Bishop Emeritus Dr M. Nthuping has passed on

Today I read on Facebook the announcement of the passing on of one of my friends and role models. The whole announcement reads:

Dear Sisters and Brothers

Greetings to you in wonderful name of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

It is with sadness to inform you of the passing on of Emeritus Bishop Dr M. Nthuping. He was called to eternal rest late afternoon on 25 January 2019. Emeritus Bishop Dr Nthuping served the ELCSA BOTSWANA DIOCESE as her Bishop. 

The will be a Memorial Service on Wednesday 30 January 2019, in Bloemfontein Phahameng Lutheran Church at 14:00. 

The Funeral Service will take place on FRIDAY in Bloemfontein. We will communicate time and venue as soon as we have all information. 

We enjoin you to pray for the Nthuping family in this time of mourning. (Communication from COD)

The first time I met Bishop Nthuping was 1982 in Bloemfontein. I was a young youth worker and travelled with one of the youth pastor of Cape Orange Diocese, Rev. Gustaf Ödquist, also from Sweden. The bishop was at the time Dean of Free State Circuit.

If my memory serves me well, we also met in Sweden. He was visiting Church of Sweden and was sent from the Head Office with a map in order to visit Bishop Bengt Sundkler. (No one obviously had the time to accompany him or just felt that a map was enough.) Bishop Nthuping was surprised when he asked a neighbour to Bishop Sundkler if he was in the right staircase. The neighbour (who actually lived next door to Bishop Sundkler) was not aware of the profession of his neighbour.

Next time we met was in 2002 when our family had moved to Bloemfontein. He inspired me to start with my doctoral studies at University of the Free State (UFS). He himself was awarded his doctorate from the very same faculty. His thesis was:

The characterisationof Pontius Pilate in the four gospels 

I attended the defence and it was also very inspiring. (In 2013 I led a series of Bible Studies on the character of Pilate in the Anglican Cathedral in Pietermaritzburg. I don’t think I would have done that, if not Bishop Nthuping had written about Pilate before.) Honestly, I spoke about the Bishop this week, with my students, when we touched on Pilate in a lecture.

Bishop Nthuping came to my graduation and we arranged this photo with my
supervisor, Prof Piet Strauss, a youth leader in our church, Kele Leeuw and myself.

When I defended my own thesis, I got a tricky question from the opponent. At the very same moment, the Bishop – a bit late – came into the hall – and we were interrupted. That gave me time to think through the question and I could after the intermezzo deliver an answer.

Later that evening my wife and I through a dinner for friends and relatives. Bishop Nthuping made us the honour to open the dinner with prayer. We appreciated that.

He served for a long time in Blomefontein. I rememeber when he told us about a service in the Germanspeaking Lutheran Church in Bloemfontein. This was during Aprtheid. He was invited to preach. After the service he stood at the entrance to greet the parishoners. Half of them did not want to shake his hand. Those were difficult times.

When we lived in Bloemfontein the Bishop - due to other reasons - worshipped in the very same church. He was not resentful.

As a Bishop he served in the Diocese of Botswana, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA).

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. We remember Bishop Michael Nthuping with thankfulness and pray that he will rest in peace. Being a pastor I am sad that I will not be able to participate in the funeral. I know that all present pastors will gather around the tomb and together chant:

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word. 

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 

Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 

To be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of thy people Israel.

Tsamaya ka kagisho!