Celebrating God's rule

  At the end of the liturgical year we celebrate what has traditionally been known as Christ the King or more recently the coming of Christ's reign. At the same time we remind ourselves on White Ribbon day of those harmed in domestic violence, particularly women. It is perhaps strange that as we give honour to those who have suffered as a result of violence within the home our worship is formulated around kingship and male dominance. First we need to recognise that archaic world views and misogynistic interpretations of scripture have been instrumental in the creation of many situations in the past. It must be acknowledged that much of this has been the result of a male orientated view of faith and the representation of God in terms of male genderisation. In looking at the history of the church it can be seen that around the time of Paul and shortly thereafter there was a concerted push towards male domination of the burgeoning religious movement founded on Christ. Today's celebration is around Kingship because the main ruler was conceived of being a King in earthly terms. Actually. a nuanced mis-interpretation of the word basiliea. This word has been interpreted in terms of physicality of a kingdom rather than the more nuanced understanding of rule or dominion. 

This is made extremely clear in the dialogue between Herod and Christ in John's gospel (Jn. 18:33-37) which we have heard read today. In the normal translation we hear Herod asking are you the "king of the Jews" this could and perhaps should be translated as a question as to whether Christ is the "ruler of the Jews". This is a very different content as Christ goes on in the conversation to say that his 'dominion is not of this world' (Jn. 18:36). He is not talking about something physical but something much more abstract and perhaps powerful. By speaking in terms of kings and kingdoms, we are speaking in terms of physical constructs that are often associated with violence and domination within their sphere of influence. We are legitimising the use of such violence and when we intrude on that the concept of the home being the man's kingdom we beget violence and cruelty. This is an inherited and archaic way of looking at our current concept of society and one that is perpetuated through time by our acceptance and reliance on tradition.

We dance as a community to God's rule not kingship

Let us change that as we reflect this day on the concept of rulership and the concept of Christ's dominion in our lives. This is not a Kingdom but rather an authority which guides us and gives us the direction that leads us into a new way of doing things just as new growth occurs following rain and nutrients (2 Sam. 23:4). It is something we celebrate and not hide a way in shame as it rises above our worldly concerns and reflects God's love into the world. No matter what account we read of the life and teachings of Christ there is one thing that it characterises and that is the acceptance of women as well as a concern for the status of women in a predominantly male society. This teaching is continued into much of the early writings of the burgeoning church and it is not until later that a clear misogynistic view becomes increasingly apparent changing the course and theological understanding of human relationship. God and Christ's rule is clearly one that functions in love and peace rather than in violence and war. 

Christ's reign is not here as we well know from the abuse within the community and within families from all cultures and religious denominations. Our start as Christians is within the Gospel teachings of Christ that are based on God's love for all of creation and not on later theologising influenced by human society and world view. In our celebration of Christ's reign and rule we must be open to God's love and the dictates of the Spirit that tells us to love our neighbours as our selves. We cannot see our relationships in term of conquest or violence but rather in terms of love and building. It is not easy and it is not the common way of society because it means sacrifice of self over the other. A community that is built on this form of relationship, that is one based on the concept of God's love, is a community that is strong and freed of the necessity to hide its shortcomings and poor decisions as it learns through its mistakes rather than casting blame on the other for its own detriments. Such a rule as NT Wright has said is not an optional extra for those who believe in Christ but the essence of our community.

Lest we forget

 The year's roll round one after the other and history is constantly being written by those who survive the turmoils of everyday life. One of the continuing anchors of our yearly round is the knowledge that we will celebrate the heroes and the fallen in silence at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Indeed in Australia we have two days for this act of remembrance, yes each has a slightly different theme but each points to and remembers a past that is described by the winners. I do not in anyway demean or dis-honour those who have fought and died in violence that sundered countries and indeed the world. Yet, as a Christian I must ask myself a simple question, which I have on a number of public occasions, If Christ died in violence for us to bring God's kingdom and God's peace, why do we continually remember the violent sacrifices on the war zones of the world and not the life of peace? A simple question which is yet to be answered.

Is it the sea of blood or is it the widow's might that we need to remember?

The Christian call has always been to care for the widow and the orphan, those who have been disenfranchised through violence and death. Ruth the widow and her daughter Naomi, a widow, both struggle (Ruth 1-4) until the justice of the gate is administered and they are brought once more into the community (Ruth 4). Our focus here is on the justice that is meted out to the two of them not on the misfortunes of the past, not on death per se but on life. The injustices of the past are remedied by looking past the forming history towards a future that is calling in justice and peace. Christ's observations regarding the narrow focus of the ruling caste who bring about the injustice that is seen in the widow (Mk. 12.38-44) remind us again of where our focus should be. Injustice, because in the life of the world it is the widow who should be the focus of the rulers not the insistence on the finances of the Kingdom. The mite that she gives is her food and ability to live which she should be receiving from the wealth of the Temple. Yet, it is her mite and the might of the widows Ruth and Naomi that are examples for our future not the disasters that created the situations. It is their perseverance and good will that is remembered in history. It is there courage and sacrifice that becomes our guide into the future as we celebrate God's presence in our lives.

