As we approach the end of 2009. Almost decade into the 21st century so much has gone by but the greenback (and perhaps these days the Israeli shekel) remains the world’s currency of choice; despite the EURO being promoted in the latest James Bond film and its (kinda) relentless rally in the last seven years.

This was the first time in over twenty years that I did not attend a Seasonal office party.

Why? because in the land of the mighty shekel we just don’t bother and work straight through.  In fact it puzzles many colleagues and associates from far away places such as Europe and the US that we don’t wind down like they do!

Is the steadfast work ethic of Israeli industry the reason why the mighty shekel hasn’t relented to the continued dollar rally going into the last few days of 2009?

Don’t know, but I venture a more cultural and less quantitative view point.

Earlier this month on the third day of Hanukah my family was honoured with the opportunity to attend a concert put together to entertain new IDF recruits . Needless to say aside for the fact that my family were the only civilians but for a number of hand picked VIPs, the atmosphere was electric.

As I looked around almost deafened by the very loud music I saw the unity amongst the soldiers religious and secular, dark and light, boys and girls (not many girls I hasten to add and most of them were guarding the soldiers … go figure!).

The concert took place at Latrun the site of a battle in which the Israelites, led by Joshua, defeated the Amorites (around 1,300 BCE), later (and this is the story of Hanukah) where the Maccabees defeated the Greeks (around 150 BCE) and laterally the location of the fiercest battles in the War in Independence (1948) and the Six Day War (1967).  And now the soldiers sing for peace…

The place gave off a resounding resolve to be mighty and caring at the same time (hot tea and donuts were served).

The final song performed beautifully by the army troupe and the very hoarse soldiers was ‘Shalom Salaam’ (Hebrew and Arabic for peace) because that’s what we all want.

Maybe 2010 will be the year when the middle east will finally be at peace, maybe the strong shekel is signalling this.  Or maybe FX traders will finally begin to sell shekels next year. I really don’t know but I can tell you what I am hoping for in 2010:

Shalom / Salaam

שלום

شالوم

Happy new year!

For many reasons I have been resistant to the traditional Christmas greeting this year. I guess ‘merry’ just doesn’t seem to capture that which I hope myself and others to experience this year. My favorite Christmas carol is Silent Night. There are many reasons for this choice: I learned to sing it in German; my favorite solo ever in college was an interpretation of silent night accompanied by oboe and cello (my two favorite instruments); and at Christmas, I long for silence.

Silent Night represents the peace I crave. When I say peace, I don’t mean simply quiet or absence of war. I mean a deep sense of holistic well being in the world. So, my season greeting this year is Yeldo Shalom. A friend taught me that Yeldo is the Syriac word for Christmas. Shalom is a Hebrew word that in biblical times meant ‘completeness,’ ’soundness,’ ‘welfare,’ and ‘peace.’

This year I wish all of us Yeldo Shalom, a deep Christmas peace that pervades our being and shapes the way we engage the world.

Silent night and Yeldo Shalom,
Michael

I submitted this poem for a contest with the Arizona Republic. The winning story (they said story, I and a few others said forget your story – we’re doing poems) was printed in today’s paper. I didn’t think my poem was all that good, but I couldn’t think of something I really liked. But maybe you’ll enjoy it more than I do.

Also, this is just so funny/cool to me. The neighbor was having yard work done. The guy doing the yard work? The Mayor of a nearby town, Eloy. How cool small-town kind of thing is that?! Seriously, he does the yard work alongside a few other guys … not some chump raking in the dough and managing. Anyway, Merry Christmas Folks!

Shalom to Christmas!

Christmas is tomorrow, which is very exciting
The good company, good food, good will and over-the-top (his electric
bill must be insane) good lighting.

(It’s a good thing this poem is done, the kids are all kvetching -
Which is a universal thing, yes you got it, they’re complaining.)

