Security the Gospel and Transforming Communities.

It's is true to say that we live in troubled times.. People the world over are looking for security. Conflicts continue to engage more countries around the world. Children are caught up in the horror of war  and they too long for peace and security We now have a generation of people seeking to redefine the purpose and meaning of their lives. Especially when bad things happen. This week I had a long discussion with Daniel Taub, the Israeli Ambassador to the UK. He came to discuss with me the issues surround Christians in Palestine. We were talking about the missiles launched against Israel from the the Gaza Strip and Israel's search for security. Of course I challenged him about the results of the wall that has been built creating a partition between Israeli's and the Palestinians. I also was painfully aware of the sensitivity of the moment . It was reported that 65 missiles had been fired into Southern Israel. He listened to what I had to say and then explained that the Israeli people felt safer Because of the wall. For him the wall was a success. the number of suicide bombers had decreased.  Security means everything. The truth is that people are looking for security at all kinds of levels. From children playing in the streets to security of employment, to financial security. For many people the world is an insecure place. Yet we still are in pursuit of wealth even when we know it to be empty and unrewarding. People are asking bigger and more fundamental questions of their leaders and politicians. Too few Politicians understand that this generation is tired of the endless pursuit of material wealth.  Some are asking " What is the purpose of economy"  Surely economy ultimately had the purpose of bringing security to a nation. You  see material wealth doesn't bring security. 9/11 illustrates the truth of this statement. We have some of the most sophisticated technology at our finger tips. Yet the world doesn't seem to be getting any better. Some of the basic needs of human beings are ignored, two thirds of the word's population live in extreme poverty and at an estimate 28 million people live enslaved to masters who exploit them. Many of them have been physically stolen. It is calculated that over a quarter of the world's population will soon be living in shanty towns. In the United Kingdom child poverty continues to  grow, and we have a generation of young people who feel they have been jilted. Taken to the alter of education and success only to find there is no one who wants to make genuine promises. Our cities are no longer safe, last year London was ablaze with the rioters. Earlier this month we hear of indiscriminate violence on our streets as a Van man runs women and children down in Cardiff . In Search of the right way In the midst of all this people are looking for a better way. The rise of popular TV programmes reflect that people's longing for identity. Is real. Longing to find out something good about themselves. longing to know from where we've come. The church in Scotland finds itself facing a great challenge as people go in search of Identity. In the not to distant future, we will be asked to vote regarding Independence. All this reflects the uneasiness in society as people search for purpose, for even a national identity that will bring them significance. We need our communities and our mind sets changed. We need to see what it might be like to live as a transforming agent of change in our world. Jesus once told his disciples " You are the Light of the World" Don't hide your light under a bushel. We are the agents of transformation. The scriptures invites us to think and behave differently form everything around us. How can we do this? Paul seeks to answers this question in Romans 12 by pleading with his readers the Christians in Rome. People living in the midst of a world power but under threat at every turn. He reminds them of the security that comes from knowing God's enduring love. It is this knowledge that you are loved and accepted by God. That you have been redeemed, it is this knowledge that sustains us. This knowledge gives us security, causing us live lives in genuine gratitude. So Paul argues "don't let the world around you squeeze you into it's mould of fear and insecurity." Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Look at life in a different way. We need to see ourselves as  "The One and the Many in Christ." We must think as a Community of Believers. Paul argues that we must see ourselves as parts of the body. Every part important and unique but every part inter- dependant on each other. This becomes the transformational key. We are made and designed to live in community but most of us pursue our own independent agendas and in doing so we end up living in isolation rather than in relationship. Communion reminds us we are in Christ's Body Now Paul speaks of our gifts and how they should be used for the Ibuilding of the whole body. It's interesting that in this section Paul speaks of the importance of proclamation or prophecy. To speak forth the vision and will of God.  However he also mentions the significance of service. A. Transforming community is involved in acts of service to one another. If you look carefully the gifts he mentions fall into two area Words and Actions This is the Gospel The one greatest word in Action. Last week I also held a dinner at the Moderator's  flat to take forward the agenda of an ethical economy that strengthens the security of a nation. That will be the subject off my next post.

Recent Articles

0 Comments
Leave a reply