Our daily travels

(When narratives need to be challenged)

I started this blog with a specific focus and then read something on social media and in my response to the person I had a Holy Spirit whisper that changed some of the context for this blog.

They (Lisa Koons) had referred to a well-known parable of Jesus and how they had learnt something so new about it in a seminary lesson that it had changed everything they understood about it. That’s the living word of God. It’s always teaching us something new with new understanding.

It was a wow moment and learning for me too, and in responding to their Facebook post is where I believe the Holy Spirit pointed something out to me that changed it even further for me.

The parable spoken about was ‘The good Samaritan’. We have heard it many times, we have had it unpacked and preached on many times. It is often used to speak to kindness and loving our neighbour or our enemy in our world.

But this seminary professor (Hill Carmichael) made the comment that this parable is really about the transformation of the world.

He went on to share - there are 3 types of people on this road – the first being the robbers, whose ethic suggests that “what is yours is mine at whatever cost!” They will take what they want through violence, coercion or whatever means necessary. We see way too much of this happening in our world.

The second type of person is represented by the priest and the Levite, whose ethic suggests that “what is mine is mine and I must protect it even if it means you get hurt in the process”. These people are not bad people; they very likely follow all the societal rules and norms and sit on local boards. Crossing the road carries too much cost, so they put their head down and go about their business. They often cause more harm than good in this process. Silence and inaction in the face of injustice is often the result. Reputation comes before relationships. Their focus is inward toward their own needs and the needs of those who are most like them. This often results in them choosing their own individual rights over the health and well-being of their neighbours. This is an area where many of us can really battle.

Then there is the Samaritan whose ethic is love. Even in the most dangerous circumstances he seems to live by the ethic that says, “what is mine is yours, if you have need of it.” My safety, security, resources, health and well-being are tied to you and your well-being.

Martin Luther King Jr preached on this often. He says the question the priest and Levite could have asked themselves was, “If I stop to help this person, what will happen to me?” whereas the Samaritan likely asked a very different question – “If I don’t stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”

I realised that this question (who is my neighbour?) that Jesus is responding to is a daily question to ask and maybe that’s why this story is based in a daily walking/traveling from place-to-place context. It was the (dangerous) road between Jericho and Jerusalem. How many times do we refer to dangerous roads or routes in our daily lives? Sometimes our daily commute is just that and sometimes going further than we normally would, could present us with more danger. But it’s all part of getting from one point to another which we do every day, whether we are walking or in some kind of transport.

Fear has a way of making us all behave badly. When fear is the ethic of our lives, we tend to cling to our own safety, and our own individual rights. We retreat, mind our own business and rarely cross to the other side of the road to help. We forget about Jesus’s greatest commandments to “Love God and love our neighbour.”

Fear does not make us safer, even if it might make us feel safer for a fleeting moment.

We can also choose to cross the road to help our neighbour. This will give us an idea of what Jesus talked about often. We will experience a little of what following Jesus and his ways is all about. We get to see what real transformation looks like, and we get to see what the kingdom of God on earth looks like.

If the narratives we hear about countries and people make us fearful of those countries and hate the people who live there, we need to question those narratives!

Sometimes what we have come to believe as ‘truth’ is a false narrative repeated ad nauseum until it appears as truth.

If we are left with hate and fear, we are certainly not hearing a kingdom of God perspective on the issue.

We can be easily manipulated by media where the very agenda is often set up to be manipulative.

Do we question what we hear?
Do we ask questions?
Do we investigate?
Do we stay curious?
Do we line it up with the kingdom of God?
Do we line it up to Jesus’s character?

We are given pictures, words and emotions all the time.

Where do ideas and pictures come from?
How effective is repetition in selling us stories? Here's as answer to that question - it's highly effective. The same story told over and over and never questioned or challenged, will become a part of us as truth. The Holy Spirit might prompt us, but we need to respond. We get the opportunity to question the validity of any information we are hearing on repeat before we assimilate it as part of us. Once it is a part of us (assimilated) it is much harder, but definitely not impossible, to unlearn and relearn.

If it slightly stirs fear or hatred in us, we have a problem.
If we find ourselves thinking ‘we are better than someone else’ or ‘they deserve it,’ then we don’t have our kingdom of God lens on.

That’s not how Jesus taught us. He told us to love, go closer, cross barriers, cross the road, love our neighbours, love our enemies, be humble, loving and gracious.

If we are going to bring ‘as it is in heaven’ to earth, what are we bringing here if it’s got even a tinge of hate and fear on it? Should it not be about love, peace, care and joy? It seems so straightforward to do the simple equation of heaven there and heaven here – they should look the same, not completely different.

The kingdom of God breaks through onto earth from time to time and we are the ones who get to bring it here by praying and asking for it and by the way we live out our lives as followers of Jesus. The world gets to see Jesus in us. They get a taste of heaven. Well, that’s the plan. But when we bring hate, arrogance, superiority and fear, then they get a bitter taste of something else.

