Send Me, Jesus, ELW 549
Devotion
ENGLISH
Send me, Jesus; send me, Jesus;
send me, Jesus; send me, Lord. (Send me, Jesus.)
I am willing; I am willing;
I am willing, willing, Lord. (Send me, Jesus.)
ORIGINAL
Thuma mina, thuma mina,
thuma mina, Nkosi yam. (Thuma mina.)
Ndiya vuma, ndiya vuma,
ndiya vuma, Nkosi yam. (Thuma mina.)
My sister has lived in South Africa for the last seven years. She teaches young children in the poorest townships surrounding Cape Town how to read. This hymn is from South Africa. It consists of two sentences. "Send me, Jesus; send me, Lord. I am willing; I am willing, Lord." It reminds me that Christians were never intended to be settled people. God has called us by our baptism, gathers us together to feed us with word and sacrament and then sends us out to be the church in the world. But for us to be sent, to go out, we first must be willing. It is this willing spirit that is essential. To be sent by God doesn't mean you'll end up in South Africa, but you might. To be sent by God means that you are willing to serve in Jesus' name where ever there might be a need. Are you willing?
Prayer
Good and gracious God, give us a willing spirit to serve where there is a need. Amen.