A blessing on the earth

Here's the reflection that I shared earlier today as part of the Midday Meditation Services for Holy Week at Billericay Methodist Church, Western Road. These are reflective 45 minute services throughout Holy week to help with reflection on the life, ministry, and death of Jesus as we look towards a promised resurrection, with carefully chosen choral music: 

The Annual Lent Lecture given here, at Western Road, earlier in Lent was entitled: ‘The Bible and People of Other Faiths: A Personal and Theological Journey’ and was given by Dr Elizabeth Harris, honorary Senior Research Fellow within the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, University of Birmingham, UK. Elizabeth gave helpful and fascinating insights into understandings of people of other faiths within the Bible and our readings today provide an opportunity to revisit that same theme and its relevance to the events of Holy Week.

‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’ (Isaiah 49: 6)

These are words originally spoken to the People of Israel, as the servant of God, but then understood by the Church as applying to Jesus, who fulfilled the task originally given by God to Israel. Although the Israelites were God’s chosen people, they were not to keep God to themselves. God’s intent in making Israel his chosen people was that they should be a light to the nations so all people would be God’s people. When Jesus speaks of himself as the light of the world, he is saying that he is acting as Israel, as God’s servant, by bring the light of life to all people everywhere.

We see Jesus acting on this basis in our Gospel reading too:

among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They … said … ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ … Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. (John 12: 20-22)

It is when people of other faiths and other cultures come and ask to see Jesus that Jesus knows it is time for him to be glorified through the crucifixion and resurrection. It is for this reason that, once filled with Jesus’ Spirit, the apostles, including St Paul, take the message of Jesus, in word and act, to all the nations of the then known world. As St Paul writes in his first letter to the Corinthians:

we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1: 23 & 24)

Although there is considerable debate in the early Church about the Gospel being preached among the Gentiles, it becomes increasingly clear that the love of Jesus cannot be contained solely within the Jewish church and must be shared and spread more widely among the Gentile peoples too.

The Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann has helpfully spoken of two strands of theology to be found in the Old Testament; a core testimony and a counter testimony. The core testimony is supportive of the institutions of the day, whether the Judges or the Kings, and sees Israel as a beacon of light in an embattled world surrounded by hostile, unbelieving nations. The counter testimony is in large part the voice of those who do not have power – the Israelites, themselves, when slaves or in exile, those who are oppressed by the wealthy and powerful, those who are foreigners and migrants, and those who are people of other nations and other faiths. When Jesus enters our world as one of us, he does so as someone who is part of the counter testimony and through him the counter testimony is seen to be the testimony which embodies the nature of God most fully.

As a testimony which is counter to the testimony that claims God for the Israelites alone, the counter testimony is an inclusive testimony. In relation to people of other faiths, this means that the counter testimony sees all people as God’s people. We see this specifically and surprisingly expressed by a number of the prophets.

In Amos 9.7-8, the prophet says:

“Are not you Israelites
the same to me as the Cushites?”
declares the Lord.
“Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
the Philistines from Caphtor
and the Arameans from Kir?

Here, there is no mention of the Israelites as God’s special people, instead all people are God’s people and it is noted that the Philistines and Arameans had their own Exoduses, as did the People of Israel when they were freed from slavery in Egypt. Later in the same chapter Amos speaks of all the nations that bear God’s name, not just one (Amos 9. 12).

Malachi prophesies of those who will see God’s plans with their own eyes and say, ‘Great is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel!’ (Malachi 1. 11) Isaiah gives the greatest and clearest vision of a harmonious kingdom embracing all nations where there is peace between all peoples and all creatures. In Isaiah 19. 23 -25, we read of this vision specifically in relation to Assyria, Egypt and Israel:

In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.”

Similarly, Jesus says that: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So, there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (John 10. 16). In his teaching, he specifically teaches, through the Parable of the Good Samaritan (who is a person of another faith), that we should receive from our neighbours who follow other faiths (Luke 10. 25-37).

That is what we see St Paul doing when he preaches at the Areopagus in Athens. There, he specifically visits the range of worship places in Athens, compliments the people on their faith, begins his sermon with reference to one of the altars and quotes from their poets (Acts 17. 16-34).