Do we carry an awareness of heaven with us daily? Do we allow this to shape our conversations, actions and decisions here on earth? We can lift our eyes above the temporary to the eternal. Are we being shaped by God’s truth and promises? Do we ask what matters most to God in each moment? If we fix our eyes on Jesus and his ways, it will impact how we live our lives, love others, make decisions and how we react to daily frustrations, anger, pain and injustice. Let’s refocus our thoughts onto God and what it looks like to bring heaven to earth.

God’s love is simple to copy, but not always easy to do. It is a love like no other love. A love that transforms us into a new creation. It does not leave us the same. It’s miraculous and world changing.

The words of ‘On earth as in heaven’ by Red Rocks Worship are applicable. Let’s sing them with meaning and honesty when we ask for God’s kingdom to come here. When we speak the very words of Jesus and say “Your Kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.”

We bring our praise
You bring revival
We lift our hands
You lift our eyes up
Where your love is found
There will be no fear
God your kingdom come
Your will be done here

Chorus
On earth as in heaven
Spirit of God pour out
Our hearts are wide open
Jesus we need you now
Come have your way
In this place
Break our walls down
Spirit of God pour out
On earth as in heaven
Jesus we need you now

We bring our shame
You bring redemption
You turn our chains
Into our freedom
Where your love is found
There will be no fear
God your kingdom come
Your will be done here

Chorus repeat

Bridge:
In your presence there is peace
In your presence we are free
There’s no better place to be
There’s no better place to be
In your presence there is truth
In your presence mountains move
We forever run to you
We forever run to you

Chorus repeat

To end off, let’s pray for God’s Spirit to pour out on all of us. We need you now God. It’s a desperate need. We need your kingdom to come, on earth as in heaven. Amen.

 

Top artwork by Evelien Burger.
Photography, author’s own.
Bottom picture of some children's artwork at a local Children's Home.

 

 

How are our levels of hate doing?

Hate, like love, is a learned behaviour. We are more used to hearing this statement the other way around.

This is a lean in and listen blog. We need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. If you feel triggered, please stop and breathe and then continue reading. 

So, how are we doing with our levels of hate? Is it something we take the time to evaluate? This maybe seems like a strange question to ask, but there is just way too much hate around currently. It’s not going to take us to good places. It’s the opposite of God’s Shalom which is peace, flourishing and wholeness for all. God condemns human hatred. He calls it destructive. He declares that if we say we love God, but hate our brother and sister, we are liars. He calls us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Hating sin, evil and injustice is aimed at the sin, evil and injustice, not at the people. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world. Our fight is a spiritual one, not a people against people one. Hatred of people is never the answer or the way forward.

Do we have categories for our hate? Why are we so okay with hating? The jokes, the snide and hurtful comments, the heart reaction or the visceral response.

Are we okay with being the reason that someone feels unloved, not accepted, unwelcome, not enough, too much, discriminated against and less than?

Where did we learn our hate?
Whose worldview taught us to hate?
Are we okay with passing our hate onto our children?

Do we really believe that all people, no matter their race, religion, age, physical or mental abilities, sex or gender are worthy of respect and dignity?

Should all people, as in people made in the image of God, and just to be clear, that really is all people, should they have basic human rights and be accepted as people?

I teach and train in Protective Behaviours, which is personal body safety life skills. These are taught in an attempt to abuse proof children and to bring the levels of all kinds of abuse and violence down in our world. (It helps to address issues like sexual, physical and emotional abuse, Bullying and all kinds of violence.) One of our themes is ‘We all have the right to feel safe at all times.’ Sounds pretty much like something that most people would agree with. I find myself often saying to children and teens, that if I have the right to feel safe, so does the person next to me. So let's keep each other safe. It has caused me to do some deep thinking. (When we speak about safety in Protective Behaviours we are talking about the feelings of safety, because as much as we would like to, we cannot guarantee physical safety in our world. But our feelings alert us to potential trouble and then we teach children and teens to persist in getting the help they need to get back to feeling safe again.)

All is well and good until it’s not! Until we have something in our worldview that pokes its head up and says no to that. Until it’s someone we have been taught to hate. Then, suddenly, in our personal opinion, they lose that right to safety.

It doesn’t seem to matter in those moments that our South African Constitution and global human rights organisations uphold that respect and dignity do extend to each and every person. No-one left out, everyone included.

Are we okay with being the reason someone feels hated? Are we okay that they feel cast aside and not worthy of love?

Are we okay to support them being raped, bombed and killed because we have learnt to hate them so much? This comes from a history of dehumanizing them, calling them animal names and believing lies about them.

Are we okay with the constant in person and online hateful comments directed towards certain groups of people? If we think this is not a thing, we need to look no further than the comment section on local news posts. Especially when it has to do with homeless people for some reason. Hate filled, dehumanizing and calling for violence comments. The comments will make you cry. Literally calling for the harm and death of others sometimes. People throw comments around openly and publicly on social media about beating others up or using a sjambok on them. They sometimes say things like, “violence is the only language they understand!”

Are we okay and almost happy if people we don’t like or hate commit suicide, because there’s one less person in the world in our hateful category?

