{"id":17294,"date":"2019-03-27T15:50:46","date_gmt":"2019-03-27T20:50:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.anglicandioceseja.org\/?p=17294"},"modified":"2019-03-27T15:50:49","modified_gmt":"2019-03-27T20:50:49","slug":"out-of-many-one-people-living-together-in-harmony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.anglicandioceseja.org\/copy\/out-of-many-one-people-living-together-in-harmony\/","title":{"rendered":"Out of Many, One People: Living together in Harmony"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bible Verses <\/strong>
Ruth 1:16<\/strong>
But Ruth said, \u201cDo not press me to leave you
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0or to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and your God my God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luke 10: 29-37<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus,\n\u201cAnd who is my neighbour?\u201d Jesus replied, \u201cA man was going down from Jerusalem\nto Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and\nwent away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that\nroad; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a\nLevite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But\na Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved\nwith pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine\non them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took\ncare of him. The next day he took out two denarii,gave them to the\ninnkeeper, and said, \u2018Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you\nwhatever more you spend. \u2019Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour\nto the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? \u201dHe said, \u201cThe one who\nshowed him mercy.\u201d Jesus said to him, \u201cGo and do likewise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a\nMoment to Ponder<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Christchurch, New Zealand terrorist attacks with shootings at two consecutive mosques the Al Noor Mosque in the suburb of Riccarton and the Linwood Islamic Centre during Friday Prayer on March 15, 2019 gripped the collective attention of the world. Not only for the sheer impassive and calculated violence but also for the fact it was streamed live via a camera attached to shooter\u2019s body as it unfolded. Attacks on persons of different religious, ethnic or political suasions have been around since biblical times but have seen a modern resurgence in numerous countries around the world. Today, people migrate from their homeland to seek better economic possibilities or education or flee from ongoing wars and violence to countries that are very dissimilar to their own society. The dangerous migrations by boat across the Mediterranean Sea of people from the Middle East and Africa through popular launch sites in North Africa have riveted the attention of the world in recent years as scores of lives are lost in treacherous waters or at the hands of unscrupulous \u2018facilitators\u2019. Men, women and children from Syria, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Nigeria, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Guinea, Mali or Ghana daily flee oppression, extreme poverty, political instability and armed conflict. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While not at the extremes suffered by those people, Jamaicans have also fled our country for reasons of poverty, better economic opportunity or to escape political and\/or gang violence. Jamaicans will go almost anywhere in the world that holds possibilities joining the diaspora of people living away from their established or ancestral homelands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, these faith and hope-filled persons have to gain entry into these new places and then they face the challenges of assimilation into new and very culturally different societies. Often with much push back as the world of 2019 is one of shrinking fortunes. Seemingly powerful countries have recessions, failing currencies and less to put towards social services. These new mouths to feed and hands to employ strain burdened countries. Jamaica is a part of this phenomenon with recent pushbacks against the growing wave of Chinese workers and merchants. Peoples arriving from China, India, Lebanon and<\/g> Syria score our ethnic history. Today we see Germans, Japanese and others coming to settle attracted by our climate, coffee or reggae music. We are after all the \u2018Out of Many, One People\u2019 country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nbrings us to the central point of today\u2019s message. To what extent in these\nmigrations do the migrants live the words of Ruth, \u201cyour people shall be my\npeople and your God my God\u201d? Conversely, what tolerance is there for the\nmigrants\u2019 faith systems and their practice? Perhaps the answer can be seen in\nthe response in New Zealand to the sheer magnitude of the affront suffered by\nthe Muslim worshippers at Friday Prayer. The Prime Minister stated immediately\nafter the attack, \u201dMany\nof those affected may be migrants, may be refugees. … They are us. … The\nperpetrator is not<\/strong>.\u201d<\/strong> and\nat the funeral \u201cNew Zealand mourns with\nyou. We are one<\/strong>.\u201d<\/strong> Finally, the\nperformances of the traditional M\u0101ori Haka dance used to honour the dead around\nthe country by citizens including the most publicised, the Haka performed by a\nBiker Gang spoke to a country sending a clear message to the Muslim community, \u2018We are your neighbour, we stand with you,\nand we will help you heal\u2019.<\/strong> In this global area with rapid mass transport,\ninternational trade and the all-reaching internet the answer to question of\n\u201cWho is my neighbour?\u201d becomes \u201cEveryone,\nEverywhere!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take Action<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ngati Mphepo\nyofika konse tell us \u201cGod is as the wind, which touches everything.\u201d <\/em>Let us the people of God take on the\nchallenge of our living faith as Intentional Disciples by demonstrating the\n\u2018necessary relationship between faith and works\u2019 spoken about by John Piper\nwhere he says, \u201cOur deeds will be the\npublic evidence brought forth in Christ\u2019s courtroom to demonstrate that<\/strong> our\nfaith is real<\/em><\/strong>\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nis easy to reach out to our neighbour across the fence or on our road. The\npoor, the unemployed, the sick, the mentally or emotionally fragile, the weak\nand the dispossessed are also our neighbours. The real stretch of our spiritual\nmuscles will be to reach out to those other neighbours that need our love and\naction. Feel those unused or little used spiritual muscles burn!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nMoment in Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We affirm that\nGod is ever-present to lead us on the right path. Let us be there for one another and work together to affirm\nthe dignity entitled to every person as a child of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this season of reflection and repentance, we pray to the God that is with us at all times and places to help us to let go of any bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of discrimination and evil behaviour. Build up in us hearts and minds that are kind to all people, tender-hearted and forgiving, just as God through Christ has forgiven us. Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contributed by: Sister Thera Edwards<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video\n\u2013 Bike Gang Haka<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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