Thursday Thirteen: Things written in my diary

Thirteen Things about Kimando Thirteen Things Written In My Diary For This Week (which does not mean I will neccessarily do them) 1. BBQ with my small group 2. Meeting about a project I'm working on 3. Reminder to get up to date information for a meeting Tuesday night 4. Meeting Tuesday night 5. Stolen Identity's Gig on Wednesday Night - Ruby's Bar @ Highpoint 6. Breakfast catch up on Thursday morning 7. Meeting with my mentor Friday morning 8. Meeting on Friday afternoon 9. Youth Alive on Saturday 10. Dinner with high school friend Saturday night 11. A birthday 12. A prgram that is running at church on Sunday 13. The fact that I am rostered on to do prayer at church on Sunday morning. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. The Merry Rose

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Justice and Mercy - what are they?

Yesterday morning, way too early I was at a breakfast where Tony Campolo and Tim Costello spoke. I was really thought-provoking and interesting, even if I did have to get up at 5am!

It was a 'discussion' rather than a presentation or speech and both men were asked:

What does 'justice' mean?

Whether acts of mercy are a band aid action?

How do Mercy and Justice meet?

They took this from the Micah 6:8 verse. Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God. A verse that is still with me after it being the theme of my first NCYC in 2001. (As Rhax says: 'Everything with me is NCYC.' So why should I disappoint him and have a post that doesn't mention NCYC?)

Anyway there were a couple of point that I though were worth writing down.

Campolo said:

• Philippians 1 says that God will complete the good work we have begun. (Need to look that up for myself when I have a minute - ie. not now!)
• Justice and mercy have come from his prayer time. (Even more indication for me that quiet reflection with God is so important!)
• Prayer has often become just a list of demands. (Big challenge for me there.)
• Our attitude should be: Not am I noble enough to serve but am I worthy. (Big challenge for me undertaking a year of service!)
• "When mercy becomes policy it becomes justice".
• "Sooner or later mercy forces you to face justice."

Costello said:

• To the Right justice is retribution, to the Left redistribution (Social Justice). Fundamentally the same: There is a God who holds us responsible.
• "Justice is giving to people what they deserve. Mercy is giving people more than they deserve." (That is my favorite or most challenging thought for the day.)
• "You can't carry out the The Great Commission without carrying out The Great Commandment."

So there is a lot of food for thought. It's really got me asking what my definitions of 'justice' and 'mercy' are. I think I really like Costello's 'what people deserve and more than what people deserve' statement. For me 'mercy' has been an emotion that has inspired an action. 'Justice' has been reorganizing situations/events/laws/whatever to make things fair (although no one ever promised life would be fair) or to make things more equal. It's been a fight or protest or struggle though not in a violent way.

Hmm, plenty to think about. Really gets me asking what does it really mean to 'act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with my God'.

Stealing Age's Rant

I'm nicking things of More Praxis again! This time it's a rant that Age wrote for The Upper Room Project

I love a good rant!

Age’s Bible Rant – My God! My God! Why have they domesticated me!
Sometimes you need to escalate conflict to bring about justice:

The domestication and the subtle cultural captivity of the teachings of Jesus often annoys me (especially when I discover that I have been part of that process)

One of my favourites is how we use the saying ‘go the extra mile and turn the other cheek. Just the other day I saw an add in a health food shop window - A woman jogging with the words “Go the extra mile!” As if Jesus was talking about jogging. And I’m sure we all have heard Christians and conservative politicians time and time again say, “We should turn the other cheek!” Of course what they mean is “don’t rock the boat, just be nice and let the important people do and decide what is right.” And so in the spirit of Jesus I would like to say “F*** off! And use someone else’s teachings to support the status co and suppress civil disturbances”

The turn the other cheek passage and go the extra mile do not tell us to sit back passively in the face of violence or to up hold a good work ethic to impress the boss for that raise or even to jog to get fit.

Look it up :Mt 5:38-45

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.

Firstly in this passage the followers are not doing the striking, compelling the mile or suing the clothes of others. It is written in solidarity with those at the receiving end.

When someone strikes you on the right cheek turn the left – Turn the left also. To be struck on the right cheek you either have to be backhanded or hit with the Middle Eastern “poo” hand – the left. The call to turn the left cheek is a resistance that escalated the conflict to regain humanity. The challenge of the left cheek, the second blow, reveals the less than equal status that the striker holds them in. It says treat me as your equal or at least as a human being. What’s the worst that could happen? You get bashed but show up the oppressor’s attitudes and take back your human dignity non-violently.