Are we okay with people being beaten and killed? South Africa is rife with awful behaviour right now towards people seen as foreigners, specifically people from African countries. People being hurt, harmed, killed and thrown out of the country. Xenophobia, by definition, is fear, dislike or hatred of anything or anyone perceived to be foreign or different from oneself. It is typically expressed as prejudice, exclusion or hostility based on the person’s national, ethnic or cultural identity. Very often it comes as political maneuvering or distraction from within or without the country. It’s not based on accurate information. The foreigners are often used as scapegoats, as a target to blame for any domestic problems, like economic instability, unemployment or crime. The target often falls into the ‘vulnerable’ category. The aim is often internal chaos because it’s of benefit to someone else’s agenda for power and control or someone trying to evade their own shortfalls. South Africans need to stand up for what is right and not fall into this trap. We cannot afford to get tripped up by lies dressed up in the language of people being ‘illegals.’

We are seeing this same thing play out in multiple countries around the world. It has not worked out well, nor will it ever. It doesn’t stand up against love your neighbour and the stranger as you love yourself. It doesn’t hold up well to God urging us to love the stranger, to not oppress the widow, orphan, the stranger or the poor. What about practice hospitality to the stranger (who sometimes could be an angel) and being reminded that we too, as citizens of heaven, are strangers ourselves here? Jesus himself says, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me”. Let’s rather put on love, show welcome and practice love.

So, there must be some world views out there that are okay with one or more of the aforementioned scenarios as I have seen comments that would agree with the hatred expressed.

Our personal worldviews are never static; they are always changing as we learn and grow. My worldview has changed dramatically in the past 18 years. There’s 40 years before that where I had been shaped and formed from various sources. That’s a long time to accumulate brain memory. There has been a lot to undo and recalibrate as I have carried on learning and growing and been exposed to other people’s worldviews, my own personal journey of learning more about Jesus and the kingdom of God and more teaching within different churches.

There’s one worldview to take note of, and this one doesn’t change, and that’s the kingdom of God worldview. It’s very different. From everything I have learnt, it’s meant to be a worldview of love. We learn from Jesus’s life and teachings how to live on this earth. I can’t find anything in Jesus’ teachings that teaches me to hate people. In the 40 years of my formation, I had many, many teachings in various and very different churches and spaces. There is a human element involved in how we learn about Jesus and his teachings – there is our own understanding as we read the word of God, and then there’s the people and preachers around us who have added their interpretations too. It’s our choice to ask God for wisdom and our choice to invite the Holy Spirit to fill us, help us understand and lead us forward.

Prejudice and bias are real. We are human. But it comes from what we have been taught. It’s basically a preconceived opinion, attitude or feeling about an individual or group, typically formed without sufficient knowledge or facts. It often manifests as an irrational attitude of hostility or unfair preference.

Interestingly it’s normally aimed at marginalized or vulnerable groups of people. These are the very groups of people Jesus asked us to take extra special care of. Examples would be prejudging of, exclusion, hatred or violence towards any demographic like different races, ethnicities, religions, genders, ages (children and the elderly) or physical and mental capabilities.

We can learn and we can also unlearn and relearn. Our brains have that capacity. It is our choice.

What we can’t do is blend our learnt worldview with the kingdom of God worldview. If we go with the kingdom of God, then we can’t say that some hate is justified and okay. I know there could be many reasons why we could think it might be okay, but there is no teaching on hate coming from Jesus. So, we are in direct opposition to his teaching if we choose to hate people.

We need to stop trying to qualify our hate and give reasons for it. We can’t excuse our way out with spiritual sounding platitudes. Things like, “I love you, but”.  We don’t see Jesus ever doing this. He went above and beyond and all the way to the cross in his great love for everyone in this world.

Our bias is often disproportionately weighted in favour of or against an idea, thing or group, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial or unfair. Often these are unconscious, but they are learned, so there’s no excuse to not have them challenged if they don’t align with Jesus’s teaching. Jesus had a naturally consistent and positive bias towards his Father and his kingdom. He was always in favour of everything his Father did and said and always aligned with him too.

Can you imagine Jesus putting a target on someone’s back and saying, “Go ahead, hate on them. Stay away from them. Warn others about them. Treat them as less than”. He came to people’s defense in cases where society had created a target out of someone. I am straightaway reminded of the lady caught in adultery and people wanting to stone her. Jesus taught us not to use violence against our enemies, but to love them and to pray for them.

Hate and violence start with seeds planted. These turn into thoughts that have been fed by stories, and most often fear and lies are a part of the stories. Violence and hatred are the end points of a story on repeat. Do we know the stories that have led to hate and violence? Does God rubber stamp violence? Does he encourage us to join in? Do we challenge these stories and the resultant actions, or do we ignore them and remain silent? What seeds are we planting for new stories? What will we nourish those seeds with? Where are we drawing the water from so that they will grow healthy and strong? If we nourish the seeds with fear, selfish ways, manipulation, pride, greed and threats, we will harvest hatred and violence. If we nourish the seeds with love, acceptance, welcome, care, peace, selflessness, humility, mercy and grace, we will harvest more love and God’s Shalom.

