Archive for the ‘joy’ Category

Christ est ressuscité

Christ est ressuscité

En gloire, en dignité.

O ! que toute la terre

Chante haut sans se taire !

Christ est ressuscité,

Vive la liberté !

Les chaînes sont brisées

La haine est méprisée.

Christ a vaincu la mort

Pourtant si terrifiante

Christ a vaincu la mort

Elle n’est plus que fiente.

Christ a vaincu Satan

Et je suis bien content

Jadis plein de hardiesse

Il n’est plus que faiblesse.

Christ est ressuscité.

Je suis en sûreté.

Qui me fera la guerre ? 

Christ est Roi de la terre.

Tout genou fléchira

Et tout être dira

Que christ est le seul Maître

Des objets et des êtres.

Et quand viendra la fin

De ce monde enfin,

Je serai dans sa gloire

Chantant haut la victoire.

Tiré de Moussa Bongoyok Joyeux malgre la crise(Pasadena,CA: Trinity Press, 2002) p. 29.

(c)Copyright, Moussa Bongoyok, 2002.

Joyeuse fête de Pâques à tous!

CHRISTMAS: ONE FESTIVAL, TWO KEY CONCEPTS

Today is a special day for Christianity. Many non-Christians have also adopted Christmas out of solidarity or for personal convenience. It, therefore, seems appropriate to us to stimulate reflection on the deep meaning of this festival and its impact on humanity in the light of Luke 2:13-14: “Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (NIV)

These words follow the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and his solemn announcement to the shepherds who tended their flocks in the vicinity of Bethlehem. It was at night. The timing could not be better to announce the birth of the Light of the world. However, the symbol does not stop there because the choice of shepherds seems highly disconcerting. Indeed, the shepherds did not have a good reputation at that time. People perceived them as dirty, dishonest, and unreliable. They were, therefore, on the margins of society. But curiously, it is on them and not on the political authorities, the religious leaders, or the business men and women that the choice of God falls to have the scoop of this announcement as exceptional as it is. But what is the deep meaning of this divine strategy?

The hermeneutical key seems to reside in the two fundamental concepts: “glory” and “peace”. Although the original text is in Greek, the terms dóxa (glory) and eirênê (peace) naturally refer to Hebrew realities because the first listeners were Jews. Thus, the glory does not only translate the external beauty and the excellence of the divine nature. It also reflects the Hebrew term kavod, which means “glory, honor, respect, distinction, and importance.” Thus, beyond the aesthetic dimension, the divine majesty is so immense that its weight is terrifying. As a result, human norms and conventions crumble like a house of cards before divine glory, giving shepherds the same value in the eyes of God as any other individual in society. The reasoning is simple: everybody is welcome since even marginalized people are now valued. Christmas is good news for everyone, without any discrimination. What about the second concept?

Here too, it would be aberrant to see in peace mentioned in this text the notion of absence of war and conflict conferred by the etymological meaning of this term in Greek. Instead, this word is deeply rooted in the Jewish cultural and religious context. Thus, “peace” refers to the Hebrew term shalom. It confers the idea of harmony in all dimensions of the human condition. It is harmony with God, with oneself, with one’s fellow beings, with one’s activities, and with one’s environment. In short, it is holistic well-being. At Christmas, God announces to humanity the solution to the multidimensional imbalance caused by the fall in the Garden of Eden. Through Christ, God is interested in spiritual, physical, psychological, social, economic, environmental, and integral welfare of His creatures. It is also under this holistic paradigm that the Lord Jesus placed his ministry through reading the passage from the book of Isaiah, which relates to it in detail (cf. Luke 4:16-19 and Isaiah 61:1 -2 [old Greek version]). Thus, the shepherds have become agents of integral transformation. They promptly assumed this responsibility, spreading the good news in their immediate surroundings (cf. Luke 2:16-20). We then understand that if the outcast can be catalysts for holistic peace, those with a more honorable social position can do it more.

