A few weeks ago I had the extreme pleasure to see Hamilton on Broadway in New York City. What a spectacular experience. A piece of history that was easily overlooked conveyed the story in amazing music, the time a tiny upstart nation, those 13 colonies, beat the world's biggest superpower starting the noblest of experiments, the United States of America. Within that story, another story of that 'immigrant' , Hamilton, who helped shape that fledgling democracy. A tectonic change in human history. Through the music and lyrics you were brought in and wowed! Listening to the CD has subsequently only deepened the feeling of just how great the show was and how awesome that time was.
When I read today's scripture passage and hear about 'justice to Gentiles' I cannot help think of that tectonic change in human history. The Good news was being proclaimed to the Jews but Jesus "cured all of them" and proclaimed justice to the Gentiles as well. The tectonic shift was that the small Jewish sect of Christianity went from embracing only the children of Abraham to all the children of God. Wow. What would the world be had that inclusiveness had not been embraced.? What would the world be like if Britain had won the war of Independence over those rinkydink colonies?
The concept that we are all equal in the eyes of God is born out in each of these two tectonic shifts. Both call humanity to recognize the brotherhood of every human and calls it out as a beacon to the world. The USA and Christianity do not always do a good job of it, they fail and sometimes are miserable at it. Thank God that this mission and our commission by God is not in the hand of bureaucracies
but in our own fledgling little human hands.
Do we realize the tectonic shifts we can create by our own personal loving, inclusiveness? The failures of some is not a valid excuse for us to not try. If anything we are called to try harder. Even if we become a story long forgotten, the power of our love and loving actions will help make that tectonic shift that God seeks in love.
A few weeks ago I had the extreme pleasure to see Hamilton on Broadway in New York City. What a spectacular experience. A piece of history that was easily overlooked conveyed the story in amazing music, the time a tiny upstart nation, those 13 colonies, beat the world's biggest superpower starting the noblest of experiments, the United States of America. Within that story, another story of that 'immigrant' , Hamilton, who helped shape that fledgling democracy. A tectonic change in human history. Through the music and lyrics you were brought in and wowed! Listening to the CD has subsequently only deepened the feeling of just how great the show was and how awesome that time was.
When I read today's scripture passage and hear about 'justice to Gentiles' I cannot help think of that tectonic change in human history. The Good news was being proclaimed to the Jews but Jesus "cured all of them" and proclaimed justice to the Gentiles as well. The tectonic shift was that the small Jewish sect of Christianity went from embracing only the children of Abraham to all the children of God. Wow. What would the world be had that inclusiveness had not been embraced.? What would the world be like if Britain had won the war of Independence over those rinkydink colonies?
The concept that we are all equal in the eyes of God is born out in each of these two tectonic shifts. Both call humanity to recognize the brotherhood of every human and calls it out as a beacon to the world. The USA and Christianity do not always do a good job of it, they fail and sometimes are miserable at it. Thank God that this mission and our commission by God is not in the hand of bureaucracies
but in our own fledgling little human hands.
Do we realize the tectonic shifts we can create by our own personal loving, inclusiveness? The failures of some is not a valid excuse for us to not try. If anything we are called to try harder. Even if we become a story long forgotten, the power of our love and loving actions will help make that tectonic shift that God seeks in love.
Matthew 12:15-21
When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
‘Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,
my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not wrangle or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
He will not break a bruised reed
or quench a smouldering wick
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.’
‘Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,
my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not wrangle or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
He will not break a bruised reed
or quench a smouldering wick
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.’
No comments:
Post a Comment