Today’s Advent reflection comes from Brad Culver.  Brad is a mentor, teacher, pioneer, along with Mary his wife of 37 years, until recently gave leadership to the Refuge a missional faith community founded in 1994. They presently reside in Innerkip Ontario Canada as they prepare to embark on a new adventure. Brad blogs at Living Water From an Ancient Well

Morning light

Awaiting the Morning

I am very fond of Christmas.  Particularly Christmas morning .I always have been. . Even as the festivities are winding down I’m already longing for the next year’s celebrations.

Before I go any further I want to make it clear that I’m not a morbid death wish kind of guy.  I love life. Every day is a gift. Each breath is a miracle. It astounds me to know the creator of everything seen and unseen thought to make food taste good and sex feel great. “L’Chaim, To Life”.

Still, part of me groans waiting to be delivered. Early on in the human story a Leviathan of darkness entered Gods world of wonder, pillaged the human heart and left in its wake, a trail of selfishness, despair, brokenness and oppression.  As C S Lewis put it, “we are bent”, desperately bent, crooked little folk in our crooked little world.

Theologian George Eldon Ladd, spoke of the tension of the already not yet. The
Kingdom is proclaimed. Redemption is here. The Incarnation has arrived, yet we
await the fullness. “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”, I get it. I watch. I wait. We watch. We ache.

Death, we don’t much like to talk about it, let alone think about it. The
moment we are born we are moving toward our physical death. We can’t escape the
fact that death is a constant companion, but death is not the end.  Unless a seed fall in the ground and die…This is the rhythm until Christ returns.

Peter Marshall the Scottish Presbyterian Minister who in later life was the
Chaplin of the US Senate used to share a story about a wee lad who dying and
afraid of the unknown fearfully asks his mother ‘What is it like to die”. She
comforts him by explaining that death is like turning out the lights, going to
sleep and awakening to a brand new day. On his death bed Peter Marshall turned
to his wife Catherine and said “see you in the morning.”

I a wait the morning when I awake in His likeness.  I a wait the dawning of a new day where death is no longer victorious, tears have ceased, sickness vanished, injustice, exploitation and oppression abolished, and we practice war no more. When finally, Empire gives way and “the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ and He will reign for ever and ever”…and we will wait no more.

Greetings in the name of Yeshua!!

Thanks for your continued prayers!

Teddy,
Yerubilee & JTOD.org

12|20|2009

Our final Sunday in Advent the focus was Jesus as the Prince of Wholeness/Peace/Shalom. Years ago I listened to a teaching called The Shoes of Shalom from Rob Bell at Mars Hill in Grand Rapids that stuck with me, so I used it as a springboard with the kids this week to explore what it means for Jesus to be our Prince of Wholeness.

We’ve learned what shalom means before during the Names of God lessons in the fall. I started out by reminding the kids about two of the names of God from a few weeks ago, El Echad and Jehovah Rophe. In both of those lessons we talked about God being whole or complete. He is also our healer and in the business of fixing us when we’re broken. They have good memories, and all of the kids remembered that Shalom means peace which is more than a lack of conflict, but also carries with it the meaning of wholeness or completeness.

I asked the kids how we can become broken. There were lots of fun answers, but one was right on target — lies. We talked about how lies told by us can hurt others, and lies told to us or about us hurt our own hearts. In the story about Adam and Eve in the Bible we’re told about one very big liar, Satan, or the Accuser, who told Eve a lie which led to her doing something that caused the whole world to become broken. The good news is that Jesus is our Prince of Wholeness, and he came to put it all back together. I told the kids that one writer in the Bible tells us, “The God of Peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”

There was just one thing left to do. Dance! In the Treasure Box I had put a pair of baby shoes. I told the children these were the Shoes of Shalom because God has promised that through his Son, the Prince of Wholeness, we can crush Satan and his lies under our feet. We took markers and wrote the lies we hear in our heads on the bottoms of our feet or shoes. The lies in my head include, “I am not good enough,” and “I’m a fraud.” I was amazed by the self-awareness the children demonstrated as they were able to identify their own lies. These kids range in age 4-7 and wrote lies like:

No one loves me.

I am alone.

I am not smart.  I am dumb.

I am not good.