In a report called Embassy, Hospitality & Dialogue prepared by Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali for the 1998 Lambeth Conference, Bishop Nazir-Ali takes us across similar ground. He notes that Amos declares that God has a purpose for and acts within the history of the various nations, both far and near and that the language of the Exodus from Egypt is used to describe God's "saving plan" for these peoples (Amos 9:7). Also, that Malachi speaks of the ways in which God is recognised and worshipped, however inadequately, among the nations. In some cases, in ways that are worthier than the worship of Israel itself (Malachi 1:11).

In both Isaiah 19 and in the so-called Apocalypse of Isaiah (Chapters 24-27) there is a reference to a blessed community of nations. God's blessing no longer applies solely to Israel, the other nations are also blessed. Israel is the primary recipient of this blessing and also God's instrument in extending it to others, but there is also anticipation of a future which belongs to God.

The universalism of the New Testament arises out of the response to the Gospel by the poor, the marginalised and the foreigners. We are told that the common people (ochlos) heard Jesus gladly (Mark 12:37). He keeps company with the sinners and outcasts of society (Matthew 9:10-13). Foreigners respond positively to the words and works of Jesus (Matthew 8:1-13, Mark 7:24-30, Luke 17:11-19, John 12:20-21). This is confirmed in the experience of the Early Church which is alerted to its world-wide mission by the response of those either on the margins of the synagogue or outside it altogether (Acts 13:44-48).

Jesus’ encounters with Gentiles were encounters with people of other faiths and by studying these encounters we can explore Jesus’ approach to those of other faiths. Jesus crossed cultural and religious boundaries in order to speak with those such as the Samaritan woman. In Jesus’ parable of The Good Samaritan, it is the person from another faith (the Samaritan) who is a good neighbour to the person from God’s chosen people.

Paul had a multi-cultural upbringing. He was born and grew up in Tarsus in Cicilia (Acts 21: 39), a city noted for its Stoic philosophers. From other sources it seems likely that Paul’s parents were carried off as prisoners of war from the Judean town of Gischala to Tarsus. Presumably enslaved to a Roman, they were freed and granted Roman citizenship which was then also passed to Paul. In Tarsus Paul would probably have had an education in Greek culture before going to Jerusalem at about the age of 12 to study under the famous rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22: 3). In his ministry, Paul visited the worship places of other faiths (Acts 17: 23), quoted from the writings of other faiths (Acts 17: 28; 1 Corinthians 15:33; Titus 1:12), and used rhetorical approaches learnt from Greek oratory.

Both Scripture and our experience provide criteria that God is working in the cultures and histories of all people. In different ways, people respond to this divine impulse and the Bible, as the inspired record of God's saving acts, provides us with a means of discerning how God has been working in the history, the culture and the spirituality of a particular people. Awareness of the divine need not be confined to the structures of institutional religion. Indeed, it may not be found there at all! It can be a very private affair and sometimes it may be found in counter-religious movements which set out to affirm human dignity and equality and which challenge oppressive social institutions.

As was the case when Elizabeth Harris spoke to us, this review of Biblical passages that relate to relationships with those of other faiths seeks to show that there are a range of possible ways to understand and relate to our neighbours of other faiths. In relation to Holy Week and Easter, we are reminded that Jesus’s purpose in going through the cross to resurrection, was with all peoples of all faiths in mind and that his vision was that of the peaceable kingdom in which all peoples live together in peace with one another, with God and with creation. However we understand our relationship with those of other faiths, may we make that our prayer, now and always:

God of unity, whose Son said, I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So, there will be one flock, one shepherd. You love our human family and every work of your hands: As children of Abraham, Jews, Christians and Muslims, together with other believers and all persons of good will, we thank you for having given us Abraham, a distinguished son of this noble and beloved country, to be our common father in faith. We ask you, the God of our father Abraham and our God, to grant us a strong faith, a faith that abounds in good works, a faith that opens our hearts to you and to all our brothers and sisters; and a boundless hope capable of discerning in every situation your fidelity to your promises. Make each of us a witness of your loving care for all, particularly refugees and the displaced, widows and orphans, the poor and the infirm. Open our hearts to mutual forgiveness and in this way make us instruments of reconciliation, builders of a more just and fraternal society. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

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Leontyne Price - The Crucifixion.

