Bishop Sithembele Sipuka A Bishop in South Africa has claimed the worship of God is weak today because it has to compete with the modern consumer culture of “buying and selling”.
Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha said consumption leaves us “empty” and that the coverage of sport has “dethroned God” during a speech in Eastern Cape last week.
“People are not satisfied to buy and sell from Monday to Saturday morning,” he said. “They also want to do the buying and selling on Sundays as well – so Sundays in terms of business are just like any [other] day.
“Many people, even though they would deny it, are gradually believing that their worth lies in what they eat and in things that they have. The more we have of [these things], the more we want of them – and they leave us empty.”
He added: “You will find, in fact, that sport has dethroned God. People are more in stadiums on Sundays and spending many hours in front of DStv’s SuperSport flipping channels for the latest game than being with God.”
Bishop Sipuka was speaking at the episcopal ordination of Ugandan-born Bishop Joseph Kizito in Aliwal North in the town’s Sauer Park stadium.
In his homily, he emphasised that Bishop Kizito and the faithful in the diocese must find ways of remaining true to the commandment of keeping the Sabbath holy for the worship of God.
“May worship in this diocese be genuine and lead to an encounter with the true God, and not an encounter with God in our own image,” concluded Bishop Sipuka.