Spudcaster

Bishop Brian Abrahams of the Moravian Church delivered this sermon as part of a series entitled “Resurrection Wonders”. The Moravian Church in Bellville, Cape Town, set up this podcast in response to the lockdown. So drop us an email if you would like to subscribe. And visit the Spudcaster page for more podcasts.

Reverend Heidi Petersen delivered the first sermon after Easter. Under the theme “Nothing is ever the same, thank God”. And it is premised on Matthew 28: 2-4. After that the Grace United Church Choir performed the closing hymn entitled “We shall go out with hope of resurrection”. Easter is celebrated under an extended lockdown in the face of a global pandemic. The podcast is a service to the church community and friends. So visit the Spudcaster page for more podcasts.

So there’s this idea going around in my head. Suspended reality. They have us convinced that because of coronavirus, we have temporarily suspended reality, when in actual fact, because of coronavirus we are presently experiencing reality. Think about it. You’ve been told to stay home in order to save your life. And without the noise you realise that you’ve been living your best life all along.

Any psychologist would love to be inside my head right now. To be able to study any human brain during a lockdown, that’s gold right there. And they don’t have to go that far either. We have all become the experiment. In South Africa, they have cut off the supply of cigarettes and alcohol. For obvious reasons, I gather. Alcohol is a depressant. Forcing people to stay at home and allowing them to stew in depression is a sure fire recipe for disaster. This is the smart lockdown.

Don’t be distracted by the noise. Switch off your tv. They cannot tell you anything you don’t already know. Like the insurance industry, the media is like the public’s stunt devil. So they’re out there in the mean streets, wearing masks. Risking their lives to tell you about the great wonders on the empty streets of Johannesburg. But this is one reality that cannot be manufactured.

This is real life. When last did you catch a sunrise? Yesterday, you say? That is real life. There is no need for any of us to distract ourselves with work and world politics and social media. You are alive, experiencing. You are supposed to be enjoying. This is what sets us apart from the older generation alive today. Their whole lives were lived under lockdown. They kept to themselves in their little neighbourhoods, went to work and had very active social lives. We got distracted with believing that we need to compete with our neighbour for attention. That’s all facebook is.

It took a virus, to jolt us back into reality. This is it.

For more podcasts visit the Spudcaster page.

The capitalist world order has fallen. It has proven itself inadequate in the face of a global viral pandemic. In my country, the capitalist DA is begging for a return to work. They want to shore up the economy. They want to maintain the status quo. There was a historic compact that lead to the dawn of democracy. The black under privileged class was given the levers of political power. But the whites kept the money. Former state president, Thabo Mbeki recalls the time.

In the time of coronavirus, it’s the political levers that prove the most powerful, with the gloating businessmen left with nothing but paper. At no time before in our varied social discourse have humans been confronted with their own mortality. This is on an unprecedented scale. And despite all our advances in medicine and science, a simple virus is gutting the population. As at 12:15 pm SA time, the world recorded two million infections and over 127 000 deaths.

But regardless of one’s political worldview, the virus doesn’t stop once the lockdown restrictions are lifted. In order to survive, we need to change the way we relate with the world and each other.

DW video

Life after lockdown We will all have to learn to live with the virus. Wearing masks, practising social distancing, frequent hand washing. We cannot simply return to our churches and mosques. Our global sporting events. Our movie theatres and malls. The virus lives. The virus lies in wait.

I’ll give you an example. Redi Thlabi reported that her cousin in law succumbed to covid-19. He had never even travelled outside the country. Instead, the capitalist system forced him to attract tourists, who were carrying the virus. He ran a coffee shop in Soweto. All he wanted to do in life was to attend funerals, possibly in the hopes that people would celebrate him in the same way when he died. He didn’t have to die. The system killed him

Everyone talks about life after lockdown as though it’s a return to the status quo. But it cannot be. We cannot simply return to a system that threatened our very survival. Capitalism means we all pile into public transport, or cars on heavily congested roads. We then congregate in office parks with air conditioning. We send our children to schools. Perfect environment for the virus to spread. No, it cannot be business as usual. Not this time. Not ever. It’s time to shift priorities.

For more podcasts visit Spudcaster.

Social media provides fodder for my delusions. I’m supposed to be staying away from it. But alas! Anyway, I figure I’m not hurting anyone. And it makes for interesting conversation points. Consequently, I’d like to welcome you to the first instalment of CAn’t diss: Episode I. For more tantalising podcasts, visit the Spudcaster page.

Reverend Nombulelo Mbewu recorded this Easter Sunday Reflection at home. The Florida Methodist Church set up this podcast in response to the lockdown. So visit the Spudcaster page for more podcasts.

Bishop Brian Abrahams of the Moravian Church delivered this Easter Sunday sermon. The theme of the message is “Open doors”. And it is based on 1 Corinthians 15:25. The Moravian Church in Bellville, Cape Town, set up this podcast in response to the lockdown. So visit the Spudcaster page for more podcasts.

This Easter Sunday service was conducted by Ministers of the Roodepoort Circuit. “Christ is risen” is the title. Reverend Nombulelo Mbewu set up this podcast in response to the lockdown. So visit the Spudcaster page for more podcasts.

Reverend Heidi Petersen delivered this morning’s Easter Sunrise sermon. Under the theme “We are an Easter People! Hallelujah”. And it is premised on Romans 8 verses 35-39. After that the Grace United Church Choir performed the closing hymn entitled “We shall go out with hope of resurrection”. Easter is celebrated under an extended lockdown in the face of a global pandemic. The podcast is a service to the church community and friends. So visit the Spudcaster page for more podcasts.

Reverend Nombulelo Mbewu recorded this Good Friday Reflection from home. The Florida Methodist Church set up this podcast in response to the lockdown. So visit the Spudcaster page for more podcasts.