Pronounced: nee-yah
1. Let mutual love continue. 2. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. 3. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. 4. Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. 5. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” 6. So we can say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”
7. Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
Hebrews 13:1-7 NRSV
In “Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture” Maulana Karenga (the creator of Kwanzaa) describes purpose (nia) as “a commitment to the collective vocation of building, developing and defending our community, its culture and history in order to regain our historical initiative and greatness as a people and add to the good and beauty in the world.’ In further describing “purpose” (nia), the author discusses it in terms of four main concepts: “collective vocation”; the “heirs and custodians of a great legacy”; “generational responsibility”; and the “joining personal and social purpose”.
Regarding our “collective vocation”, Karenga defines it as our shared responsibility to build, develop and defend our community, its culture and history for the purpose of regaining our historical initiative and greatness as a people.
Make a list of the things that we do for each other. Can these things be done today? Think of ways to serve and help other people. In what ways does helping another person strengthen the community?