We have just noted June 16^th on the calendar in South Africa. A day to commemorate and remember. A dark day in our history of Apartheid. A day marked by extreme violence back in 1976, but it also brought with it the rumblings of change and freedom. Apartheid was birthed and kept in place with stories of fear, lies and prejudice. Fear hates and resists change and uncertainty. It resents equality and accountability. It says that my story matters more and yours matters less. It leads to people believing that they matter more and others matter less. What are the stories that made this happen? There were probably stories of superiority and entitlement. And then stories of those stealing and committing violence, those watching it and staying silent, those justifying it and those benefiting from it. Phobias are formed out of fear driven stories. Phobias are intense, irrational and out of proportion to reality. Once someone has a phobia, they are easily triggered when exposed to the object of their fear. Violent and hateful responses are often the outcome.

What are the stories that God gives us to counter fear, superiority, pride, hatred and violence? Is violence good news for the poor? Is hatred good for those who are lost and in need of a Saviour? Does this sound like the good news of the gospel?

Satan’s manifesto is one of fear and violence. Steal, kill and destroy certainly sounds very violent. He’s always busy with this. He's also known as the father of lies so we know he's at work with lies, deceit, misinformation, propaganda and fake stories too. But God is always working too and doing more and turning what’s meant for evil into good. This is a story we need to remember and believe.

What is the gospel story? What is God’s language? Is our language shaped by his language? I am the way, the truth and the life. Everything about me is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, redemption, forgiveness, goodness, humility, faithfulness, generosity, justice and faith. I came to bring life and life in abundance. Resurrection power is available and at work in you. My Spirit will convict, change and transform you.

Do we tell this story? Are we sharing the good news of the gospel to counter hatred and violence in our world? Or are we being hoodwinked into living with underlying fear which God promises to cast out with perfect love?

Let’s tell a new story with an old and powerful story. A story of deep love. A kingdom of God story. A story that changes us and changes our world. Let’s always respond with the truth of who God is.

Top picture: Bucket and well artwork by Evelien Burger
Bottom Picture: From a bag at Cotton On Foundation

 

Leadership adrift

 We have so many seminars, webinars, global summits and workshops on this topic. One would think from all the decades of input we would be in better places, but we are in dire spaces.

My life experience and even a recent workshop on leadership that I attended has shown me that leadership is about loving people and leading them somewhere through guidance and example. It’s social (people) influence. Set a vision, empower teams, collaborate, work together, lead people towards the goal. Personality of the leader and the team members plays a large role as to whether they can work together and get to the goal together. That’s a very basic understanding. There are a host of other words that come into play that can either help towards the leader and team reaching their goal in one piece or can unravel everything and no goal is met, or the team is left behind and the leader goes solo.

Communication is key. Strategy for the journey and listening will go a long way.

A good leader cares for people, listens, is patient, is honest, has integrity and humility, is vulnerable, works with interdependence and allows accountability.

A toxic leader is arrogant, uncaring, impatient, controlling, aggressive, selfish, intimidating, actively seeks to harm, is dismissive and defensive.

Who would you rather be led by?

We get into trouble when we don’t take the key elements for effective leading seriously. When one person becomes all important and loses the ability to listen and be held accountable, there will be problems. On Instagram reels they have multiple videos of different soft gel-like gadgets filled with many holes and tiny balls and as you press and squeeze on the gel lining, these little balls burst forth and go flying everywhere. This reminds me of leadership that is out of control. Total chaos and people going off in different directions and no-one doing anything towards the vision and goal. It’s just a case of picking up pieces along the way to try to start all over again. Getting nowhere slowly.

Add in some toxic leadership traits and we have science lab experiments, gone wrong, exploding everywhere.

It’s this toxicity we are seeing on display all over the world that is the most concerning. As leaders we are either going to influence people towards good or bad.

So, when we encourage something for decades, cultivate it, mainstream it, legislate it, broadcast it, what do we think the result will be? Chances are that whatever we have been selling will be bought. If it’s something bad and we make excuses for it, weaponize it and joke about it enough, that part will also be bought by those choosing to follow us.

Let’s take an example we see too much of. Let’s look at hatred and fear of one particular people group or religion.

This has happened for millennia. Most often it’s political power plays. When leaders paint an entire group of people as dangerous, terrorists and threats, that naturally leads to fear which very often leads to division, pride, hatred and violence.

It might make political sense if the only thing the leader is after is more power, land and riches. Create a target group of people. Demonize and dehumanize them. Manipulate stories and ordinary issues to fit the narrative the leaders are spinning. Create fear. Create division. Create reasons for the fear and build on the hatred. Chances of this leading to more exclusion and eventually violence are strong factors. There are huge consequences to this type of leadership. People get killed.

In many ways these leaders would see themselves as having good leadership as they have achieved their goal.

But if leadership is also social influence, then the social part should be a strong factor in play too. Are they good or bad for society or only thinking of themselves? Do we want leaders like this? Some could possibly answer yes because they are currently supporting leaders who lead like this. I certainly would want leaders that think about society as a whole and take us all towards something good. I have yet to listen to any leader speak about leadership principles and uphold toxic leadership traits. So, what’s happening? I wish I had the answers and easy solutions.

