Tuesday, 16 March, 2004

We will continue to base the devotions on “God for a Secular Culture” by Jurgen Moltmann.



This week we will look at how we apply a principle like ‘unity in division and division in unity’ to the knowing of other people, other things, and the Wholly Other God.

In Greek, mathein (to learn) and pathein (to suffer) go together, as we see from many proverbs and sayings. Understanding empathy then engenders a connecting sympathy, once the empathy leads to mutual understanding. It forms the community in the diversity and the diversity in the community. The basic law of a society like this is ‘recognition of the other’ in his or her difference. Societies which develop according to this principle are not closed societies. Nor are they uniform societies, where people are brought into line. They are ‘open societies’. They can live not only with different and dissimilar people, but also, as Karl Popper required, with ‘their enemies’ too; for they can even make the enmity of their enemies fruitful for the things that are of concern to them.



As good as this sounds to me, it is not an easy adventure in life. To be open comes with much criticism because the concept of openness leads some to say things like, “you let anything go.” Well, no. There is still order and boundaries and safety and respect for others. In fact, I would suggest that we the place of honoring others is greater when we are within a community in which the ‘other’ is present with us. Honoring others draws us into conversation and dialogue and it is within such a situation that the miracles we see in the book of Acts become a reality. It is also where we hear the enemies forgiven in the middle of execution of Jesus…and from that comes newness of life beyond what we could ever imagine.



Connection: To so listen to others and share of ourselves may bring into this day something more than we planned. That is good! That is part of the creative power that still is alive among us.



Like the wind whipping around at the beginning of time and making something of nothing, you O God, continue to lift us up and take us to new places within our lives and to help to see the wideness of your creative Reign. We give you thanks for this day. Amen.