Wednesday 27 January 2010

A similar line of thought as that which we heard yesterday - Michael Battle on Jesus' Ubuntu.

Through the particularity of a Jewish Jesus, God takes away the sins of the world, and through this priestly act every culture is affirmed as God's proper creation. Consequently, Christ commands his disciples to go into all the ethnoi in the priestly role of baptizing new identities. This was also the promise to Abraham, to make him a blessing to all the nations. Such discipleship need not be oppressive but can provide both affirmation and critique of cultural understandings. For example, Philip affirms the Ethiopian and yet baptizes a new destiny for him (Acts 8:38); and Peter translates a new identity for Cornelius as Peter is in turn converted to see, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit any one of the other nation; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone common or unclean" (Acts 10:28). The Priestly nature of being a Christian is bound to an understanding of Christ's discipleship in that no one escapes God's judgment of Christ's obedience and all are called to acknowledge that we are made aware of the sinful propensity of all cultures through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Through Christ interdependence is made most intelligible.

I hold onto this "all" that is so much a part of the story of the life, death, resurrection of Jesus. Without it...without its "all" what do we have? I would say nothing at all. I would also say we merely have the world as it is. We have groups of people who claim to "have it" or "have been given it" or "have been given dominion over others." No. This is an eternal "all" that is the power of reconciliation that is the power of the Reign of God - a Reign that no one person or side controls. It is God who opens the door and invites us home to that which is the fullness of our humanity as intended for "all" humanity. Rather than being set on being enemies with one another...we have the potential to be gift to one another and thereby being a part of a whole new world. But those dividing lines...can be demonically powerful.

Connection: Holding onto our own stories, how do we let ourselves be open to the the stories of others so that we can see the amazing gift our God hands us in the shape of the other?!?

Lord of All Creation, we are a stumbling people who too often long to be at war with one another. Guide us into your shalom that brings an end to war and division and makes of it all something quite out of our control. Amen.