Liminality and voting

Liminality: “Occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold."

This is a strange moment of identity crisis for me.

I’m a kiwi living in Australia. I still measure my current Aussie experience in months, not years; like a toddler - 20months old. I still call myself a New Zealander.  I am. Or … was. But I still am.

This weekend New Zealand is voting in its general election, and my friends and family are getting into a lather (albeit very different shades and colours) about policies, lies, smear campaigns, personal attacks - and getting out there and voting.

But not me.
 
I haven’t heard the daily media phaffle, or the statements from the politicians, contenders, community and business leaders.

I haven’t woken up to the bamboozling array of placards that threaten, cajole or plead. I am confused from afar by the strange characters I see joining the political fray - people who just don’t belong in politics - or don’t belong together in politics. I have not been part of this journey.

Aotearoa is in my blood, my DNA and my worldview. But its current politics is completely out of my field of view (It’s only been 20 months!). So this will be the first time since I turned 18 that I have not voted in a general election for Aotearoa.

Which is strange. I believe in this weird democratic system of ours, and am passionate about voting as a form of participation in it.  That’s what citizens do.

However I can’t vote. In all good conscience. Whether it is because I have not lived and breathed it in these few months past, or because I don’t believe it is about my (immediate) future. Maybe it is because our current political environment is short-sighted - only about a short term window of Campaign-ElectionDay-TermOfOffice. Or maybe it is because, at this moment, I don’t belong - enough.

Where do I belong?

An identity crisis in liminality - brought on by a voting paper.

Refugees: Why they may not be someone else's problem

(with a tip of the hat to Moses' encounter with a burning bush)

Sometimes holy places are unexpected places;

Like bike-paths.

Sometimes holy moments are in everyday life;

Like workplaces.

Sometimes God calls ordinary people to lead;

Like Moses the shepherd.

Always God hears the cry of the oppressed.

And sees the misery of the tormented.

And knows the pain of the lonely.

Always God sees the acts of the oppressor.

And the grip of the tyrant.

And the cruelty of slavery and war and racism.

And often

Holy places and

Ordinary people and

The cry of the stranger and

A listening God

Are in the same place,

At the same time,

For a good reason.

A reason that starts with God saying

“I have heard”

and continues with

“It's your turn to do something”

(ref to Exodus 3.1-15)

a short one on marathons and asylum seekers

I am once again running the Melbourne Marathon on 12 October. As part of this I am fundraising for the Lentara Uniting Care Asylum Seeker Project. We are hoping to raise at least $2000 for this very important cause. If you want to know more, or to donate, check out the fundraising page   https://give.everydayhero.com/au/nigel-hanscamp. Updates and progress will be posted on the fundraising page, or my Facebook page.

And for those who are really curious, my training is at about 80km per week. If you are up at 6.00, you can stand on the side of the road and cheer me on Monday - Thursday and Saturday!! :-)

Values for Money

What do we value, and how do our values 'work'?

Think about the things we treasure in terms of …

Moth

Rust

Thieves

& Heart

Think about the things we look at and our eyes

A Lamp

Our Body

Healthy Light?

Unhealthy Darkness?

Thinking about what we serve

Masters

God and Wealth

Hate and Love

Devoted and Despise

Think about Worry.

Birds?

You are of more value than you.

Think about Worry.

Flowers?
They have all they need.

Don’t worry.

Strive for God-space

Don’t worry.

Today.

It is a different type of economics theory that deals with questions of the heart, of anxiety, values, security and the way we look at things. 

I cringe when our politicians describe our nation as being “an economy”. 

As if we describe ourselves by the way money decisions are made, rather than by communities, neighbourhoods or terms that describe people and their relationships. 

Yes, I may sometimes be a consumer, but I am always a citizen.

We have an economy, not, we have one.   

And there is no such thing as “Compassionate Capitalism”, only compassionate people.

Think about the Sermon on the Mount:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek, the humble, the merciful, the peacemakers.”

