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G. Stallings: Address to Africa Summit
Written by Archbishop George A. Stallings, National Co-Chairman, American Clergy Leadership Conference
Friday, November 23, 2018
Address to Africa Summit 2018, Cape Town, South Africa, Nov. 21–25, 2018
Thank you very much. Good morning, my beloved sisters and brothers. Regardless of our office, title or position, when we come down to the bottom line, we are all brothers and sisters, one family under God. I am proud to be a son of Africa. As a black man, I am proud to be a true son of the True Parents, Reverend Dr. Sun Myung Moon and his beloved wife, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. And I am proud to be a son of God, a child of God.
As a religious leader, my focus is to discover what is my real identity, to discover who I am in the context of a world that has approximately 7.6 billion people. But not only what my real identity but also my divine purpose, what on earth am I here for, why I was born.
In discovering who I am and my divine purpose, I must then ask myself, what is my destiny? Where am I going? What is it all about? What is it about being here on the earth? As a religious leader I have been seeking answers to those basic, most fundamental questions of life, identity, purpose and destiny, as well as the direction I need to take to find that discovery.
So I searched the word of God. I searched the Scriptures, and the first thing that I have come to realize is that each of us has come forth from one source. In Genesis 1:26, the word of God says, “Let us make man in our own image and after our likeness.” The invisible declares that what will come forth from its source, from its essence, has the same divine traits, characteristics and attributes of its creator.
Then we come to read in Genesis 2:7, that God lifts from the earth some clay, shapes it into a visible form, and then breathes into that substance the breath of life so that we might become living souls, living beings. In other words, what is invisible becomes visible in us, and we are the very presence of God on earth in visible form, the vessels of God. It's awesome when you come to realize that we are not just simply flesh and blood but we, you and I, are the vessels, we are the containers, we are the vehicles that carry the essence of God in a visible and substantial way.
It's a very simple concept but very complex. Each one of us is a vessel. Each one of us contains the very presence of God; each one of us is God in substantial form. It's awesome; it's powerful. The word of God even declares in II Corinthians 4:7, that we hold this inestimable priceless treasure of God in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. It means that you and I have the power to do anything, that you and I can be peacemakers, that you and I can transform the landscape of this world so that all men and women are equal, all men and women are one family under God. We have the power. It is within us.
It is not on the outside. It is within us. We can change this country. We can change Africa. We can change the world. We can change the map if we believe that God dwells in us, that we are the vessels of God, that we are the ones we have been waiting for. We need not look to government, we need not look to presidents, we need not look to prime ministers. We look at ourselves. We have the power.
Pope Paul VI said, if you want peace, then work for justice. We can bring about justice in the world because we are the vessels of God. A vessel is meant to contain something; it isn't really meant to do anything. Because it contains something, it has the power to do everything. We must never forget that. The vessel is never more valuable than the contents because a container is used for holding the contents of another substance, something that is greater than ourselves.
When we do not change this world, when we do not establish peace and justice, when we do not bring about equality on every level of human society for the children of God, we have failed in our responsibility to be God's representative on earth. You, you, you, I, we are God's representatives here on earth, and we have the power to change things. Never forget that.
Your real identity is as a son or daughter of God. Our purpose is to establish the kingdom of heaven right here on earth. Heaven is not something that we experience when we die physically. We can experience heaven right here on earth when we live together in unity and in harmony as brothers and sisters. We can make that change.
Michael Jackson sang, “I am starting with the man in the mirror, and I am asking him to change his ways.” No message could have been any clearer. If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself. Look at yourself and make that change. Peace starts with me.
Let’s remember the words to the song “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”
Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me. Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be. With God as our heavenly parent, family all are we. Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony. Let peace be with me, let this be the moment now. With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow: to take each moment and to live each moment in peace eternally. Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.
Brothers and Sisters, God is counting on us to make the change, to make the difference. Let it begin right here, right now. Let it begin with you and me. Thank you.
To go to the 2018 Africa Summit Schedule page, click here.