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REFLECTION
Every tribe and nation together as one is the theme for our reflection. Every tribe and nation together as one means people with different cultural identities from diverse geographical locations will be united with a common purpose. We shall focus on the fact that it is only through salvation in Christ that every tribe and nation will come together as one.

Beloved in the Lord, salvation through Christ makes it possible for tribes and nations to be united. John confirmed the aforementioned fact when it was revealed to him in his vision, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9-10), In other words, when Jesus returns the second time, believers shall be brought together from different tribes and nations to become one people who will share a common identity as co-heirs and citizens of the the Heavenly Kingdom. Our collective and mutual salvation will take away any preexisting divisive barrier based on tribe and nationality or race. The United Nations has the mission of bringing together all nations to work together for world peace and development. It has been able to achieve some success but the mission is largely elusive because many nations and tribes continue to remain divided for various reasons. Again, even in the United Nations, nations do not have an equal stake and opportunity when it comes to decision-making. The irony is that we have a divided or fragmented United Nations. In recent times, Gaza and Israel have been at war and many innocent lives have been being lost daily with many suffering life-threatening injuries in both countries. In the midst of the war, we have other countries in the United Nations supporting either Gaza or Israel. They continue to support both countries with weapons to fight one another. The United Nations is unable to do much to stop the killing and destruction of properties in both countries. Dear friend, the whole concept of a Global village where all nations and tribes will be united and brought together through technological advancement, and political and economic cooperation remains a mirage because other nations and tribes continue to exploit others. In the current system of a Global village and the United Nations there exists a huge gap of inequality, economic injustice and subjugation among nations

The only hope we have in attaining true unity among nations and tribes is through Jesus Christ. In Christ we see nations and tribes coming together in the spirit of ecumenism. Ecumenism is the movement or tendency toward worldwide Christian unity or cooperation. Ecumenism allows Christians from different nations and tribes to come together as one for a common purpose. Jesus unites us and uses us regardless of our tribes and nations to fulfil God’s mission of saving the world. Because God has the mission of saving every tribe and nation, we are told that when the Holy Spirit came on the believer “…, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” ¹² Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” (Acts 2:6-12). This event was a precursor to John’s revelation where at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ many people from every tribe and nation shall be united through their mutual salvation. Let us work towards the salvation of many as congregations and as ecumenical bodies so that we shall experience the salvation and unity of every tribe and nation.

In Summary, we have deliberated on the theme “Every tribe and nation together as one”. We have discovered that although with our human effort, unity is hard to achieve among tribes and nations, with Jesus it is possible. It is only through salvation in Christ that every tribe and nation can be united. Let us continue to be guided by the Holy Spirit so that at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ multitudes from every tribe and nation shall come together as one and be saved.

PRAYER
Holy Spirit, strengthen us to overcome the divisive barriers that exist among tribes and nations. May our common baptism in the Triune God and the power of the Gospel unite us more than our cultural and national differences. Amen.