The reason for remembrance day, "lest we forget", is forgotten in the triviality of the spectacle; for we have in reality forgotten. The day has become a ritual of pride in service and sacrifice occurring in zones of violence that are not diminished but rather re-created every generation. Korea, Vietnam, Rwanda, the Balkans, the Falklands, Syria, Iraq...and so on it goes. Let alone, Lebanon, Gaza, Border walls, etc. The creation of more widows and more orphans rather than the peace that God brings. In our remembrance, "lest we forget", we are reminded of the perseverance of the widows in adversity, the damage to the orphans and the re-living of the violence within our own communities as a result of the lack that we have in showing God's love to the other. It is these forgotten "heroes" that we need to remember and care for in our remembrances of violence and not the heroes of violence perpetrated in history told by those who survived. Yes, remember their sacrifice but also, "lest we forget", the Christian message that is to bring peace to the consequential survivors who suffer as a result of our neglect in remembering the message of peace. Peace to those suffering from PTSD and the effects of violence in their lives.

Christ overturns the traditions of power, pride and honour that lead to violence to bring dialogue, peace and service that lead to a better life and community. Everything Christ does overturns the ruling histories of the age by imposing a different perspective that lowers the self to humility that seeks friendship and not authority. Just as Naomi, the real hero of Ruth, seeks to accompany her friend and mother towards an unknown future that reveals her strength and might we to need to seek the other in friendship and service to build the trust that is embodied in community.

Saints and Souls

 Today we celebrate All Saints and All Souls despite them occurring on two different days. In combining them we perhaps come to the realisation that both of them are integrally linked in that our Saints are or where the lived life of someone's past "soul", so to speak. So why do we make an effort to separate them out in our calendar of events within the church. For those of a greater Catholic persuasion All Souls is a day for not only remembering those that have died but is also part of the theology around the concept of purgatory. Thus for many this is a day when the souls of those who have died are prayed for so that they may move through the fires of purgatory to life in Christ. In thinking about it in this manner we are, I feel, denigrating our life in Christ and suggesting that we are not accepted into the presence of Christ. This is perhaps a difficult concept to believe or even attempt to celebrate.

Both days are part of Allhallowtide, which includes All Hallows Eve, now commercially celebrated as Halloween. We can perhaps be better of conceptualising this time as part of our yearly cycle that celebrates life and death, rather than any one specific aspect. By beginning on the eve of All Saints we begin the process of making holy, hallowing, ourselves for the days to come. This understanding has been overtaken by a misconception of the Samhain festival and the turning of the seasons. The beginning of winter was a time when the barrier between the dead and living was believed to be thinned thus allowing for a crossover. It was a time of great reverence and fear so preparations where made to hallow the days ahead. Death is part of life and we celebrate those that are deemed to be celebrated in the Christian life on All Saints day. The traditional Catholic understanding is that these were those that went straight to God's presence. For us today we celebrate these as the many that stand before the throne of God singing praises. Many of them known and of particular regard for us, here in Cairns, is St Margaret of Scotland. For others it is saints who have been recognised by the church universal in one way or another. 

A celebration of life and death

Whilst we remember the famous in All Saints we must not forget that we all will come face to face with our God. In knowing our closeness to God's presence through Christ's presence in our hearts we need to set time aside to focus our prayers and hallowing of those who have died in God's presence even if they are not well known. The saints of our lives and who are known to us in the commonality of life. In remembering them we need also to remember those whom we have excluded in some form or another. In doing this we are actually bringing to the fore all those who are part and parcel of the body of Christ. We cannot just lay claim to those who have died who are family and friends but also those who have died who are part of the body of Christ. In hallowing them we are hallowing the whole body. We are preparing ourselves for the Christic presence in our lives as we acknowledged the presence of Christ in those who have died.

The twenty third psalm tells us of the presence of God in our lives leading us onward even in the face of our mortality and death. It is in the acceptance of this presence that we find the comfort of the Spirit in our hearts and minds during the greatest trials of our lives. In remembering those who have died before us we remember that we are in the constant presence of God leading us in the world should we allow that presence into our hearts even in the presence of our own mortality and death. Let us than Hallow the season and make ourselves holy to God by giving thanks for the Saints and those souls who have died before us as they show us the way forward and that we are not forgotten in God's eyes.