After everyone wrote their lies, we put on some music and crushed those lies as we danced around the living room. It was a lot of fun. Then we thanked God for sending Jesus to help us crush the lies and asked him to continue to silence them and bring us his shalom. Finally, we lit the fourth candle in our Advent wreath, sang, and prayed.

Last night we also watched The Nativity Story together, and one of the kids wanted to sing more carols, so after the movie we carolled together. The whole night felt a lot like family.

Shalom. Next to love, peace is the most sought-after sentiment in the world.

To share this fervent wish—as well as your pride in your heritage—with family and friends, give this distinctive favor at your next gathering. Perfect for weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, baby showers, holiday gatherings and Shabbat dinners, the “Shalom” Star of David Bookmark is a deeply expressive, much-appreciated gift.  Prices start at $1.99.  Shop now!  http://goodwitchgifts.theaspenshops.com/product/shalom-silvermetal-star-of-david-bookmark.html/categoryid=ac4a10cc-02ed-4141-a39f-fb7e521a8698

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What If Jesus Meant All That Stuff?

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I’m sure many of you enjoy the popular television comedy, The Office.  The show is a mockumentary, filmed in the style of a documentary with a single camera without a studio audience or laugh track.  The documentary style is intended to create a sense of reality even though the show clearly spoofs the traditional American business workplace.  Although the characters are written to be over-the-top especially the clueless branch manager, Michael and the power-hungry sycophant assistant manager, Dwight, it is amazing how often the scripting hits close to the mark of reality.  I suppose one of the things that makes The Office so popular is how it resonates with each of us that work in an office environment while remaining over-the-top enough to keep us in our comfort zone where our toes are not stepped on directly.

One of the show’s supporting themes that can hit a little too close for comfort involves the destructive inter-personal relationships and office politics that plague the little office.  It seems that the characters derive great satisfaction from stabbing each other in the back and creating relationship destruction even when they don’t personally benefit from the chaos they generate.  You’ve all probably had some experience with this type of back-stabbing political operator in the office; perhaps even unfortunate personal experience.   However, we are called to be very distinctively different from this type of toxic individual.  We are called by our faith to be people of peace in every area of our lives including in our workplaces.

I like the Hebrew definition of peace best.  The Hebrew word for peace is shalom and it carries the meaning of a deep seated sense of well-being and balance leading to contentment and a feeling of being centered.  Building on the definition of shalom, we should be seeking to have workplace relationships that are centered, balanced and where there is a sense of well-being within that relationship.  I know that would lead to less drama and excitement in the workplace, but perhaps we could find another source of drama and excitement that is healthier for our souls!

Many folks have the misconception that peace equals the lack of conflict.  Conflict is a natural and necessary part of every relationship and simply means that there is a difference of opinion that needs to be addressed.  The presence of conflict in a relationship does not dictate whether that relationship is in a state of shalom peace or in a state of discord and violence.  Our faithful commitment to peace will guide us in handling conflict in our relationships and will help determine the state of our relationships.  Our commitment to our faith will lead us all to seek after peaceful relationships wherever possible. 

In Romans chapter 12, the apostle Paul provides an overview of what an everyday Christian looks like.  I encourage each of you to read Romans 12 and perform a little self-assessment test.  Included in that chapter is the following passage.

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Notice that Paul specifies some conditions for his peace-keeping instructions.  He acknowledges that peace may not always be possible since the road to peace is two-way.  Sometimes folks are bent on making things difficult and will not live in peace regardless of how much of an effort you make to sooth the relationship.  Paul acknowledges this reality and adds the following instructions.

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

In cases where someone simply will not live in peace with you including those complex office political situations which seem to have no solution, give the problem to God.  Pray about it and release whatever negative emotions and feelings of hostility and revenge that may threaten to poison your soul.  Continue to show agape love to the person and maintain the presence of the Lord in their life.  Then let God do the rest.

We can all put this lesson into practice in our everyday lives.  I will be focused on bringing peace to my office relationships this week.  However, some of you are extra-gifted in this area.  For those of you that are natural peace-makers, I will have an installment next week to praise and encourage you.   

Until next week,

Meet me at the intersection!

