let us try to imagine what it would
be like to be
a part of
a community that reflects the
radical hospitality
of jesus
what would it
be like
to belong to a large
diverse and colourful
family?
what sign would that kind of
togetherness b e i n a world of
violence , rejection , hatred
and
separation¿
I suggest you link to the John Pilger article on the M&G website. He describes how this Paul Weinberg photo has given him strength over the years - to continue to stand up to the powers of force and violence and control.
He quotes Milan Kundera, who writes: “The struggle of people against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.”
That is the work of faithful spirituality. This is what Jesus does with the disciples who are so quick to forget. In the face of horrific violence they forget his life and teaching, his principles and his foot-washing example… They forget in the face of fear.
Fear has a way of doing that - making us forget what got us started on this path in the first place.
Jesus encourages the two disciples on the road to Emmaus to remember the long story of God’s faithfulness - as a way of helping them to overcome the fear of their immediate circumstances. “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25)
We were once moved by a vision of the Kingdom - a kingdom of peace and justice. A place of respect and dignity. Jesus painted the picture, in the long tradition of the prophets, of a time when the lion would lie down with the lamb. And he encouraged his disciples to pray “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. It was powerful and moving vision of a transformed world where power was used to free and build, not constrain and punish.
But power has a way of wanting more power. And control doesn’t let go of control easily. It fights and beats and maims and kills. It lies and exagerates and holds on to the bitter end. Why not? It’s got everything to lose! If control loses control then it’s lost everything!
So it beats us into submission and helps us to forget.
We forget the vision of Jesus - the kingdom of God.
We forget that God has called us to be partners in freeing people to live abundant lives.
We forget that the church and the bible and everthing religious will return to dust in the face of the Reign of God. They are not ends in themselves but simply means to an end - the purpose and will of God.
But, frustratingly, God will not move to control things toward the Kingdom. (of course God could take charge on this earth and establish the Kingdom in an instant.) To take control would be to adopt the way of control - which always leads to the protection of that control. If God were to take charge - he would have to continue to take charge. Rather he resists taking charge. He resists resorting to the way of violence. In stead God surrenders to the punishment violent and controlling people deserve - he recieves the punishment controlling people will always enforce and impose on those who refuse to submit to their control - their “word”. He does not so much speak a “word” - his non-violent resistance IS the Word - the Word of God for us: the eternal encouragement of God to trust the way of invitation andself-giving love, over powerful attempts to control and force history into submission and obedience.
When will we get it?
God does not force us to obey? He will not and will never. The Cross is the most powerful symbol of surrender to the violence of other that we will ever be given.
God is waiting.
for us!
(repentance means - stop fighting, stop controlling, stop insisting, stop condemning, stop condemning, stop condemning, stop. and start loving, praying, waiting, listening, watching, praying, praying, praying…)
…to be continued…
except for the point,
the still point,
there would be no dance,
and there is only the dance.
I am a delegate to my church’s Conference in Cape Town this week. This morning we discussed various resolutions regarding same-sex relationships. While we were able to strongly affirm and encourage ongoing support and minsitry to gay and lesbian people (see a position), the church does not seem able to recognise the relationships of gay and lesbian people, even if they are committed and faithful relationships between two people. This obviously includes an unwillingness to allow any minister of our church to become an officer under the new Civil Unions legislation of our country. We asked that even just one symbolic person in each region be given permission to register, but this was rejected.
a few of us gathered after lunch to reflect on the discussion. i stood next to an older colleague who’s daughter is lesbian. across the group stood a contemporary who’s brother is gay. i thought of another older colleague who told me of his recent trip to London where he was able to celebrate the marriage of his daughter to her partner, a woman. i was filled with sadness for those whose family members and close friends are so deeply affected by the church’s inability to embrace them as fully human and capable of whole and healthy relationship in line with their sexual orientation.
and as we paused to pray, i began to weep…
i enjoyed reading Matt’s comments on prayer: Prayer: What’s the point and also some of the comments he received. While I find engagement with so-called “Atheists” energising and fascinating (they have usually thought abour their position far more thoroughly than most Theists have…) I am always curious about the experience of defining oneself by a negation - A-Theist… i.e. NOT-Theist. As a Christ-follower I define myself by what I am for. I am for the values that are embodied in the life and teaching of Jesus. An Atheist, presumably believes in something. I’m curious to know what an “A-Theist” has faith in (it’s not God, of course…)
here are my thoughts, posted on Matt’s blog:
you guys certainly spend a lot of time (and much passion) arguing against something that you regard as pointless.i think it’s pointless to argue against something that is pointless.
i’m wondering what you are FOR. how would you define your position if it weren’t for religion? i.e. what is an “atheist” without theism?
have you factored into your reasoning the role of experience? for some, REALITY is not primarily constituted by physical existence alone. when i speak to you i have FAITH that there is something out there that i am interacting with. I have no proof of that. it could all be part of my own dream. but what I can’t deny is the EXPERIENCE of interaction, conversation, relationship. i would argue that my conversation with you and Prayer require exactly the same kind of “faith” - neither of them are more real or provable than the other.
the more significant thing for me is: what do i experience through the act of communication… (whether it is with you or with “God”)
i am enjoying writing this comment. it helps me to clarify my own position and it holds the possibility of surprising conversation (a response that makes me reconsider…) i.e. it’s a good experience.
I enjoy praying. for a variety of reasons. your saying “it’s pointless” a) won’t diminish the significance of the experience for me and b) simply stands in constrast to my assertion that it definitely has a “point” for me.
in fact, to claim that something is “pointless” suggests that the entity doing the claiming knows what IS NOT POINTLESS.
so, please let me know. what IS NOT POINTLESS? (so that I can reflect on how appealing the rational world you live in really is…)
thanks! for a cool post