It is about the creation of a new community, around Jesus.

This new world that God is creating, this Kingdom of God, this “God-space” is characterized by people whose attitudes and values look and feel different – and a community who model those values.

So, while it is scary, it is not surprising that Jesus includes conversation about money, and our attitude to money.  He never talks about money as an evil thing – nor does he talk about having too much money. But he describes Values for Money.

Matthew 6 (middle of this Sermon on the mount) is no random collection of sayings of Jesus plonked on a page.

There is a flow that starts with Alms-giving (or charity); Jesus’ values of money start with giving some away.

Then the Lord’s prayer – which starts with God, God’s coming realm, God’s will being done on earth … Forgiveness of debts (yes a money word is used as a parallel for “sin” or penchant to stuff things up), we have been forgiven our debts.

Times of testing or temptation (Money?)

Rescue us from the evil one or from evil (Money temptations?)

Forgiveness of others 'debts' - there's that word again.

Then fasting (going without food or stuff)

Then treasure and the heart

What the eyes look at reflecting and affecting what is going on in the heart

Serving God. Serving mammon

Do not worry.

Pick the thread? Money and stuff and our attitude to it!

Here in this Jesus-saying is “Mammon” – a warning word.

Mammon is not money – as in dollars and cents. Nor is it a demon lurking around a corner waiting to grab us.  Mammon is about the “meaning” of money and possessions.  Mammon comes into being when it becomes a ‘master’, something to be served.

Writers such as the philosopher Jaques Ellul, theologian Stanley Hauwerwas, and quaker John Howard Yoder all agree that using the word “mammon” is both risky and necessary.  Necessary, because it takes the phrase away from just money, just possessions, just house or car.  It is risky, because we can put it ‘away’ from us because we can say that we "haven’t seen a Mammon today".

Money, wealth, posessions, these all have a potential to take over our lives.  They are what the apostle Paul calls “Principalities and powers” – Not having inate power in and of themselves, but because of our human nature to give them that power.

Jesus talks about choosing; Mammon or God. Submission to Mammon in opposition to submission to God.  It is not a one-off choice, but something faced in our financial decisions. And the possibility of making choices for the good of others, community or the earth.  And it can be a decision that leads to freedom and lightness and hope for ourselves, our families and communities.

Which in the end comes down to the place of the heart, and how we seek that Kingdom, that “God-space”.   When we talk economics, we don’t often talk about the heart. And yet, in the financial collapse of 2011, one of the largest conversations was around the greed of the politicians, business leaders and CEOs. 

The heart.

Take a moment: 
What possessions of yours do you really value at this moment in my life? Write them down.

Now ask yourself this: 

In five years’ time, which of these possessions do you think will still hold the same importance for you?

Beyond your valued possessions, what is really important in your life that you would like to continue, to endure?

“Don't store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. Your heart will always be where your treasure is.”

Working Grace

In one of the final scenes of the movie “V for Vendetta”, is the climactic recognition by the main character (named "V"), that his years of seeking vengeance on his enemies have been a brutal and broken response to the pain inflicted on himself and his country. The movie is a reinterpretation of the Guy Fawkes story, with a George Orwell 1984 twist, set in modern Britain. The script moves through his self-understandings as hero, villain, victim and ultimately as anti-hero.  

This growth in self-understanding - and consequent action - is what makes a good story. Students of literature are taught to look out for character development and understand how these contribute to the quality or otherwise of the story. Sometimes this comes through growing (or breaking) relationships, while at other times the growth of the character comes through a moment when they are forced to reflect on their actions or inactions.

And one reason why these stories work for us, is that they reflect the reality of our daily lives and give us opportunity to respond or act differently.  When the movie “Once were Warriors” came out in New Zealand, it generated a considerable ferment of conversation in the general public about domestic violence and how each of us contribute to it.  It did this because the characters reflected our “ordinaryness”, while at the same time having to come to terms with their “ordinary” brokenness or weakness.

