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Christ was faithful as a son over his house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
-Hebrews 3:6
For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.
-Hebrews 3:14
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
-Hebrews 10:23
2020 was a hard year to be sure and a lot of tragedy struck. Among our losses was the late Chadwick Boseman. The South Carolina-native and Howard University grad played iconic heroes on the silver screen from Thurgood Marshall to Jackie Robinson. But he will be most remembered for bringing life to the King of Wakanda, Black Panther of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This character is the king of a fictional African nation and a superhero too. As King T’Challa, Boseman embodied courage, compassion, generosity, and forgiveness. Rather than seek revenge for the death of his father, he sought justice, mercy, and peace. Rather than keep his country’s vast resources for the benefit of his own people only, he advocated sharing. In his words, “In times of crisis, the wise build bridges, while the foolish build walls.”
The world lost Chadwick Boseman suddenly to cancer. Few knew he had it. No one would have suspected. He remained in otherwise good health and never let up on his acting career, but more importantly, his public appearances of good will and encouragement. Boseman was well-known for visiting children in hospitals, especially those battling cancer. Few knew his own battle. His candle burned briefly, but brightly.
In his Marvel movie role, he had a battle cry to rally his people to defend the nation and our world from those who threatened it. Yibambe. It’s derived from a word that is from a dialect spoken in South Africa and Zimbabwe. It means, “Stand Fast.” In a call and response fashion, he would shout it and the tribe would repeat it back, over and over. On the anniversary of his passing, we are still facing a deadly virus and many still suffer from the illness that took Boseman too soon. Folks have taken to social media to remember his passing, his life, and his inspiration, quoting his rallying cry... #Yibambe!
It would be easy to give up and natural to be discouraged right now. We could be forgiven for giving up in the face of rising Covid cases, the Delta variant, and a return to greater restrictions. But as believers, we have faced difficult times before and offered hope to one another and those in need. We know that the goal is not simply to survive, but to hold fast to the hope we have in Christ and make the best of the time we are given by offering that hope to others. Yibambe!
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