The Roman Soldiers could ‘compel’ those under its power to carry their gear for one mile no more. The idea being that the soldiers could go further and those under its power had to live with being their donkeys. A Jesus teaching takes the donkey status of people and forces the Roman to see them as people even a threat. What happens when the peasant says, “no I will keep carrying the weapons and gear beyond this marker” “It’s too heavy for you”??? The Soldier has to assess if this is a trap and will he get into trouble. Thoughts like: ‘Is that peasant is running off with my weapons – who is around the corner waiting – what if my commander hears I have broken the law by compelling a second mile?’ The soldier would chase after his gear and take it back . If everyone took Jesus advice they would think twice about compelling the first mile.

The idea that you should give your undies also to one suing you shames the one taking all you had. In Hebrew culture the one looking on the naked person is shamed. Remember Noah after he got drunk and passed out nude? The son that looked and laughed was punished and the others walked backwards to cover his nakedness. A nude person walking through Jerusalem because the rich guy took all he had – shames the rich man and show his practises to the world. The only way to regain his honour would be to chase and restore the naked man.

Questions to ponder

Where do you see people being treated less than human and in need of their honour/dignity/humanity returned to them?
Who is perceiving them and keeping them as less than image bearers of God / people?
Which non-violent Jesus strategy may give us a way to regain our humanity?
When did we last domesticate Jesus to fit our image of what he should be?

AA = Church?

A little while ago I was reading a devotional/short stories book and came across one about Alcoholics Anonymous being like a church. It was really intriguing.

Before I go on I should say that I've lent the book to a friend and either haven't got it back or I'm not sure where I put it so my memory is a bit vague. I'll have to update this post and provide the name of the book and author when I get it back/find it!

The writer spoke about how a friend of his found AA to provide the pastoral care that he needed in the way churches have done and continue to do. I've been thinking a lot about pastoral care at the moment as I'm on a team that's organizing pastoral care for an upcoming conference. The idea of AA being a church and 'beating' churches at pastoral care in challenging as we do our organization.

I know it's not a competition! But it starts me asking questions. What does AA offer that a church can't? Perhaps lack of judgment? What can churches offer that can't be found elsewhere? What can we learn about pastoral care and support from organizations that aren't run by religious groups?

Some interesting questions there. The idea of judgment is one that I think we need to be aware of. Do churches judge people? Or more important do they appear to judge people? Acceptance and grace are such an important aspects of the person of Jesus Christ are we modeling that in our churches and in our pastoral care?

I think churches get a bad rap in society for being judgmental. Unfortunately I think that's often been deserved. How do we challenge that idea? What can I do?

I guess to try and change that I have to start with myself because really, where else do I start? I need to be more accepting. I need to remember not to judge people because I don't want to be judged myself. (I'd come across as a terrible person in some cases and I'm not really that terrible!)

Acceptance and grace. There's a challenge to take up.

Procrastination

I'm sitting at my desk at work during my lunch break. I'm enjoying the sun that is coming through the window and warming me up. I can see blossoms on the trees outside and I'm generally feeling pretty good as the signs are pointing towards the start of spring.

I was thinking that I haven't really blogged a lot recently. So I decided to write something now. I think there's an ulterior motive because I really should be doing my reading for college tomorrow night. It was actually supposed to be done for last week's lecture but I didn't realise we had two chapters to read and only read one. No wonder the lecture didn't make as much sense as it should have done!

However, I do think it is pretty important for me to blog at the moment though. (Despite how important catching up with my reading is.) I haven't done any reflection for myself for awhile. For some reason I don't have the motivation and it has become a chore.

This is a real pity because it's such a valuable thing to have 'God time'. I wrote a 2000 word essay on quiet time last semester talking about how valuable this time was. I even meant what I wrote!

I also have a lot to think about and talk to God about. Decisions to be made and plans to sort out. I want to and I need to include God in those decisions and time with Him (Her) is the best way I know of doing that.

It used to be something I enjoyed. Now it just feels 'too hard'. Actually more 'draining' than 'hard'. Maybe I'm out of practice?

I really need to get past this mental block and enjoy a quiet time once again. Anyone go any suggestions? I guess I'll just have to prioritize and keep trying.