Ending the Journey of a Lifetime at Golgotha

Our last day began with a brief tour of the hospital where Tom Gronewald volunteers as a missionary servant to Israel. It was very enlightening to hear about and to see the medical facilities and preparations done by this hospital.

We went from the hope of holistic medicine to the sobering reality of the Holocaust! Touring the Yad Vashem museum and the atrocities of the Nazi Holocaust leaves you an ache in your heart. The staggering scenes and video-taped interviews with Holocaust survivors left a grim reminder of the evil that is in this world. It ignites the passion for showing love and restoring the dignity and value of every human being. People matter to God and people matter to us too!

Our final journey took us to the Praetorian where Jesus was flogged, mocked and spat upon. He went through all the agony of Gethsemane, the beatings and the crucifixion for us!

Wow, what a Savior!

We wept as we stood on the stones in which Jesus received His cruel thrashing. We followed the Via Dolorosa , the way of suffering where Jesus carried His cross with the help of Simon of Cyrene (Mark 15:21).

Along this busy road we came to Golgotha and the Garden Tomb. We were truly standing on holy ground as we saw the Skull in the rocky cliff and personally witnessed the empty tomb. We gathered to read, worship and celebrate Holy Communion. What a special time of personal renewal and spiritual intimacy with our Lord. Richard played his violin and Kyler led us in worship as we spent an hour and a half just praising God for His gracious sacrifice on our behalf. This is the fitting conclusion to an amazing tour.

Isaiah 53:4-5 reveals the prophetic truth of our Messiah Jesus:

“Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.”

Our group has truly become a family and many are already planning to join us on our next trip to Israel and Greece from July 8-22, 2011. Please pray about joining us as well. You will never be the same!

Shalom!

most of us might be familiar with the story of the two construction men who were laying foundations in Rabbi’ Jesus’ collection of parables. and some people, whether of the Christian tradition or not might presuppose that part of building your life on the sand might include having more questions than answers. that the rock might be a metaphor for solid static faith. yet, questions, doubt and uncertainty were central to being a jew. to ask questions meant you were Jew. it was an identity thing. since the enlightenment and the birth of rationalism, the idea of doubt has come with a stigma of non-authority. meaning that if you have doubt people don’t take you seriously. that as one who follows the Rabbi from Nazareth, I should have my whole faith figured out. Or even if you follow Mohammed, that you should never have certain questions, especially ones that might dismantle holy things that you should be believing in if you wholeheartedly follow your deity. i am not trying to devalue certainty at all. but, i do want to restore value to uncertainty. to bring us to the center where the tension between faith and doubt dance quite comfortably. and to invite any and all live in that tension rather than swinging like a pendulum to both extremes. we tend to see doubt and faith as mutually exclusive. but they are both sides of the same. we need one to have the other. they find value in each other. a liberated confusion is the kind of confusion that never stops asking questions and isn’t afraid if there aren’t any answers to find. a liberated confusion sips latte’s on the corner of doubt ave. and confusion lane and calls it home. that maybe believing in God is much more than whether Mary was a virgin, or whether the gospel writers ever met Jesus, or whether Paul was married or not. Albeit, important matters, but not the point. a person who dances the dance of liberated confusion dances freely and courageously into the unknown knowing that is where they are meant to be…do you want to dance?

I have a confession to make.  For the first few days, I read everything I saw about the whole Tiger saga.  It goes against my values; I think our tabloid frenzied, celebrity obsessed culture is a destructive distraction, but I participated with gusto.  Those invasive telephone-pole-truck-cameras were there because of me too.  I couldn’t stay away, after all, I watch golf because of this guy.

But almost immediately after Woods’ “confession” I started reading about how, in his imperfection, he was a perfect example and how he would be a better man after all this.  That put me over the edge and I stopped.  But I can’t get it out of my head; this writing is catharsis.

A perfect example?  Of what exactly?

“ ‘Atta boy Tiger, way to carry on a lengthy affair while your wife was pregnant, get in a mysterious car crash and confess once there was no other way out!  Great read, great read!!”

