wfn.org | LWI 2009-003 Interdependence of Human Beings Calls for Mutual Sharing of Burdens - LWF New Year Me

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Interdependence of Human Beings Calls for Mutual Sharing of
Burdens
2009 New Year Message from LWF General Secretary 

GENEVA, 14 January 2009 (LWI) – The interdependence of human
beings in bearing each other’s burdens, whether as nations or
members of the Christian community, is the focus of the
traditional New Year message from the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF).

In the 2009 message released today, LWF General Secretary Rev.
Dr Ishmael Noko invites the Lutheran communion to reflect on the
Apostle Paul's calling to churches to bear one another’s burden
in order to fulfill the law of Christ. 

He points out that while all human beings carry burdens
irrespective of the nature or size, society admires the
"do-it-yourself" approach to life, prizing independence, and
educating its members for self-reliance. Nations similarly aspire
for security within their own borders and walls. 

However, notes Noko, Paul's pastoral message to the Galatians
challenges the way the kingdom of this world functions, and
contradicts its culture and spirit with that of God’s kingdom in
which 'independence' and 'dependency' are brought together into
'interdependence'. The general secretary underscores the
apostle's insistence on interdependence as the hallmark of the
church. "In this context, burdens are never borne in isolation,
but rather in mutuality, as we are an integral part of the one
body of Christ. Paul maintains that the law of Christ makes
foolish the wisdom of this world, which sees independence as a
strength and dependency as a weakness," he adds.

Injustices of various forms such as slavery and human
trafficking would be overcome in a society shaped by the values
of God's kingdom, Noko argues. He says recognition of human
beings' interdependence "would also imply that one cannot throw
bombs at another without destroying oneself. Similarly, denying
any human being access to basic rights such as food, shelter and
a life in dignity would find no place in the kingdom of God."

The LWF general secretary appeals for concerted effort in
healing the wounds created by all kinds of unshared burdens, and
in building bridges across visible and invisible lines of
division and separation walls. 

In this New Year, he adds, "as Christ’s disciples, we are called
again to love our neighbors as ourselves." (368 words)

The full text of the New Year message is available on the LWF
Web site
at:http://www.lutheranworld.org/LWF_Documents/LWF-New_Year_Message-2009.pdf

This message is accompanied by a student’s drawing from a field
program of the LWF Department for World Service. 

>*        *          *

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF
currently has 140 member churches in 79 countries all over the
world, with a total membership of over 68.3 million. The LWF acts
on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such
as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

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