I have seen too many global leaders openly ignore people pleading with them for a different way forward. When a leader is about to speak in public and there is a public outcry against them, to see them stand still, stay silent, ignore what’s being said and sometimes smirk is so disingenuous. Sometimes there’s a retaliatory rude retort. There’s no responsibility taken in those moments. All we see is pride and arrogance. It’s ultimately a mask of weakness, cover-up and inability to lead well.

There’s also leadership through social media influencers. Some of these are outright toxic. Watching a documentary on Netflix called ‘Inside the Manosphere’, I came away with learning about some men who get famous from posting offensive and dodgy content. They are firstly anti-establishment and live by their own set of rules. They show off their women, riches and physical prowess. They might not agree morally with everything they are involved in, but they openly say they will profit from it without blinking. Flirting, humiliating people, multiple partners, one-sided monogamy, terrible views and treatment of women and girls, dominance, aggression, getting close to political power and aiming at notoriety. Doing good is not enough to get popular but bad behaviour sells. It seems to be all about one person being better than anyone else.  Male supremacy, hate speech and misinformation – anything to get people’s attention and make money. And this is celebrated and followed by way too many young boys and men as some kind of leadership. I shake my head in disbelief, and yet it’s very real, and very concerning.

Leaders in the church also come under scrutiny, sometimes more harshly as the expectations are higher. They have the highest authority that they answer to, and they have the example of Jesus to emulate. We know they are human and they too have sometimes made choices to run after money, power and control, but those are not goals in the kingdom of God.

God speaks harshly to leaders who actively lead others astray and who point people in the direction of things that are the opposite of the kingdom of God. We have leaders in different countries around the world who will speak the language of Christianity and it sounds kind of great and okay. They speak of reset, rededicate and renewal and turning back to God and standing against evil forces in the world, but many times their words are empty because their actions are speaking louder. Sometimes it’s lack of action. If that same nation that is under God also stands for cruelty, exclusion, greed, war, dehumanizing people, making life miserable for the poor, selfishness, hatred, aggression and controlling people, then something is not adding up. Something looks and sounds fake and far away from authentic. That is not a nation under God or kingdom of God language or leadership.

The one place we can safely run to that does have answers is the kingdom of God. We can hold up what we are unsure of against the backdrop of Jesus and his kingdom and we can figure out what is really true and authentic. As followers of Jesus we do have answers in him and in his leadership. A leader with all the authority of the world on his shoulders and yet all humility, grace and mercy within him. Sincerity through and through. He is all about inclusion and society working well for everyone. He has no toxic leadership traits in him and speaks openly against them.

Jesus is absolutely devoted to God, obedient and submitted to the will of his father in heaven. He is always bold and courageous and stands up for the marginalized, the vulnerable and exploited. He offers radical forgiveness, including towards those who wrong him. He displays integrity and moral purity. What he says adds up with what he does. He has deep love, empathy and compassion for all people. He is truth and honesty. He does not put on a show. He is genuine and true.

We are told that we are made in the image of God, each and every person on this earth. If a leader is leading us towards fear and hatred of others, first of all that is not of God, and secondly, we combat this by doing what Jesus told us to do. Love your neighbour as yourself. Let God’s image in us love God’s image in them. Look at them and look for his image in them. We cannot let worldly leaders influence us to do any differently than that. We are called to honour and show deep respect to the person and the image of God in the person in front of us, no matter who they are.

As Raymond Chang said, “The gospel does not allow us the luxury of remaining neutral or disengaged when it comes to the unjust treatment of those made in God’s image. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture tells a bigger story and calls us to a costly love for neighbour.”

Let us all take up the leadership banner and lead like Jesus did. Not towards power, platform, image, greed, controlling others, status, war and dominance, but towards humility, servant leadership, obedience, peacemaking, faithfulness, a hunger for justice and righteousness, mercy, forgiveness and repentance, moving towards the overlooked, keeping our eyes on the one that is pure and loving with his sacrificial love.

 

Nothing good comes out of Nazareth

 

Prejudice is nothing new. Nazareth was a small rural town in Galilee. Not only was Jesus born in Bethlehem in a stable and placed in an animal feeding trough for safety, but he would go back to Nazareth to grow up because that was where their home was at the time. They had only travelled to Bethlehem to adhere to the Government census that was called for. Nazareth was a small place, and many would describe people from there as having had a humble beginning. That certainly lines up with everything we know about Jesus. Jesus identifies with our pain, betrayal, abandonment or rejection. Isaiah 53:3 says, “he was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom the people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” Nazareth was a part of that prophecy coming true.

In reading further, I found out that Nazareth had a bad reputation. It was a no-good town outside of the boundary of Jerusalem. It was a Jewish town, but it was not well liked, actually quite despised by many Jewish people. They thought people there were rebellious. It was a small country farming town and the people lived simply. It wasn’t even known further afield. The gospel writers had to describe that it was a town in Galilee, because of it being in a region known for its obscurity. The more I read the more adjectives I found to consolidate how it was seen; obscure, backwater life, less sophisticated, uncelebrated, forgotten, off the beaten path, insignificant, out-of-the-way, rough, rustic, other side of the track, just a common Jewish settlement.