I’m pretty sure we don’t need more imperfect examples.  I think it’s been established: Nobody’s Perfect.  You don’t need to prove an axiom, you just state it and move on.  The shortest distance between two points is a line.  End of story.  I’d like my examples to be, you know, good examples.  What we need is more examples of human beings actually flourishing.  That’s the belief and the hope that is harder to keep burning.

The other article was worse.  Rick Reilly, I’m calling you out.  Tiger, a better man?  Eventually, that will probably be true.  I know, you put that qualifier in there too.  But you also lionized him once again.  Hopefully he will become a better man.  To say so right now is like turning the knife.  Right now Tiger is a jackass that is just beginning to feel repentant about what it seems he was still trying to cover up only a short time ago.  Right now Tiger is a jackass who lived a lie every day by apparently carrying on a prolonged affair that started when his wife was very pregnant.  Can we mourn the staggering implosion of another high-profile family for just a moment before we re-canonize the perpetrator?  The jury will still be out for a long, long time over whether Tiger can become a better man.  It’s none of my business, but I hope so.  For the sake of his family.

That’s the thing that I hate about these stories.  Almost every time it boils down to: Men cheat; boys will be boys.  There’s always a line in there about how men need to have their needs met, and if they aren’t, they tend to look elsewhere.  Blah, blah, blah.  That may be true enough, but just once I would like to read something that nails these guys to the wall for being so damn selfish.  Look, I am a guy; I can think with my dick too.  But my heart and my mind tell me that I would be destroying everything that’s important to me.  U2 sings about not “trading love to find romance.”  Bono has been married a long time, he knows.

It goes deeper though.  What if the equation was tipped the other way?  What if the excitement really did outweigh the commitment for me?  That’s the part that no one talks about, the part where the selfishness really comes in.  First, there is a woman who has been betrayed and feels like a fool because she has been living a lie.  Great start, you’ve turned the entire life of the person you pledged yourself to upside down.  Then there are the kids.  One of the major things that helps kids thrive is a stable, loving relationship between two parents.  It helps them feel secure.  How many of us have significant baggage because of our parents?  My parents stayed together, but I still have had to work really hard to not carry their shit with me into my life and family.  These kinds of things affect generations.  It’s about more than just a philandering dude.  It’s even about more than his sobbing wife.  An entire web of relationships is broken.  The titillation pales in comparison.

I’ve stopped reading about Tiger.  I don’t need to hear this story again.

Memo to Tiger: Abraham Lincoln said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”  Just keep that in mind.

We were praying on Thursday morning and one of the guys says something that sent seismic shock waves through my soul.  He prayed, “What does the birthday boy want?”  He was talking to God about Christmas.  My mind had a spasm.

Honestly, I don’t think about Christmas and Advent in terms of “birthday boy.”  If it weren’t true it would be sacrilege.  But that “shock to my system” also caused so many puzzle pieces to fall into place for me.

I’m one of those Christians who wallows in ideas and theories like a pig wallows in slop.  I gargle with big ideas and do belly flops into theology.  I love it.  So Advent and Christmas tend toward transcendence (God is above, apart, mystery), ideals & language, theory, candles, music, and atmosphere.  I use words like incarnation, mission, and kingdom as short-hand for ideas that are – for me – pregnant with meaning and significance.

Then I hear “What’s good for the birthday boy?”

When I hear it my grand ideas come crashing to the ground and this season sudden goes from God up and above (transcendence) to God here and now among us (immanence).  It is practical not theoretical.  High flying concepts like incarnation, mission, kingdom; as well as atmosphere and mood give way to people.

Here’s why: my wife was at a community garden meeting at a coffee shop this week, and they just started talking.  When they heard about us (especially Communicycle) they were interested and had questions.  One woman, Jewish I believe, who is very active as an environmentalist asked my wife if Christians have a concept like Karma that explains what is owed to the earth.  She was wondering if there was a word that could be used to try to communicate with them.  Christian Karma?  They talked.

What’s that word we use for sharing God’s perspective on the world and life?  Hmmm, it will come to me in a minute. Some thing about good news, I think.

