Pastoral Thought--April 15

In his book, The Blue Mountain of China, Rudy Wiebe writes these words that have been with me all week. While there is a bit of rhythm to this quotation, I find that it reads like a prayer to God; a prayer of faithfulness and of hope. 

Jesus says in his society there is a new way for [people] to live: 

You show wisdom, by trusting people; 

you handle leadership, by serving; 

you handle offenders, by forgiving; 

you handle money, by sharing; 

you handle enemies, by loving; 

you handle violence, by suffering. 

In fact you have a new attitude toward everything, toward everybody. 

Toward nature, toward the state in which you happen to live. . . toward all and every single thing. 

Because this is a Jesus society and you repent, not by feeling bad, but by thinking differently. 

Rudy first wrote these words in 1970. His world was very different from ours, but that does not change the call that these words present. Rudy obviously did not write when covid and other social issues were at the forefront of our world and thought. He probably couldn’t imagine that a global pandemic was going to change how the church interacts with its community and how it seeks to be faithful. 

The news in the 1970s did not speak of many of the issues that you are I are confronted with each day when we are at work or when we are at home. But nonetheless those issues were present even then if the church was willing to look for them. 

If we are going to think and serve the people of our culture authentically, as Christ calls us to do, then we will be confronted with the chance to think differently about how we interact with them. We will not be able to go back to old methodologies and old lines of thought. We will be asked by God to work and serve differently. 

Perhaps Rudy’s words might be helpful to you this afternoon as you envision what that relationship and interaction looks like. . . For we do indeed look at this world through new eyes and a new perspective. 

Blessings

Rev. Derek