They focused on agriculture and local crafts. There was another town nearby called Sepphoris. It was a very prosperous, wealthy, sophisticated metropolis, with luxurious homes. Jesus likely worked here as a carpenter as it was in close proximity to Nazareth, about 6km away.  And then we have Jerusalem, an exceptionally wealthy cosmopolitan metropolitan. The main wealth came from the temple, held by a small priestly aristocracy. There was massive economic disparity between the rich elite and the poor majority. A point of social critique by figures like Jesus.

Socially it was seen as ‘going down’ to Nazareth. Jesus never grasped for the big city lights, fame and attention that could have come from living in Sepphoris or Jerusalem. He did what most aligned with his character of fully God/fully man and humbled himself in Nazareth in Galilee. His disciples were also from Galilee and most likely working-class people. Early followers of Jesus were called Nazarenes. Eventually he was rejected by his fellow Nazarenes and driven out of town with the threat of being thrown off a cliff.

We see celebrities walk down a street or into a stadium and they receive huge applause and adoration. People gasp and run up for selfies and take videos if the opportunity presents itself. That was not the life Jesus chose.

This all speaks to Jesus’s character of being humble, vulnerable, not seeing himself as above others, serving, loving, caring and compassionate.

John 7:52 says, they replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

Jesus referred to himself as Jesus of Nazareth when he first greeted Paul and was called by this title on a few occasions. The term was often used to cast derogatory aspersions and doubt on his credibility, mostly by his enemies, the demons, false witnesses and soldiers. It was not seen as a sign of honour. It was placing him in the space of the marginalized and not liked people from Nazareth. He was happy to identify with them. He knew very well what people thought of the town and the people in it. Even in death the sign above his head was meant as a mockery and humiliation by saying, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” When he rose again the angel said to Mary, are you looking for Jesus of Nazareth? He’s not here.

Nathaneal expressed doubt as his first response when hearing that Jesus was from there. Never mind even questioning whether anything good could come from there, his comment is very definitive in saying that nothing good comes out of Nazareth. God always seems to like to start with unlikely places or unlikely people to show his greatness. And I wonder sometimes if there is deliberate intent to spark the feelings of doubt and prejudice in us to highlight what sits naturally in the heart of man. And then to take us on a journey out of that and towards God and his kingdom. We have the example of Jesus as to how to do that.

It begs a question to take notice when doubt and prejudice rise within us, to take a moment and reflect and ask the Holy Spirit what is up. Where would we have stood back then? Looking down on the man from Nazareth? Walking with him as a fellow Galilean? Chasing him out of our own town? What if Jesus walked in our town or our city today? What place would be Nazareth? How would our prejudice measure up if brought into the light? Would we want to be his disciple and face prejudice and criticism from others? Would we call Jesus a liar and chase him out of town?

I love the response of Philip when he says, “Come and see”. It’s an invitation to see for himself, experience Jesus directly, to come close, to be in proximity with Jesus.

Very often when we are exposed to the truth personally, when we open our eyes to see, when we listen, when we respond with humility, when we take the risk of possibly being wrong, that’s when real learning happens. That’s when our prejudice and doubt is put under a spotlight, and remember it’s never about feeling shamed with Jesus, it’s about an AHA moment, it’s an ‘Ah, ok I see now.’ We learn to look past what we initially thought to be the truth, past our preconceived ideas and our flaws. We so need this in our world today. We need people to go and see for themselves and not stick with preconceived ideas, doubts, lies and prejudice and letting them all go uncontested. To rather be willing to lean in and listen. To be willing and curious to learn more. To be willing to be wrong. To be willing to say sorry and ask for forgiveness.

We know God works through the weak, the humble and the unexpected. It is when we are weak that he is strong and when we are humble then he receives the glory. The unexpected reminds us that God can use anyone he chooses, even those we might see as unexpected. It reminds us too that we are walking a journey of faith and trust. He chooses the foolish, weak and lowly things of the world to shame the wise and mighty. It stops anyone from boasting because we are all equal and valued in his sight. We cannot do anything to earn his grace. It is given as a free gift to us. His kingdom is not about worldly power, greed and control. It’s about power under control, boundless love, generosity and freedom. Let’s raise people up instead of putting them down. Let’s value what Jesus put before us when he was here on earth. He showed us how to live by the way he lived, spoke and acted. He is our perfect example, he changed everything, the man from Nazareth in Galilee.

Artwork by Evelien Burger.

Worldview reconstruction

Our worldview crumbles
when exposed to the kingdom of God.
We are shaped as we grow up.
Worldly Empire language and action
needs to shift towards truth
towards the truth of your kingdom.

It slowly breaks down
Broken and skewed
Distorted truth
Deconstructing,
Reconstructing.
The filters need adjusting
The lenses are blurred and smudged.
A great big clean up
In an ever-learning space.
In the kingdom here,
and the kingdom not yet.

Search me O God
See if there is any wicked way in me.
Search my heart.
Help me to lay down
that which is not of you.

