http://kleipotgemeente.typepad.com/soulgardeners/2008/04/being-a-christ.html
A thought-provoking and timely post by Thomas at Soulgardeners to be read by SA gospel people (if he isn't on your blogroll already). His questions at the end of the post are very pertinent. I have a semi-confession on issue no. 2 to make sometime soon, so watch this space.
I went to the funeral of Rev Rob Robertson yesterday. Yes, I managed to get excused from CPE for the afternoon! Thomas was there too. Rob was a Presby minister who started the first multi-racial Presbyterian congregation in SA and was very involved in the anti-apartheid struggle. He died on Saturday at 82 on his daily run. When I came to Cape Town I was told by three different people in independent circumstances (Greg Andrews, Rob Steiner and Keith Vermeulen) that I would do well to meet Rob, as he had done some of the things I was expressing and desiring in the church. My to-do list in my wallet still has the words "Rob Robertson - Milnerton" on it.
Hearing of his death, and more of his story, made me regret not contacting him. I thought i better go along to the service, to get one last chance to 'meet' him and hear how people spoke of him. After the service (and after greeting far too many Presby Colleagues and friends) I went up to his wife to introduce myself. I felt I needed to tell her that, as a Presbyterian student of the ministry, I hope to continue Rob's multi-racial congregation legacy in our country. She thanked me, adding that it desperately needed to be done.
Another moving moment was the story Rob Steiner used to open the service. I want to post and paraphrase it here for others to hear. From what I heard, Rob Robertson really did see the other as brother:
A Hasidic Rabbi once asked his students "How do you know when the night has ended and it is day?" (for they measure days from sunset and sunrise)Here's to carrying on the legacy of this man I almost met.
One student ventured: "Is it when you can look into the field and there is enough light to tell the difference between a sheep and a dog?" "No" was the reply.
Another tried, "Is it when it is light enough to look at your hand and make out your finger prints?" And another said, "Is it when you can tell the difference between a fig tree and a pear tree in the distance?" Still the answer was "No."
"So what is it then?" insisted the students.
"It is when you can look into the face of another person, any woman or man, and see that they are in fact your your sister and your brother. Until that time, we are still living in the dark" the Rabbi replied.
Seeing that pomo-Adam has this cool* “Fridays are for new music” thing going, I thought that I’d do a “Mondays are for subversive quotes” thing. Well, this Monday at least. I had 2 quotes sitting in my inbox for a while now, desperate to get put up here. And, what do you know, another one arrived today. So, here are 3 subversive quotes to shake this blue Monday up:
*I assume it is cool. I haven’t actually listened to his music, but judging by his playlist when we drove to Virginia for an Ultimate tournament, I’m sure it’s good. If we had the bandwidth here in SA to listen to streaming audio then trust me, I’d be listening. And then it would be cool.
Those at the Edge Hold the Secret
Those at the edge, ironically, always hold the secret for the conversion of every age and culture. They always hold the projected and denied parts of our soul, the parts of ourselves that we are ashamed of, that we hate and deny, that we're afraid of in ourselves. Only as the People of God receive the stranger and the leper, those who don't play our game, do we discover not only the hidden and hated parts of our own souls, but the Lord Jesus himself. That's how we say, "Come, Lord Jesus." In letting go, we make room for the Other. The church is always converted when the outcasts are reinvited into the temple.Richard Rohr, Preparing for Christmas with Richard Rohr
A church that doesn't provoke any crises, a gospel that doesn't unsettle, a word of God that doesn't get under anyone's skin, a word of God that doesn't touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed - what gospel is that? Very nice, pious considerations that don't bother anyone, that's the way many would like preaching to be. Those preachers who avoid every thorny matter so as not to be harassed, so as not to have conflicts and difficulties, do not light up the world they live in.Oscar Romero, The Violence of Love
Here's what I've decided: the very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof. What I want is so simple I almost can't say it: elementary kindness. Enough to eat, enough to go around. The possibility that kids might one day grow up to be neither the destroyers nor the destroyed. That's about it. Right now I'm living in that hope, running down its hallways and touching the walls on both sides. I can't tell you how good it feels.Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams
May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.Amen.
Meet Ed.
Ed befriended me during the first day of the Richard Rohr conference in Albuquerque. We were both conference volunteers and we got chatting. He was Richard's right hand man during the 'New Jerusalem Community' years in Cincinnati where 150 young people lived together in an intentional community, and was down in New Mexico to reconnect with Richard and get some guidance for the future. Ed also managed to secure me a breakfast with Richard, and a hotel bed for a night.
Anyway, what is really inspiring is that Ed is leaving as a principal of a Catholic school and isn't sure where he is going to. Wherever it is, it is to get more directly involved in following Jesus and serving the poor. It was great to hear
his journey, and the see faith and guts he has to just step out into the unknown. I'm sure some of this comes from his younger days at New Jerusalem, but a recent impetus was Shane Claiborne's book The Irresistible Revolution. I look forward to where this journey takes Ed. If anyone knows of any good opportunities linked to poverty/Aids/education where help is needed, let me know.
Ed writes wonderful reflections on his journey here.
The local newspaper's article 'Principal retires to serve poor' is here.
What does this all mean for me? I asked Richard Rohr what he would say the best part of his life has been, and even though now he runs around the world as an international figure, he said that he often looks back at the New Jerusalem Community days as the golden days. "We were young, passionate and idealistic" he said. Hearing this, meeting Ed, and reading a copy of The Irresistible Revolution from Ed has inspired and challenged me to think about forming an intentional community some day. Wanna join?
