Hello and welcome to the October/November blog! We have returned to Ontario and this last blog will reflect this transition. October and the first two weeks of November saw us experiencing some tropical storms with much rain and wind. Just prior to our departure so much rain water cascaded down the "road" to the manse from MacDonald that the four wheel drive almost didn't make it up. However, each time we needed good weather for an outside farewell event or a day set apart for us to be tourists under the guidance of a few members of the congregation, the sun shone and the Island displayed itself in all its beauty. Life was also busy in our last six weeks with church events and celebrations that peaked in a round of emotional goodbyes that left us physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted. We spent our last four days on Grande Anse beach in St. George's and though this time too was a bit wet it was very enjoyable.
This morning we are sitting looking out over the garden in Barrie. The sun is bright. The branches of the trees are dancing gently in the wind with the sun's rays bouncing off the snow on them. It is business as usual for the squirrels and chipmunks after the first snowfall of winter 2011/2012. Neither of us is particularly good at saying goodbye. We found the closing liturgy at our last service at Belair P.C. meaningful. It released us from our responsibilities, thanked us for what we had taught and asked for forgiveness for our mistakes. In turn the congregation thanked us for our leadership, asked for forgiveness for their mistakes and thanked us for our care. The liturgy took a few moments but it meant an enormous amount to us all. Even as we enjoyed Grand Anse beach and as we now enjoy the sun sparkling on the snow, we have been reflecting on a question that is a bit rhetorical but sounds like this. In what way do we as inhabitants of God's world, as Christians, as church and as society contribute to building more equal, just and decent communities in which the worth of all humans is more adequately upheld and affirmed? Hubert Humphrey put it this way, "The moral test of Government is how that Government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life – the sick, the needy and the handicapped." Does our theology allow us to express our ethics and principles and simply implement equality? Are we not duty bound to do so? Have we the right to insist that public money be spent on those living in poverty so that they too might contribute to the economy? In a decent society everyone is respected and honoured. We Christians believe in the great reality of judgement. In Matthew 25 Jesus tells the story about the sheep and the goats. For me it is entirely likely that nations as well as individuals will be called to account for having fed the hungry, given water to the thirsty, clothed the naked, cared for the sick and visited those in prison. In this great age of the individual there may be some difficulty with the notion that nations have responsibility for which they will be accountable to God. But surely there must be certain responsibilities for the poor and the needy which can only be exercised by governments and the people of the nations acting together as one. Could this be our responsibility before our good and gracious God or as a "moral test" of a nation or government in Hubert Humphrey's terms. We found in Grenada a society and government that had little or no belief in human equality or the need to reach out for an integrated approach to the different but completely intertwined forms of inequality – economic, political, cultural, gender and so on. We found also that there was no separation between the Church and the State.
In Grenada there is a need for democratic change to the power structures as well as decent benefits, fair taxation and redistribution. The people would be much more content in a more equal society than in one divided by a small but wide geographic division as well as economic and social ones. We humans are made in God's image and to love and be loved. Will a fuller love be found in Grenada this century?
Meanwhile, back in Canada, I have to ask one other question. Will the government and nation that I call, with great pride and affection, home be tested for how we respond to the needs of the world, particularly those of the weak, poor and vulnerable? I think for that judgement we will all stand before the Master himself.
Finally, I would like to reflect briefly on Paul's writing in 1 Corinthians 2:16, "Who can know the mind of the Lord .... But we are those who have the mind of Christ." "We have the mind of Christ," sounds arrogant doesn't it? Yet Paul did not make the claim in human pride. Even as God's incarnation in Jesus, on the basis of the word made flesh, comes before us as we prepare for the December celebration of that event, we should realise the mind of Christ can be taken on by us. The great hope of Grenadian Christians and Canadian Christians centers around our belief that God became mortal so that we mortals might take on God's life. In the first letter to the Church at Corinth Paul spells out what the meaning of the mind of Christ is. He is trying to show us in every aspect of our lives that we are invited to have the mind of Christ. In the goodness, generosity and grace of that mind we are led to deepening wisdom and fresh knowledge about ourselves, our relationships and our world. We would thank our community in Grenada for making this apparent to us.
Deo Gratias.