One of the moms from the elementary school asked my wife this week if she would come along to help her practice her driving because she was going to take her drivers license test.  The woman was nervous and anxious and wanted someone along before she headed off to get tested.  They spent time together.  My wife really loves this woman, who is the chief Spanish translator for the Parent Teacher organization.

There is a name for helping someone settle down before a driving test.  It’s call Shalom.  My wife brought the Kingdom.  BTW, she passed!

Josh and Margaret were picking some kids up for Communicycle on Tuesday.  As they’re driving one of the kids says to the other, “You should tell him, dude.”  The other answers, “Shut up.”  ”No, really you should tell him.”  So Josh being the shy, retiring type says, “Tell me what?”  Turns out one of their friends has started taking drugs.  And they start talking about drugs, why people use them, what they can and can’t do for their friend, etc.

There it is.  In an unexpected, unplanned, unguarded, unprepared for instant a teachable moment that is at the very heart of what we pray for with these kids.  To love them, to stand in the gap against all the forces aligned against them:  violence, gangs, drugs, sex, etc.  It was a teachable moment that no program can ever provide.  It was their friend.  Their moment of intense, personal interest.  And Josh and Margaret were there.

Later that night we had to have several talks with the kids “chipping” at each other. It started to escalate, and Josh had to circle some of them up to reinforce the idea that Communicycle is a place of respect.  I cleaned one part for several minutes too many as Josh talked with one of the boys about helping make friends with one the other boys with whom he had been sparing.  You could tell from the young man’s reaction that being a friend was what he really wanted.  He was sparing because he had to fight for respect.  But the prospect of friendship brought an eager hope to him.  With nations waging war here is a man bringing actual peace.

This is Advent.  Not high flying ideas and religion, but the actual presence of the Lord to bring peace, hope, and life.  Not just age-old songs about God’s goodness, but right here, right now conversations that display God’s goodness and love.  Who’d have ever thought that Advent and Christmas would be about driving lessons, karma, and drugs?

Mission, incarnation, and kingdom are amazing concepts.  But for this Christmas we need practical, “feet on the ground” examples of what they mean.  They mean being in touch with people who don’t yet know the beauty of Christ’s love so that those transcendent, meaningful, gospel moments are possible.  This is what it means to be incarnational, on mission, and bringing the Kingdom.

It’s not complicated.   At the same time, it isn’t accidental.  It is the inevitable result of being present in the lives of other people.  Not artificially, but genuinely.  Not looking for every instance to slip ‘em a tract, but sharing in things that are genuinely meaningful among people.  Being a normal person without a secret agenda, sharing life, and earning the privilege of talking about God and life just because you’re friends.  By definition these moments are occasional, even rare.  They come after hours and hours, weeks, and months of working together, sharing life, drudgery, duty, and regular contact.   They can’t be programmed.  They simply happen because we are simply there when they do.

So I hope that this Advent, this celebration of God’s Presence Among Us, translate into our presence among the people around us.  Not salt among salt, or light among light.  But “out there” where the salt and light are needed most.  Where karma become grace, driving lessons become shalom, drugs become prevention, and taunting leads to peace.

Merry Christmas.

Dapatkah iman menggugah tindakan etis ? Pertanyaan itu dikemukakan pemakalah Fransiska Widyawati. Jawaban spontan jelas, teologi harus digali dari persoalan yang hidup, jadi tidak bisa tidak masalah kerusakan lingkungan menjadi ranah persoalan teologi.

Pernytaan ini menggarisbawahi uraian Mgr Suharyo dalam pembukaan forum. “Masalah-masalah apa pun, termasuk pemanasan global, bagi orang beriman merupakan masalah atau tantangan iman. Jadi bukan sekadar masalah sosial, ekonomi, hukum, budaya, dan seterusnya.”

Mengenai kelestarian lingkungan, pemakalah Lathiful Khuluq menyatakan ajaran Islam sangat menganjurkan pemeluknya melestarikan alam ; menjaga alam agar tidak merugikan manusia dan makhluk lain. Dalam Islam, alam harus diposisikan sebagai habitatm bukan dieksploitasi habis manis sepah dibuang.

