I was born and raised in the country, that recently has been very much in the public eye – The land of the ‘Vu Vu Zelas’ or more commonly known as South Africa! The vu vu zela took the world by storm; but as fast as it became popular, it also became nothing more than an annoying sounding horn that resembles a bumblebee hyped up on red bull! After expressing my thoughts about them to my wife one evening after watching a football match, I saw some clips of the crowds on the stadium and the camera zoned in on a young lad blowing his vu vu zela like mad. At first I was irritated, but then I realised, for him, it was his moment to shine and be heard in the world. He was united with thousands, and together the whole world was hearing a unique culture. He had been given 90 minutes to let the world hear him, and he used his time ‘well’! Others waved their flags and painted their faces, so the world could identify the county they supported, but as for the South Africans, they decided to let the world hear who they are!

 

 

We as Christians have ‘The Old Rugged Cross’ as our flag. Sadly, many in the world look upon it as merely an instrument of torture, and true that’s exactly what it was, as the words of the hymn writer expressed, ‘the emblem of suffering and shame’; but what is also important is the message about The Cross. It is a message of divine and selfless love, mercy, compassion as well as a message of redemption for all who turn to Jesus and accept Him as their personal Saviour. In addition, thousands of people for whom Jesus died for, and still love, see this message as folly and as irritating as listening to a vu vu zela; Paul wrote in his first letter to Corinth: “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.” 1Cor 1:18 NLT

 

In no way am I comparing the life saving message of The Cross to the sound of a vu vu zela but what I’m bring to your attention this week, is that when a unified group stand together and sound the same message, the world listens, and it makes a deep and lasting impression on all who hear it! Unlike the sound of a vu vu zela, the wonderful message that Jesus saves, is the sweetest sounding message that has ever been heard. Why don’t you decide to tell someone about Jesus, and His love for them this week, I will, and I pray that all who read this will take the challenge with me. Let’s wave our flag, the effective way this week, and let the world not only see, but hear who we are!