Rector's Letter

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		The Rector's Letter July 2010

July 2010

The Rector writes:

Dear Friends,

Listening to the Israeli spokesman and the representative of the Palestinian people it was hard not to conclude that the truth was a slippery concept. An enquiry to get at the facts, to discover actually what happened would have to contend with widely different descriptions of events. For one side, “Islamic terrorists” bent on the destruction of the Jewish nation attacked the Commandos and led directly to the 9 deaths. Whereas to other observers, the “peace activists” sole purpose of the venture was to bring humanitarian aid and to highlight the injustice of the blockade of Gaza. In the atmosphere of blame and counter-accusation, making political capital frequently took precedence over reasoned analysis.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the Israeli army’s interception of this flotilla of boats, it is irrefutable that this incident happened against the backdrop of a complex situation, shaped by a tangled and bloody history. Locked into patterns of violence, the protagonists seem doomed to go on repeating these tragic events. Each cycle of hate and killing, reinforces the stereotypes. With an even more strongly defined view of each other, the sides in the conflict become more firmly entrenched in their positions.

In Jesus’ time, the movement advocating a violent overthrow of the Roman oppressors was called the “Zealots.” Jesus offered a sharp critique of their brand of patriotism. “Turn the other cheek,” “Walk the extra mile,” and “Love your enemies” presented a radical alternative to their bellicose attitude to the Roman occupiers. In his prophetic vision of the fall of Jerusalem, Jesus foresaw too the inevitable outworking of their belligerence.

By contrast, Jesus refused to define himself as over and against others. Similarly, he challenged sectarian thinking, any outlook that saw the world as divided between them and us. Confident in his own relationship with the Father, Jesus was able to live courageously, openly and generously. This approach put him on a collision course with the authorities. Conflict and confrontation were woven into his journey. Labelled by them as “a troublemaker”, a “blasphemer”, those in power had him crucified.

With a victimised messiah at the centre of our faith, we see the dangers of exclusion. Focussed on the cross, no one can be ignored or worse. Instead, the summons is to serve everyone without exception. This service is rooted in an assured sense of our own identity in God. Growing in our awareness of God’s grace, we are slowly freed from a tribal sense of belonging to one that was graciously given. We are children of God.

As God’s family, we are called to love like God loves. This means keeping our hearts open. Avoiding stereotyping and any language that undermines others, we endeavour to embrace, in our life and prayers, all of humanity. As we do so, the church will begin to offer the world a new way of being together, a distinctive approach to relating to one another. Through which, it becomes possible that even enemies learn to be friends.

With love

David

Team Rector of Saffron Walden

June 2010 letter

May 2010 letter

April 2010 letter

March 2010 letter

February 2010 letter

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