For years now I’ve been a contributor to the Aberdeen Press and Journal, one of the few papers I know that has a God slot – a Saturday Ssermon, no less. Here’s the one the good people of Aberdeen will be reading today.
.
“There’s an epidemic of apathy, and I don’t care.”
“When people complain about a culture becoming complacent, I shrug my shoulders.”
These aren’t humorous remarks, they’re more like the resigned cynicism of a society so unsure of its future it’s hard to know what to care for. They’re the language used by paid up members of NMP – Not My Problem.
.
In Alan Paton’s novel of South Africa, Ah ! But your Land is Beautiful, there is a conversation between a white school headmaster, and Emmanuel Nene, a local leader of the black community. Following the ban on white and black children playing cricket together the headmaster resigned his job, because he said, “ I think it is time to go out and fight everything that separates people from one another”. Both of them, white and black together, accept they will be wounded and hurt, that such passionate caring for what happens in their society will be dangerous. Their conversation ends like this:
.
“Yes, and I’m going to get wounded, too. Not only by the government, but also by my own people as well.”
“Aren’t you worried about the wounds, Mr. Nene?”
“I don’t worry about the wounds. When I go up there, which is my intention, the Big Judge will say to me, Where are your wounds? and if I say I haven’t any, he will say, Was there nothing to fight for? I couldn’t face that question.”
.
It’s hard to see how, by acting faithfully and living obediently to the words of Jesus, we can avoid those moments when we have to fight. They’re fair questions – where are your wounds? Was there nothing to fight for? Fair and just questions, because justice and righteousness are core values of a Christian worldview. And there’s plenty to fight for, and against.
For truthfulness, and against the pervasive dishonesty of much in public life;
for friendship, and against bullying that only thrives where it isn’t confronted;
for open trust, and against the creeping backstabbing nastiness that invades office space;
for commonsense, and against irresponsible front door promotions of buy one get one free multi-packs of booze in supermarkets;
for human dignity and diversity, and against racism, latent and blatant; against, well against whatever diminishes and devalues human beings and human life. ‘Let justice roll down like water and righteousness like an ever rolling stream’ – not mere aspiration, but worldview, lifestyle, prayer that leads to practice.
.
It’s Lent. Maybe complacency would be harder to give up than chocolate, wine, TV. It might be worth deciding what to fight for….and against. If we can be bothered!
Leave a Reply