The 2010 FIFA World Cup is HERE!

Sunday, June 13; Pinetown Methodist Church, Durban, South Africa

What an exciting time to be in South Africa! Football Fridays reached their peak this Friday, with almost everyone I saw wearing a yellow Bafana Bafana shirt to support the South African national team. The church office and many businesses closed early so that everyone could be home to watch the 2010 FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony at 2. People have been waiting for this moment for 6 years, since it was announced in May 2004 that South Africa would host the first World Cup on African soil. Friday’s ceremony was beautiful, featuring music from South Africa and other African nations, traditional and modern dancing, colorful fabrics arranged in to the shapes of Africa, the world, and the FIFA 2010 logo, and of course the loud sounds of the fans blowing their vuvuzelas.

(Vuvuzelas are plastic horns popular at soccer games, as seen in this picture showing the students and teachers cheering on the students playing in an inter-house “mini World Cup” at Pinetown’s John Wesley School on 4 June. The sound of vuvuzelas has been a constant here the last few weeks!)

After the opening ceremony, everyone rallied to support South Africa in the opening game against Mexico. When Tshabalala scored South Africa’s only goal, you could feel the excitement erupting across the country. The soccer fever has spread to everyone. Today, Pinetown Methodist kicked off a World Cup Soccer sermon series. Everyone was encouraged to wear soccer shirts to church. At the earlier services, Pastor Ulinda Pembrooke talked about the importance of goals, both on and off the field, in the world and in the our spiritual lives. I preached at the 11 o’clock service, which is conducted in isiZulu (although I was speaking in English!) A common theme was that this soccer event has truly served to unite us. Ulinda said she had a feeling on Friday similar to how she felt during the election in 1994. The World Cup has brought people together again, made them proud to be South African, and proud to welcome the world to this beautiful country. Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika (God bless Africa) and all the peoples of the world, especially during this time when all the world is focused on South Africa for this wonderful World Cup.