At some point in our lives, we have all struggled with our own brokenness in relation to others. Whether as a parent with our children, as a child with parents, a spouse, business or work colleague or neighbour, our brokenness expresses itself in anger, gossip, unkind words or avoidance. Many of our apologies are framed because we “should not have done …” this or that … or we “should have known better” or "I wasn’t thinking clearly”. We are ordinary people trying to be the best we can be, but not always succeeding. Our brokenness “leaks” when we don’t want it to and we have to admit that while our standards are fairly high, our reality never quite gets there.

This is what Paul is talking about. The Message translation puts it this way; “For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway”. Romans 7.17-19 The Bible

The naming of “sin” is not popular, even in churches. However we know its reality in our own lives, and (maybe especially) in the lives of others.

From Entertainers Rolf Harris and Jimmy Savville to cyclist Lance Armstrong, we struggle to admit that people we thought of as lofty as heroes or as simply as kind, ordinary people, that these people are not only sinful, but abominably so.

It is abhorrent when we see it in others. It is scary when we see it in ourselves.  How do we deal with it? What do we do?  Over centuries of Christian practice there have been many answers offered. It would be fair to say that some have not been helpful.  Here’s a few thoughts that might be helpful.

I don’t believe it is helpful to tell people that if they sin they are going to Hell.
I do believe that we need to understand our brokenness and how it creates Hell in ourselves and others.

I don’t believe that we should beat ourselves up about our sin
I do believe that we need to name our sin for what it is.

I don’t believe that God judges us when we sin.
I believe that God requires us to account for our attitude towards it.

I don’t pretend that sin and brokenness and evil and humanity are easy to understand or solve. For it draws from me tears and frustration and sometimes even despair.

But I hope that I will always find a place for Grace.

The answer for sin and brokenness and weakness has never been to pile on guilt or damnation or promises of Hell.  God’s answer has always been grace.

After having slammed those who abuse power, and commended those who seek to understand God’s ways, Jesus says this; ““Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest”  Another translation goes on to say this …
“Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill–fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11.29-30 The Bible

“The unforced rhythms of grace”. However, to understand Grace, one needs to have encountered brokenness and sin.

I wrote this on Facebook during the week:
"What does a responsible, caring, parent / Christian / minister do? Rolf Harris is stripped of titles and awards, and his plaque is ripped out of pavements. Should we be throwing out his albums? What does our action or inaction say to our daughters, to our childhood memories, to those women (and men) for whom this trial and verdict have brought up the most terrible of memories about their own childhood abuse?”

I was on the floor stretching in the clubhouse yesterday after our run, and one of the guys came over to me and said that he had read my post on FaceBook, commenting how hard it was to deal with these questions. One of the other guys, a family councillor, chimed in and said that we need to keep talking about this - as hard as it is - because it is the only way we can bring out what is hidden and make it seen for what it is - unacceptable.

But what do we do with Rolf Harris?

One answer is simple.  Do what the Herald Sun did this week, and label him as an “Evil Mug”, and a “Singing and dancing predator”.  We demonise him, because it is easier to see evil in “them”, than to see it in us.  And if they are NOT like us, the separation and justification becomes easier.  As James Godfrey said to us in May, when we separate “them” from “us” it is no longer our issue, it is their problem and our job is to ignore them or come up with a solution for them, or lock him up and throw away the key.

So where does Grace fit, even there?

Or do we see him as human like us. Can we at the same time acknowledge his weakness or brokenness or sin AND see him as human like us?

Can we abhor his actions and do all we can to stop it happening again, AND still find grace to recognise that he too is created in God’s image?

Can grace go too far - even there?

This is working Grace.

When we wrestle with this very real human brokenness and sin and evil in our world and in our own lives, and are able to see that Grace persists, even in the middle of all this.

U2 have a great take on Grace. "Grace finds Beauty in Everything". (or Click here.)

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. … Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.”