Thursday, 28 May 2009

Day 23

Through my window I can see a young black artist busy painting.

Then, for a moment I thought I saw God:

A middle-aged white woman walked by, noticed his talent and offered some advice. She grew up in the apartheid years; he’s a child of the Rainbow Dream. They speak as if District Six never happened. As if no one died at Sharpeville, Nyanga and Langa. As if no barbwires ever separated black and white. As if we have forgiven the past and embraced the present. As if we have peace. As if we have love. As if we are one.

Jesus called this Kingdom Come. The ancient Christian writer Paul would have called this “church”. The people of Africa call this Ubuntu. I have no idea what to call it, but it leaves me with a feeling that everything is going to be all right.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Not all ot 'Them' are bad people. If only what we are doing here could reach out to them. I went to every evening service at church this week, if only they could here what we on about.....everything could change.
Like all 3 geusts mentioned already....To change our vision - can make a change. To love and forgive will do wonders. Fourie, you know what is scary...they talked about things you preach about on Sunday. We are all busy to talk the same language....

Alexandra Steyn said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Good Grief said...

Maybe the challenge for us modern believers (albeit doubtful ones) is to make sure the message (gospel-Good News) is not doubtful. I guess that this medium - for one - makes it contemporary, but the 'how' is the smallest part of the problem. Its the 'what' that needs to be updated and made relevant - how to achieve this without diluting the content, is the BIG question. In a recent discussion with fellow believers recently we wrestled with this one - have we as the followers of the true living God allowed a fear of what some may call religious dogma to lead us too far from the path. How do we make sure we weave the golden thread into the way we approach, practice and talk about our faith?

harold said...

if i had the eyes of a blind man
prejudice would fail
jealousy’s claws to dying ashes
fall of the old knight Doubt
demise of the helpless

but please
let me see the sun set over the ocean
the clouds that gather the monsoon
oh I just cant miss the flowers in bloom
or the artist brush that colours a smile

to darkness i will commit
if all was left is hurt
if prejudice would reign
if colour was white
if religion is church
if money is greater than life

Karen said...

Hi Fourie,

Hold on to that feeling...'Cause things ain't over yet!

Rev 16:9 And men were scorched with great heat: and they blasphemed the name of God who hath the power over these plagues; and they repented not to give him glory.

I love reading Revelations. Initially I was confused by it. But for some reason, I keep on going back to it.
To me “The Day of the Lord” = The book of Revelations.
Also: "Kingdom Come" = His Spirit within us. (Luk17:21)

I don’t believe in all the timelines, etc. that people connect to Revelations. His Kingdom is here, it is in us, and the day of the Lord is very close. The day when life on earth, as we know it will change forever. Then, there will never again be a District Six, Sharpeville, Nyanga or Langa. How wonderful, but at the same time how awful. Awful, because all chance of repentance will be gone.
Through Revelations, I have come to realize that God is in control of all the plagues/death/barbwire that we experience here on earth. (Eg. Rev16:9) Through these things, He is calling us to Him. Events like Sharpville, the Homophobic Killings, Swine Flu, reminds us of God’s power to control these things. Yes, there are times when we experience Ubantu. We experience peace, when God’s Kingdom in us or in others, touches those around us or them, even while we are still in the midst of these plagues. I think these "Peace"-experiences is a glimpse of what we will experience, for ever, after the Day of the Lord. Even though the glimpse can never equate to the fullness of peace there will be. I believe we should hold onto these glimpses we get. Let these glimpses carry us through the days when we experience God's calls to the unbelievers, by sending out his angels with bowls of His wrath. I know it is very difficult to reconcile our loving God with these things, but I pray that people will come to accept His power as being that great. I pray that the unbelievers will recognize God’s power, repent and give Him glory - and not harden their hearts, as in the verse above.

harold said...

karen - do you really believe god 'interfere' with us (through plague/massive events etc? i'm not saying he has no control over them) or would you rather say that he uses/weaves our free will and choices to glimpse his peace to us? and maybe the 'non-believers' or rather ignorers (bcos everybody believes in some form of god) are blind to these glimpses. they only see the result of the bad choices and not the flowers growing years later on top of the crap choices. i also believe god is dreading judgement day. i dont think in his infinite love that he wants even the most evil to go to hell or what ever form it may manifest. he loves us all the same.

Alexandra Steyn said...

I am fed up with sweet clichèd answers that we are fed with. Sweet nothings that are empty in meaning. We are so afraid of raw emotion, raw pain, raw negligence, hardship, incompetence. I want to say that our hospital services are bad. I want to say that only 2 million out of 47million people have medical aid and can afford the luxury of private medical care. I want to say that I am speechless. Aids, Malaria, Civil War, TB, Fraud, Crime, Global warming, Drought, Terrorism, failed governments, lost jobs, lost houses. There is no answer. And how interesting can these times be from that perspective? If you are stuck in that position, telling me to embrace it, learn from it is empty. It's fake. It's criminal. If you truely sit and listen, take everything those people say, take their stories, really really focus on them, you won't tell them that this is all part of God's plan, that 'it'll be ok'. I want to sit next to them and cry. People don't want to hear that these are exciting times, I don't want to hear these are interesting times. Thats a swallow answer to a festering sick civilization. Maybe before we decide that the bad things around us are 'interesting' lets find these people and talk to them and listen before we start with the answers. Things are only interesting from the outside, from the safety of our houses and fast cars and fat cows.