Come with me; let's take a trip to Judah in the 6th century. Our arrival is some time after the first return from exile. We are grateful to our tour guide, sometimes called third Isaiah, for a glimpse.

We see suffering people all around us. The rich became rich at the expense of the poor and viciously oppressed them. Workers were at the mercy of their employers. Fear of unemployment gripped many. People were literally dying because of the yokes they were bearing. I am sure women were carrying the bulk of these heavy burdens: physically, culturally and emotionally oppressive burdens. The powerless did not have any voice against the systemic forces of death. Many were in bondage because of the control the powerful had in the communities.

Yet, on days of worship, the places of worship were filled with all these very good people who were on time for worship and who would perform all the right rituals and make all the right moves required of good believers. In fact, while they did this, there were many homeless and uprooted people who were ignored. At best, they were subjects of academic pity. And then, both in secular and religious society, there were quarrels, conflicts and divisions.

Isaiah's words are direct. In fact, he quotes God as calling for an outcry! To shout indignantly at such a state of affairs. To condemn situations in which people of faith can stay silent in the face of evil. He does not condone the stance of these good faithful worshippers whose lives do not make a difference.

Isaiah mimics the cries of the good regular faithful worshippers, "Why do we fast and you do not see?" "Why do we engage in the obvious religious activities, and yet do not seem to be noticed by God?" God's answer as Isaiah echoed it was simple. True faith in God is not simply a matter of the outward observances of religious goody-goodies. True faith leads us to do something about the situations that surround us. /p>

It begins with an indignant outcry. It results in justice for all. Our worship life must necessarily lead us to action for life, actions that expose injustice and usher in justice. In the absence of that, we feel the emptiness that people in 6th century Judah felt.

Our willingness to be partners with God in making a difference today leads us in turn to fulfilling worship and prayer. We experience God being with us profoundly, empowering us to be agents of transformation. The situations of which Isaiah spoke are still with us.

I am reminded of the first Ghanaian parish I served as pastor. We had within it a small salt industry community. Often visiting parish members there, I would see salt spread on the side of the road for drying, and sometimes unobservant people would walk over it. Out there, by itself, the salt had no chance to make a difference, so people could walk on it. However, taken from there, put in soup or some other food, salt became wonderful seasoning making a difference in the taste of the food.

Our Lord Jesus Christ gives us a challenge. We are called to be the salt within our communities, making a difference. We are called to be the light, shining so powerfully that the forces of death and evil in whatever form cannot remain.

Our Reformed parents had a vision of a dynamic reformation. Ecclesia reformata, sed semper reformanda. Even in the 16th century, our forebearers envisaged a dynamic relationship with people of every age and cultural reality. The ways in which continued reformation takes place include our response to challenges and realities in our communities.

How are we responding to the new situations that face us? With static tradition, or with the spirit of dynamism which includes listening to the Holy Spirit and daring to be God's instruments of making justice accessible to all? How are we doing today? Are we shouting loudly and indignantly about the injustice evident everywhere in our world?

The confessing process in our member churches for which the Alliance called in Debrecen gives us such an opportunity, to study these injustices, reflect on them, and listen for how God is telling us to proceed. We are talking here about something at the core of our spirituality as Reformed people. As people touched by the grace of God demonstrated in the salvation offered us by our Lord Jesus Christ, we who believe need to offer ourselves in service to God as a sign of our gratitude.

God is calling and shaping an Alliance which will truly be a servant community, working for increased justice in poor communities leading to peace in conflict areas. God is calling and shaping an Alliance which is not like other organisations or people, making no difference in our communities, but, like salt, is making a difference wherever we are found. God is calling and shaping an Alliance which is not satisfied with hiding in the corner, but is not afraid to make such a difference that our light is seen.

From the few weeks I have been in Geneva, I am confident that our staff team in Geneva is excited about responding to this call. I also know that we have partners in the ecumenical movement with whom we can share in this service of making a difference. All of us have the unique opportunity to respond to God in gratitude for his salvation work in us.

By humbly responding positively to the call given me to take the office of general secretary, I am saying, "Lord, here am I, send me". I invite you, in the light of our Lord's challenge for us to be salt and light for our communities, also to respond, "Here am I, send me, I am willing to be the salt and light of my community and our world".

Let us be God's instruments for making a difference in our communities, and in the world which is in need of transformation. May God bless us all.