Pemeliharaan lingkungan merupakan bagian dari misi Allah dalam mendatangkan shalom, tegas pemakalah RP Borrong. Hampir semua teologi agama-agama memberikan perhatian besar pada kelestarian alam.

Tertatih-tatih

Tidak ada short cut atau cetak biru teologi mengenai persoalan perubahan iklim dewasa ini walaupun teologi bekerja di dalam manusia dan akan mati tanpa praksis. Pertanyaan besar, mungkinkah ekoteologi menjadi adrenalin bagi peningkatan mutu kehidupan manusia bersama seluruh makhluk ciptaan ? Dapatkah ditemukan satu formula agar peran itu maksimal ?

Karena teologi berpijak dalam konteks tempat dan aktualitas, dalam tataran kognisi keberagamaan sudah tidak ada persoalan. Persoalan muncul sebagai tantangan ketika dikaitkan dengan praksis dalam kehidupan masyarakat.

Ajakan praksis beragama tidak selesai di sekitar altar, halaman masjid ayau mimbar khotbah, tetapi dibawa  turun ke tataran hidup sehari-hari. Dengan bekal bela rasa yang dibangkitkan dari semangat keberagamaan, aksi keterlibatan dimulai. Butuh perjuangan tersendiri, tidak serta -merta terjadi.

Al Andang Listy Binawan punya pengalaman panjang dan intens soal mengubah sikap keberagamaan menjadi adrenalin kehidupan bermasyarakat lewat gerakan hidup bersih dan sehat. Dari tindakan dan refleksi yang mendasari gerakan itu, dia lihat potensi lembaga agama dalam membangun kepercayaan sosial (social trust). Kepercayaan sosial memberikan jaminan bahwa yang diperjuangkan oleh agama itu baik. Pengkhianatan pada kepercayaan yang sudah ada berarti mengkhianati hakikat agama itu sendiri.

Lembaga agama berdasarkan hakikat dan fungsinya merupakan bagian dari masyarakat warga. Agama bukan lembaga politik, bukan pula lembaga bisnis – meskipun tidak antipolitik, dan tidak bisa menutup diri dari realitas sosio-ekonomi. Kesdaran diri dalam lingkup sosial ini menjadi penting dalam upaya mengaktualisasikan potensi.

Kemampuan agama dirumuskan dan dintunjukkan antara lain terlihat dari etika protestanisme, teologi-teologi pembebasan maupun penegasan “setiap Muslim adalah khalifah (wakil/representatif) Allah di muka Bumi”. Agama mampu mendukung perubahan sosial yang sifatnya evolutif, pelan-pelan, dan gradual. Kemampuan itu di satu pihak kuat berkat kedalaman motivasi yang mendasari, di sisi lain lemah karena cara kerja yang tidak langsung menggebrak revolutif. Tanpa penegakan hukum, perjuangan mengubah perilaku itu tertatih-tatih.

Pengalaman soal sampah, serupa yang dilakukan lewat gerakan pembelaan kelestarian alam dan budaya Merapi, maupun cara menyikapi petani terhadap keganasan alam Yayasan Obor Tani (Yabortan) di Semarang.

Refleksi P Sunu Hardiyanto atas gerakan menyikapi perilaku Merapi dan pengerukan pasir di lereng Merapi tidak hanya menyangkut persoalan pilihan hidup antara meningkatan mutu kehidupan rakyat miskin di satu sisi dan kerakusan segelintir orang, tetapi juga semangat edukasi yang dijebol dari hidup keseharian mereka.

Refleksi pemakalah Budi Widianarko mengenai kegiatan Yabortan menunjukkan birokrasi pemerintah sering justru menjadi penghambat. Tantangan utama justru bukan faktor pendanaan, tetapi kekakuan birokrasi dan bias sektoral. Hambatan itu dapat teratasi jika ada kemauan politik pemerintah dan solidaritas kalangan dunia usaha sehingga dirumuskan model sinergi pendanaan di anatara kedua pihak.