Doubt and fear crumble our world.
Faith builds
Hope rises
Our Restorer
Builds and strengthens us in him

Oh Jesus, we need you
We need to go deeper into you
To dive deeper and deeper.
In you we find everything we need
Keeping our eyes on you
You steady us
the Author and Perfector of our faith

Let faith rise
Let faith help us to build
To build new walls
not walls of separation,
but built on your foundation
of welcome and inclusion.
Broken to whole
Safe spaces
Peace making
justice seeking.
Burn away the chaff
Let us burn for you
Anointed and on fire.
Your living stones

We are chasing after you
After you Jesus.
More and more of you
A new heart attitude
Fill us with your Power,
your Spirit and your Peace.
New plans,
new dreams and visions

Loving with a life laid down for others.
A love for the image of God,
in every living soul.
Aligning with your heart
With your heart of love.

No longer destroyed,
but built by God.
No longer desolate,
but replanted by God.
A harvest full and bountiful
More and continued growth
His gracious gifts to us
Let us steward it well.
May we see heaven come
on earth as it is in heaven.

You have said all this
Your words bring life
My sheep hear my voice
Speak Lord
Your servants are listening
we are here, waiting
we will abide in you.
You are inviting us to more,
to go higher with you.
You will bring the increase
We need to be obedient
to grow in your righteousness
We need to believe and not doubt
Our God reigns
It’s all for his glory
Then people will know he is God.

Artwork by Evelien Burger
Poetry thoughts from messages in church.

 

Will we do something? (When power is abusive.)

I found a recent comment about current revelations of abuse of power quite alarming. Many people have been harmed and abused by this abuse of power. The person said this, “Nothing will be done! Nothing! The people and the institutions will not be held accountable, and they will suffer no consequences. A new political party won’t even help. Neither will any protests or letters do anything. New policies and laws will not be written and passed. The power structure that birthed this abusive space will not do anything about these abuses. They will not right the wrongs. The whole system needs to be dismantled and completely revamped. That’s the only way forward.”

So, if we are sitting in situations around our world where this is often the outcome, then we need a way forward even if the system is not dismantled. When there is too much power and a power imbalance is created, we will very often see abuse happening. It’s just too easy for the person with more power to take advantage of the person with less power. Sometimes these imbalances already exist and sometimes they are created by wider powerful circles. It’s not that having power is the problem; it’s what people choose to do with their power. We see many examples where power is used for good. But it seems when there is an unending acquisition of increased power, that greed and dominion come into the picture, and then we have a big problem.

When power goes unchecked, its natural progression is often to become abusive.

What does this unchecked power look like?
There is no accountability. There are no boundaries, limitations or constraints placed on the actions and decisions of people. There is secrecy, mistrust, lies, blaming, shame, control, corruption, stealing, exploitation, abuse, greed, murder, threats, coercion, manipulation, blackmail, extortion and cover up. The person or organization with unchecked power is ‘untouchable’ and believes they are ‘above the law’.

When abuse happens close to dominating power these things happen:
Any vulnerabilities are taken advantage of and there is exploitation of the person. There is great unfairness and the rules are not the same for everyone. Some people get to be treated way better than other people. It is obvious that there is a complete lack of concern for those deemed as unimportant. Arrogance often leads the way. There is no empathy or compassion. We see callousness, heartlessness and immorality. Gaslighting is common, which leaves people questioning their sanity and wondering if what happened really happened. Stories make no sense; they sound unbelievable and confusing. This is very deliberate on the part of those who are abusing and exploiting others. There is often ridicule and further abuse. There is maligning of the victim’s character and there is silencing by the abuser and society. Because the person is broken down and made to feel complicit in their own abuse, the chances of disclosure are low. There is also real danger that the threats will be realized, and so the threats of harm to the victim or their family members keep them silenced. If someone does gain the courage to speak to someone, they are often not believed, ignored and dismissed. All of this is completely repugnant, sordid and unacceptable with the outright disrespect for human dignity. It is always shocking and heartbreaking.

Any failure or mistake on the part of the abuser is ‘managed’ by them or someone else. Things are explained away and the harm/abuse is validated. Power is protected from any correction. Authority and the structures around it are preserved and not examined. They cannot be questioned and there is always denial. Things are swept under the carpet and there is always ‘cover up’. The root of harm is not dug up and exposed. Power rallies around power to protect at all costs. Abusive power structures sometimes use the language of justice and progress to protect themselves instead of others. There are always deliberate distractions and new made-up stories. There is deliberate training of people to accept this as the norm. Murder can sometimes be seen as the greatest silencer. Thank goodness for trails of information that still surface beyond the grave to bring about a level of justice for those who have been victims, and to bring about a level of accountability for those who have been perpetrators.

We see it repeatedly. With the most recent reveal of more of the Epstein files, it’s all over our newsfeeds. Unchecked power leads to abuse on multiple levels. Too many are repeatedly falling into this trap. The trap is set for everyone, not just the victims. We all become victims in this ‘game’, unless we ourselves take some accountability. Sexual grooming and gaining trust start with the community and then the family and then the child. We fail children if we as a community and as family members are not awake to these schemes. And this is not meant to be shaming. It is an insidious trick and it’s easy to fall prey to it. There are masterminds behind the veil. They know what works. They know how to exploit vulnerabilities. They know how to keep our eyes closed or averted to what is going on. They know how to silence and cover up their tracks.

