dwellers back to God, many think the man of God is showing some unnecessary familiarity. He should keep to his side of fence and mind his own business. “Turn to God because time to repent your sins is running out,” pastor Hilary Karenzi beseeches a group of young girls passing by. They are speaking on top of their voices and pass by completely without noticing him. He has managed to capture the attention of four. I stand and listen. “Happy are those who regard Jesus Christ highly. The Kingdom of God belongs to them,” the pastor continues. But many people are in hurry and they hardly listen to him. What people usually do is to stick their noses in the air and walk a way. The mortals this pastor is waiting as they leisurely walk towards him say as the pass by that the pestering pastor might a sinner himself. “You might find that this pastor has sinned more than everybody here,” one girl says. While others are trekking on the streets of Kigali seeking for employment opportunities, the saved is emphasizing on the importance of spreading the Gospel to the brethren. He sounds like a pastor contented with the noble act of spreading the word of God. I approach him. When I ask where he gets a living when he spends most of time preaching. He replies: “Don’t you know that birds eat yet they don’t have gardens?” he asks in a disappointed tone as he keeps one eye to his prospective followers. Quoting the book of Genesis, he says even greatest King Solomon rich as he was, felt didn’t’ have enough. He says: “The lord I save takes care of me. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want,” he says confidently. He labels me a man of ‘little faith’! He closes his eyes and throws his hands in the air before he talked to him again. “Why bother about the earthly things, better surrender what you have and follow the Lord,” he appeals. He tells me the story of Apostles. “Some were fishermen, but gave up the profession for the sake of Almighty,” he adds. With my poor memory of the bible, I try to remember few things. I asked him about the words that were spoken by Saint Paul and asked him what he meant when he said that he who does not work should not eat. The preaches and sings. He stresses the value of singing more especially during prayers. He says when you sing, you pray twice. He refers to King David, as an example of depicting singing as the core issue while worshipping. He says dancing while jumping up and down is part and parcel of worshipping. “Actually it’s a normal procedure,” adds. He keeps repeating these words: “Happy are the poor, because they will see Almighty, the Omnipotent.” He mention a parable of a rich man who told Jesus he was up right through his dealings with the flock, and asked Jesus what else he was obliged to do so as to be completely attached to the path leading to Heaven. “You remember, Jesus told this rich man to go and distribute his property to the poor as a prerequisite of going to Heaven,” he says. So you can see how material wealth can be stumbling block towards the way leading to the creator, the pastor asserted. He reminds people moving up and down in pursuit of money that it is easier for the camel to enter the eye of a needle than a rich man entering the Kingdom of God. But they don’t listen to him. He says the masses are reluctant to be converted, but as a man of God, he believes he has done his part. Asked whether he has wisdom to know that the world is about to end, he says the writing is on the wall for everybody to see. He says wars, suicide bombings, famine, incurable diseases like HIV/AIDS, Ebola, lawlessness that characterizes most communities world wide were strong signs that God is not happy. He predicts that soon, misunderstandings will arise among families where daughters will be at logger heads with their mothers, sons versus their fathers. “The only solution is to turn to God,” he emphasizes. He preaches that through incarnation, Jesus redeemed man from the after effects of original sin because this gave him the kind the right to be called children of God, through the Sacrament of Baptism. He quotes again several verses. He tells two young men who are passing by hurriedly that man created in God’s image that he relentless worships him. Ends