Widening the Reach of Our Hearts

As we seek to preach justly, I commend this film as a valuable perspective on the reality of undocumented workers. While some of the intense political pressures on Central Americans has eased since the 80's when the film was made, it still helps put a human face on the debate raging along the border (especially Arizona), in Washington DC, on cable tv, in the blogosphere, and talk radio. This trailer gives a sense for the movie. You can order a copy of the movie from Amazon.com.

When I first saw this film, I felt my heart grow another size or two.

Jesus and the Peace Pipe

While visiting my parents in Texas a couple of years back, I took my wife and kids out to explore an Indian shelter near Iraan. It took some effort to get up to it, but once we got there it was amazing. It had quite a view. There were still artifacts to be found, although the site had been picked through by the local museum. We were able to come away with a lot of flint chips and a stone tool. The 81 year old woman who guided us up the brushy mountain, Skoots, gave us a wonderful history of how American Indians lived in those parts. She also shared her sense of sorrow at how the American Indians were treated. After returning to Odessa, I went to some local trader posts and junk stores with my son to see what other treasures I might find. In a junk store, I came across a work by the artist Paul Calle called "Breath of Friendship" (pictured above), an oil painting of a fur trapper and Indian chief sitting enjoying a smoke on the ceremonial pipe. This custom often served as a gesture of peaceful intentions.

I suspect if Jesus was sitting down with us in such a culture, he would share in the pipe of peace, of forgiveness, of reconciliation. Forgiveness is an amazing thing to see, even more amazing to experience.

Cindy, thank you for reminding us of the Amish story of radical forgiveness. I remember watching Countdown with Keith Olberman when he covered it on his show. A clip of the show is below:





Mike

A New Heaven and A New Earth

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.

This vision was recorded for people who were terrified. By the end of the first century, being a follower of The Way had become dangerous; to be “outed” as a Christian was life-threatening. As Jesus had been a threat to the powers and principalities, so too were his followers.

Thus, the Church craved words of encouragement; assurance that the daily haunting terror would not have the final word. But a straightforward message would never have reached the people who needed to receive it, so the author of the Book of Revelation wrote in language only members of the Church would understand.

At first blush, today’s second reading appears to describe the world as it will be, rather than the world as it is. What if it’s both?

Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed;

nor will they say, “Look, here it is!” or “There it is!” For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.’

And every now and then, you and I get a glimpse of it.

In October, 2003, Charles Carl Roberts IV a milk-truck driver entered a one-room Amish schoolhouse in rural Pennsylvania. He killed 6 girls and wounded five others. In an article in the Friends’ Journal, Jonathan Kooker wrote, Marian Fisher's grandfather, while standing next to [his granddaughter’s] dead body, instructed his grandsons, "We must not think evil of this man." He went on to urge them to forgive Charles Carl Roberts. The grandfather of Lena and Mary Liz Miller [who were also murdered] agreed. [He said...]"In my heart I have [already forgiven him]." An Amish delegation visited the Roberts family and told them, "Do not leave this area. Stay in your home here. We forgive this man." Dozens of members of the Amish Community attended Roberts’ funeral.

In his article, Kooker cited Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister, who wrote, It was not the murders, not the violence, that shocked us; it was the forgiveness that followed it for which we were not prepared. It was a lack of recrimination, the dearth of vindictiveness that left us amazed. Baffled. Confounded. . . .

See, I am making all things new.

But, as Kooker noted, a number of writers and commentators criticized the response of the Amish Community. Among them was Ben Witherington who wrote, The pacifism and instant forgiveness of the Amish is not a model for the state, which must at times pursue justice in the form of retribution.

Yet, the situation in South Africa proves him wrong. When Nelson Mandela was elected President of South Africa, many predicted that the country would erupt in violence; they expected that the tables would turn in South Africa - that the White Afrikaners would now feel the sting of the same whip they had wielded against their African countrymen and women. Instead, the new administration convened the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.  Mr. Dullah Omar, the Minister of Justice at that time, said ... a commission is a necessary exercise to enable South Africans to come to terms with their past on a morally accepted basis and to advance the cause of reconciliation. The threat of violence that terrorized white South Africans, never materialized - because Black South Africans chose not to retaliate.

        Joan Chittister insists that the example of South Africa need not be unique. She continued her reflections about the Amish Community’s response to murder by writing these words, The real problem with the whole situation is that down deep we know that we had a chance to do the same. After the fall of the Twin Towers, we had the sympathy, the concern, the support of the entire world.

You can't help but wonder when you see something like this what the world would be like today if, instead of using the fall of the Twin Towers as an excuse to invade a nation, we had simply gone to every Muslim country on Earth and said, "Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you. We know that this is coming from only a fringe of society, and we ask your help in saving others from this kind of violence."

With the benefit of time and distance it is easy to engage in Monday morning quarterbacking. The truth is that none of us can know what our response would have been if our daughter had been in the schoolhouse that day or at her desk in the Twin Towers. It would be completely understandable and expected to want to retaliate for so terrible a loss.

Still, God is doing a new thing. How else could the grandparents of Marian, and Lena, and Mary Liz forgive Charles Carl Roberts? Who but God could give members of the Amish Community the strength and grace to embrace Charles’ widow and children? None but the Spirit could have blown a cleansing breath through the townships of South Africa. God’s presence did not make the work of truth and reconciliation and forgiveness easy -- but God’s presence makes it possible. Amen.