A line drawn in sand?

A line has been drawn in the sand by the Bishop of London's decision to ask Pete Broadbent, the Bishop of Willesden, to withdraw from public duties as a result of his facebook comments about the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

As several commentators on the decision have noted, bishops in the Church of England and the Anglican Communion "can refuse to attend the Lambeth Conference, criticise the Archbishop publicly, announce how much they hate the CofE and that they intend to leave it, even liken supporters of women's elevation to the episcopate to Nazis" (Alan Frazer) and "claim that married couples who choose not to have children are selfish (Michael Nazir-Ali, former Bishop of Rochester); that Muslims are creating “no-go” areas for non-Muslims in Britain (also Nazir-Ali); and that the Cumbrian floods were in part caused by God's judgment on civil partnerships (Graham Dow, Bishop of Carlisle)" (Symon Hill); all with apparent impunity. But, as Alan Frazer writes, "the one thing that finally provokes unequivocal condemnation and 'suspension' is a Bishop's semi-private moan about a royal wedding."

Together with Symon Hill I think it is clear that, through this decision, the Church of England has given the impression that it regards insults to members of the Windsor family as a more serious offence than those routinely traded in debating these other issues. It would be valuable, although probably unrealistic, to seek to eradicate the culture of insulting opponents in debate but, in the absence of such a development, seeking to establish a hierarchy of those who can and cannot be insulted, as the Bishop of London seems to be doing, is entirely the wrong way to proceed.  

This whole incident also reinforces one of the main points made by the Bishop of Willesden in his original comments and that is the disproportionate power possessed by the media which can destroy reputations and careers (and, as the Bishop was predicting, marriages) with apparent impunity.

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The Clash - Wrong 'Em Boyo.

Honest, impassioned dialogue

Just back from a very interesting meeting of the East London Three Faiths Forum in which Bishop Michael Nazir Ali spoke on faith in a plural community at the Ilford Islamic Centre.

Hopefully, I'll be able to post a summary before too long of the Bishop's speech from the notes I took but this post is just some of my initial reactions to that speech and the impassioned debate that followed.

The Bishop argued strongly for accountability, integration, reciprocity, a recognition of plurality, and government by consent in addressing and expressing faith within plural communities. He argued that the British approach to multiculturalism and tolerance had led to a benign neglect of minority ethnic communities. He was challenged strongly about his comments regarding 'no go' areas with many of those responding to his speech arguing that such comments were irresponsible and inflammatory when Muslim communities felt under threat as a minority community in Britain and when Western Christian armies were fighting in Muslim countries. The Bishop held his ground on this issue saying that he had spoken not about the Muslim community as a whole but only of the actions of extremists which in some circumstances had led to Christian converts from Islam in Britain requiring police protection. He argued that the Muslim community needed to acknowledge and work to counter extremism within its own community.

The Bishop's speech itself was well received by those present although some of those responding thought that the comments the Bishop had made in the press about no go areas and the veil were not appropriate expressions of the views he had shared in the speech. The debate following the speech was impassioned but honest and the evening was a positive experience of dialogue with both the Ilford Islamic Centre and the Bishop needing to be acknowledged for their openness to engage in that dialogue.

I felt that the dialogue would have been enhanced by a greater acknowledgement of the sense of threat and hurt felt felt by the Muslim community at the military actions of the West in Muslim countries while continuing to hold the line on the suffering experienced by some Christians within some Muslim states or communities. I think too that, at the same time that the call is made for Muslim communities to deal with the extremists in their midst, it is also important for the Christian community to clearly condemn those such as 'The Christian Council of Great Britain', who are extremists promoting the racist views of the BNP under a Christian banner. The Church, as a whole, has been clear about its opposition to the views of the BNP and their associates (see the Bishop of Durham's recent statement, for example) but an acknowledgement of the need for such statements from the Church is not often made in the context of a call for the Muslim community to acknowledge and deal with extremists in their midst. That connection was not made tonight, although a comment relating to this issue was made.

The East London Three Faiths Forum has been a positive forum for disalogue between the Abrahamic faiths and this meeting, despite its controversial billing and impassioned debate, was another valuable opportunity for honest dialogue to occur.

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Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Peter Gabriel - Signal To Noise.