Therefore, this profound message has a broader scope than a superficial reading of the text! The fact that the text is available today, even translated into multiple languages and within reach of the contemporary public, challenges us all. To celebrate Christmas in the spirit of the biblical story is to go beyond the peripheral, material, commercial or worldly dimensions to live the values it contains. As former US President John Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) so aptly said, “Christmas is not a day or a season; it’s a state of mind.”  Beyond Christmas’s lively and temporal character, human beings may draw from the depth of their relationship with the Creator of the universe and everything within it to be an instrument of peace in all its dimensions. In so doing, the world would be a better place to live. May it please the Lord to grant us the courage, wisdom, strength, and perseverance to be ambassadors of shalom, in words and deeds, in a world plagued by hostile forces and violence in its many forms!

Prof. Moussa Bongoyok

Christmas 2022

TSAMAHA Bienvenu loue le Seigneur en mafa -TSAMAHA Bienvenu is praising the Lord in Mafa – TSAMAHA Bienvenu a slèberdè Zhiklè a da’i mofa

TSAMAHA Bienvenu

Ndav nga a wuffè te man Zhiklè m’woy nga…m’va nga nshèffè a mèdèp.

Nous nous réjouissons parce que Dieu nous a aimé…Il nous a donné la vie éternelle.

We rejoice because God loved us…He gave us eternal life.

The Prayer of Habakkuk

  • In what ways COVID-19 has impacted the local economy and even spiritual life negatively?
  • What do we learn from Habakkuk in such challenging times and how do we apply these lessons to our individual and collective lives?
  • Joy must characterize the life of a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. If there is no joy in your daily life, please watch as there is certainly a spiritual leak. Ask yourself these diagnostic questions: Am I complaining often? Do I have the tendency to blame others for almost everything? Do I talk to myself negatively? Do I dwell in my past successes or failures? Do I resist to change? Do I want to please everybody (which by way is am impossible task)? Do I doubt God’s wonderful plan for my life? Do I neglect my Bible study, church attendance, and prayer life? I am hiding to commit sin or life my life like an ungodly person without a respectful fear of God? Am I jealous? Am I envious? Am I afraid of what will happen to me given my current life circumstances? Bring these issues to the Lord in prayer and your will enjoy His peace and joy.
  • Prof. Moussa Bongoyok

Va va na a Bi nga – Let us give to our Lord – Donnons à notre Seigneur

Dimèsh m’vi skway a Zhiklè a ganzavar Mafahay, a n’gècè ndalinga. Chant d’offrande accompagné de la harpe Mafa et au rythme de la danse ndalinga. Offering song accompanied by the Mafa harp and to the rhythm of the ndalinga dance.

Chant de Noël au rythme de maray – Christmas song to the rythm of maray – Priscille et Moussa Bongoyok

https://contributionsafricaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/priscille-et-moussa-bongoyok.mov

Let us rejoice because the coming of Jesus in this world brings deliverance from the slavery of sin!

Réjouissons-nous car la venue de Jesus dans ce monde nous annonce la délivrance de l’esclavage du péché!

GLOIRE A DIEU et PAIX AUX ETRES HUMAINS

Jesus, the Light of the World

Le Maray à Sirak

Sosi ngaya a Yesu- Thank you Jesus- Mafa Music

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Thank you, Jesus, Thank you

You are the King of kings

Alpha and Omega

The Morning Star

The Way

The Prince of Peace

The Father of Grace

The Truth

The Eternal Life

The Good Shepherd

The Bread of Life

The Source of living water

You opened the eyes of Bartimaeus

You healed the man with leprosy

You give life

Give me your wisdom

Lead me

Watch over your Church

Watch over our family

We give you all our hearts

We give you all our life

Rule over it…

Merci, Jésus, merci

Tu es le Roi des rois

Tu es Alpha et Omega (le Commencement et la fin)

L’Etoile du matin

Le Chemin

Le Prince de la Paix

Le Père de la grâce

La Vérité

La Vie éternelle

Le Bon berger

Le Pain de la vie

La Source d’eau vive

Tu as ouvert les yeux de Bartimée

Tu as guéri le lépreux

Tu donnes la vie

Donne-moi ta sagesse

Guide-moi

Veille sur ton Eglise

Veille sur notre famille

Nous te donnons entièrement nos cœurs

Nous te donnons notre vie entière

Règne là-dessus …

Musique et paroles:  Pr Moussa Bongoyok

(c) copyright by Moussa Bongoyok, 2017

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