Harmony of Grace

In recent years, I have become very outspoken against many types of injustice in the world, particularly those perpetuated by the wealthy and the Church. I believe that this is necessary work justified by my understanding of Jesus and Scripture. Jesus constantly challenged the religious elite and the greedy rich while fighting for the rights of the poor, marginalized and vulnerable. We also know that Jesus told his followers to love their neighbours, even those who they consider to be their enemies. So how do we confront those perpetuating injustice while still loving them? Reading the gospel story of Zacchaeus the tax-collector in Luke 19, I was reminded that while God clearly shows a preferential option for the poor throughout the bible, no-one is exempt from God's love and grace - even those who we feel called to challenge. In this beautiful story, Jesus takes time to visit and eat with Zacchaeus, a man who was rich, greedy and guilty of stealing from many - the exact type of pe...

  Exodus 20:1-17 Many people seem to think that God gave the Israelites the ten commandments because God is a strict teacher who just wants humans to follow rules, regardless of the outcome.  If we read the ten commandments at face value today, we discover that none of them are really unfair or unrealistic to follow. Even the most devout atheists would agree that murder is wrong and you shouldn't try to steal your neighbour's wife. If we consider what we learnt yesterday, that the message of the cross sounds foolish until we put it into practice and discover its true wisdom, we find a similar reality when it comes to the ten commandments.  We can huff and puff about being legalistic and not enjoying being "rule-followers," but the truth of the matter is that this list of commandments that Moses passed on to the people of Israel many, many years ago is still extremely relevant to our lives today. The ten commandments are not a set of rules that we are meant to follow r...

John 2:13-17 This passage reminds us of Jesus' human nature. Jesus experienced the full spectrum of human emotions as we do today. He wept, he was tempted, and he got angry. Many people have used this passage of scripture to justify getting angry for whatever reason. When they swear at other drivers on the road or lose their temper with their spouse and children, they will claim, "but Jesus got angry too." It is important for us to take note of what Jesus got angry at. In this instance, Jesus got angry because people were desecrating the temple of God.  If we consider what we looked at yesterday, about how our bodies are temples of God, then perhaps we too should get angry when people's bodies are used and abused for selfish, unjust purposes. I would argue that our temples of God include our physical, emotional and spiritual bodies. Therefore, if someone is physically, emotionally or spiritually abused, we should share Jesus' righteous anger at their unjust situat...

Mark 8:34-38 In our reading today, Jesus describes what it takes to follow him. In this passage, he presents one of the greatest challenges to people who claim to follow Jesus: "What good is it to gain the whole world, yet lose their soul?" (verse 36). This is a catchy line that has made it into many songs in recent history (my favourite being  Lose My Soul  by Toby Mac), but we need to be careful that our familiarity with a verse does not make us forget its meaning. While perhaps being at risk of generalising, I believe that there is a direct correlation between someone's wealth and how difficult it is to truly follow Jesus. The more wealth and possessions that someone has, the harder it is to be a true disciple of Christ.  The wealthiest nation in the world is the USA. The current population of Americans that does not identify with any religious affiliation is 28%. In South Africa, a much poorer nation, this figure is 5.2%. I think that the reason for this is because th...

Image Source:  Steve Halama   In a world that is so overwhelmed with evil and corruption, I am sure many of us wish that we were living in a fictional world where literal superheroes existed.  How great would it be if we could call on a superhero to come and fix all of our problems?  Unfortunately, we are unlikely to see a literal superhero fly in and save the day by defeating the villains of our story. But that does not mean that heroes do not exist in our world today. One of the reasons that the biblical stories appeal to me so much is because they remind me that ordinary people can be heroes too. They might not look like the superheroes that we have come to know and love in movies and books, but they live heroic lives of honour and valour. Every time that a person assists a widow, or stands up for a person's rights, or helps alleviate poverty and hunger, or brings a criminal to justice, I believe that heroism is taking place. As much as there are people bringing d...

God's grace is evident in so many areas of our lives. However, some situations seem to be so utterly devastating that we cannot help but ask: where is God and why does God not intervene? The pain and evil evident in the many attacks against women in our country is overwhelmingly traumatic. South Africa is hurting. She is wounded in unison with her daughters who bleed on her streets. She is crying out for deliverance. Why can't our mothers rest assured that their daughters are safe, even at school? Why can't our sisters leave their houses without fear for their lives? Why do men feel entitled to women's sacred bodies? Now is not the time to be silent. Now is not the time to pretend that everything is fine. Now is not the time to presume that the situation is going to fix itself. Now is the time to mourn for our women. Now is the time to remember those who have been brutally murdered. Now is the time to listen and stand in solidarity with those who have s...

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters - yes, even their own life - such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple... In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." - Jesus in Luke 14:25-26,33 In Luke 14, Jesus lays down conditions for those who want to follow him. He says that "we need to love our family members less than we love him, bear our crosses and renounce all that we have."  It seems like an extreme response, but Jesus knew that his followers would face trials and would need to be willing to count their costs and persevere. This was not an isolated incident in Jesus' ministry. In Luke 9, Jesus tells 3 prospective followers that they could expect homelessness if they became his disciples and that they would have to abandon their families without even getting an opp...

Image Source:  Thursdays in Black SA At Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary, we are encouraged to support the Thursdays in Black campaign. Every Thursday, most of the seminarians and staff wear black in silent protest against the culture of rape and violence (primarily against women) which is prevalent in our world today. The movement began in Argentina in the 1970's when women would gather together and wear black armbands in honour of their daughters and sisters who were disappearing in numbers. The campaign has recently renewed its vigour with the aim of "standing in solidarity with women who have died at the hands of their partners while signifying a desire to make a difference in the world." My concern with movements such as this is that they can quickly become a habit and the significance of such a protest is lost when it merely becomes a meaningless routine. We get comfortable in the routine of it where in reality, it should be making us uncomfortable. One ...