Like so many people, my Wednesday was bookended by reading reports of two black men being killed by police.  This morning, again like so many people, I woke to news about five police officers killed by protesters.  This morning I was speaking briefly to a friend at a coffee shop and he said sadly, “seems to be a war going on and we were issued our uniforms at birth.”
The social media world is swirling with people making clarified statements about the things that will solve this once and for all. Then they, or others, deride the different solutions that others suggest. Â Bullet points gets tossed from one side to another, and more innocents are killed.
A very helpful thought I have come across recently from Ingolf Dalferth is that “The purpose of science is to explain things. Â The purpose of philosophy is the clarify things. Â The purpose of theology is to orient things.” Â As one who is focused on the study of theos, or God, my job – and truly the job of anyone who follows God- is to try to help orient things. Â As a follower of Jesus I need to look to him to see what is to be done.
think about with my teens.I look to those who can lead conversations such as these well to do them well. Â To acknowledge the complexity of positions they dispute, to look for what is valid and good in those with whom they disagree. Â My experience is that everything looks more simplified when it is viewed from a distance, but the closer you get the more complications come into view. Â Especially for those engaging those conversations in the political realm, I will pray for you. Â I don’t covet your task.
My role as a local pastor/theologian is to orient things. Â My desire is to help our church and those we are connected to, move towards others, even those we disagree with. Â To follow the path of Jesus in sitting down, eating, having coffee or a beer with those whose life experience is different than ours. Â With those whose perspectives are different than ours. Â Not to convince them that our bullet points are better than their bullet points, but to learn from them. Â Not to automatically release what we believe to be true, or to think nothing is; but rather to listen to their experience and learn from them where we can as well as sharing our own.
To be sure, this is playing the long game. Â But hatred seems to only relent in relationship – distrust is the same. Â Far too often we look at the world and there are only two groups, us and them. Â This must stop. Â These cycles of violence must stop. Â The church is intended to be a community where glimpses of God’s peace glimmer everywhere.
15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  2 Cor 5.15-21