This level of power will always protect its’ power first over the victims of its’ abusive actions. So, people caught up in the system of abuse are literally thrown under the bus. People will find when they get too close to this level of power, they will either join it for their own protection, or they will get eaten alive by it.

We cannot allow this to carry on and for us to keep being caught off guard, unaware and unprepared. The good news is, we can absolutely do something about it.

The NPO I head up is called Pilot My Future and Child Protection is at the heart of a lot of what we do. We teach and train others in Protective Behaviours as one of the courses we offer. (There are multiple NPO's and people in South Africa and worldwide who also train in Protective Behaviours or Protective Education.) It is basically personal body safety skills to give you a brief description, but it’s so much more than that. No institution, school or family is immune to the potential of abuse happening in your sphere. Abuse can happen anywhere.  All children, youth and adults can benefit from Protective Behaviours and I believe with this knowledge we have answers for societal issues like Gender Based Violence, Addiction, Bullying and Child Abuse. It is heartbreaking when we see the levels of child abuse in our world. I have found the course to be life changing in that it provides a framework for how to stay as safe as possible in this very unsafe world. It mostly deals with feelings of safety because unfortunately no one can absolutely guarantee our physical safety. But the skills are to help us to listen to our bodies and react to what our bodies are saying. Sometimes things will happen and then we teach children and teens where to go and get the help they need. We teach them about their feelings, to understand what is going on and why they are responding in certain ways. This gives them language and helps them to verbalise what is happening in their lives and also how to self-regulate their feelings too. There are so many benefits in this programme. Although we teach these concepts to children and teens, Child Protection is still in the hands of adults and Child Protection is everyone's business.

I have come to realise how very important choice, control and consent are. They empower us and allow us to act when we feel unsafe. When they are removed we are disempowered, vulnerable and unsafe. We teach that we all have the right to feel safe at all times. That means if I have that right, so does the person next to me. We can keep each other safe. We can look out for the more vulnerable in society. The message is for all. There are no exclusions. We are all deserving of safety and protection. Real community provides safety networks. There are people we can choose to go and chat with when we are feeling unsafe and we can get the help we need. There are multiple conversations that are had during our training of practitioners where we unpack societal issues that compromise safety. We have in-depth discussions on sexual grooming and abuse and discuss multiple solutions for a safer way forward.

A few years ago, my husband and I were sitting on our verandah on a hot summer night and a fairly decent sized spider launched off the ceiling in front of us. She got very busy and later when we came back outside, we saw her beautifully spun orb web. There she sat, peacefully in the middle of her web. She had done her job of spinning her sticky web and now she was waiting for the first unsuspecting prey to be caught in her web and provide her with supper. In that moment I was reminded that this is exactly what sexual grooming can look like. Those looking to exploit others set the scene, look for vulnerabilities in others and then start taking steps to draw children and teens into their sticky web. They wait for someone to walk right into that web, often without seeing it first, and to get stuck and trapped, and they then move forward with their planned abuse strategies.

We need as much, if not more, effort, skill and opportunity to create a counter web of safety. There needs to be a masterful plan in place to combat the insidious nature of sexual grooming and abuse. We need this counter web to be about caring what happens to people who could be vulnerable to exploitation and to use their power for the betterment of all. We need real deep dive conversations about vulnerabilities. Some of them are personal and some are systemic. Both have solutions if we all work together for the good of everyone.

Creating the Counter web:

Be on guard. Be aware. Be prepared. Be wide awake.

We need many conversations with communities, families, children and youth.

Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. So that the skills and new concepts sink in.

Build into wholesome character and values. These will stand in direct opposition to the flawed character and values in unchecked, abusive power.

There is no secrecy. Transparency is imperative.

No blame and shame.

Choice, control and consent need to be available without conditions.

Respect and dignity shown to all. No-one is better than anyone else.

A whole lot of honesty, humility and accountability.

Education with courses like Protective Behaviours.

Looking at and being aware of vulnerabilities.

Coaching and empowerment to overcome vulnerabilities.

When we see something as adults, we say something, and we report to the relevant authorities.

Speaking up. This takes bravery and courage. Just one person speaking up and sharing what has been going on often gives others the courage to do the same. There are always others involved. The 'power of one' must never be underestimated. Protective Behaviours encourages sharing with someone you have chosen on your safety network.

To end off, I feel great hope rise within me when I see some solutions that are within easy reach of us all. We all get to play a part in making our world a better and safer place for all. In the process we are also a part of dismantling unchecked and abusive power systems if we keep removing the people that they would use and abuse for their benefit. By standing in the gap for others, we get to throw many spikes in the wheels of injustice. And I am under no illusions that we sit with a massive problem. It can be overwhelming, but we need to do what we can. It's one child/teen, and it's one child/teen at a time. That is always doable. We would like to see injustice come to a grinding halt in our world. Let's balance the scale towards justice. Now that’s something to get excited about. Let’s do this.

Pictures are AI generated.