Pemaknaan CSR

Program-program tanggung jawab sosial perusahaan (corporate social responsibility/CSR), menurut pemakalah Ike Janita Dewi, tidak hanya sebagai the right thing to do, tetapi the smart thing to do. Apa pun motivasi dan keyakinan dunia bisnis, sesuai strategi perusahaan, pada gilirannya akan membentuk sikap dan perilaku masyarakat luas untuk semakin peduli pada lingkungan hidup.

Tuduhan bahwa orang miskin – karena keterbatasan pengetahuan dan tuntutan kehidupannya – tidak bisa diajak mengatasi proses perusakan alam, oleh pemakalah Antonius Sumarwan, dikoreksi total. Kata kunci semua gerakan ini adalah memberikan nilai tambah bagi orang miskin. Ketika tahu bahwa dengan tidak membakar kayu dan minyak mereka ikut menyelamatkan Bumi, mereka lebih antusias.

Tanpa sengaja usaha itu tidak hanya menambah penghasilan, tetapi juga berguna bagi kelangsungan Bumi. Ini menggambarkan apa yang disampaikan Johannes Muller, dalam forum itu, tentang perlunya menyadarkan kelompok miskin akan bahaya mengancam atas perubahan iklim dan kontribusi yang bisa mereka berikan.

Mungkinkah usaha-usaha semacam itu disebarluaskan ?  Secara tidak langsung, pemakalah Y Kristio Budiasmoro mengatakan bisa. Sebab, program pengentasan rakyat miskin dalam wilayah luas bisa saling memberikan informasi dan berhubungan secara ekonomi dalam koridor-koridornya.

Komunikasi yang efektif memanfaatkan tradisi lokal niscaya mudah diterima warga hingga terbentuk tatanan yang unik dan menjadi berharga dan berdaya tarik. Jika keputusan ekonomi benar-benar dilakukan dengan prinsip ekonomi efisiensi dan mempertimbangkan biaya oportunitas, demikian pemakalah R Maryatmi, seharusnya pencapaian kesejahteraan manusia tidak perlu mengakibatkan kerusakan alam dan perubahan iklim dunia.

Siapakah yang bisa menjadi inisiator utama perubahan ? Media massa, demikian peserta forum berpendapat serempak. Lewat kesempatan, otoritas, dan kemampuannya, media merupakan inspirator utama, baru kemudian dibutuhkan badan dan orang lain sebagai koordinator dan pelaksana berikut lembaga politik dan birokrat yang kontributif, koalitif, kolaboratif.

Penyadaran masyarakat tentang gawatnya kondisi kerusakan Bumi dalam forum itu diakui oleh Soni Keraf, politisi dari PDI-P. Perubahan iklim sudah menjadi persoalan hidup-mati, tegasnya.

Nah, agama pelan-pelan bisa jadi adrenalin, kan ?

Sumber :

Mengubah Ekoteologi Jadi Adrenalin, ST Sularto
Kompas, 06.11.2009

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, grace and peace to you. 

As you know, today is the first Sunday of Advent.  Advent is a time of intentional . . . waiting, anticipating, yearning . . . for the next word, for a coming event, for an expected surprise.

Intentional waiting seems so strange.  How many of us went to WalMart or Kmart or Target on Black Friday at 5 a.m. — not for the deals but for the quality time that we could spend in check-out lines sandwiched between tired toddlers with runny noses sitting on packed shopping carts begging for candy?  Or how many of us listened to the traffic reports or used GPS over Thanksgiving so that we could choose the travel routes with guaranteed traffic delays?  Or how many of us go to doctor’s offices an hour early, just so that we can spend more time in the rooms specifically reserved for waiting?  We don’t do those things, at least if we’re sane.  We don’t like to wait.  Waiting is bad, to be avoided, we think.  If given the choice, we will never choose to wait.

But that’s exactly why Advent is important.  This is the time of year that the church sets aside to practice . . . waiting.  Advent waiting is pregnant waiting.  It takes humility.  That’s because waiting acknowledges that our time, our calendars, our hopes, our lives are not ultimately in our control.  We wait for Jesus, the one who has come for us, who dwells with us, who has promised to return to us. 

Our Worship Commission has chosen as our Advent Theme, “Coming to Jesus”, and in these weeks we will explore Isaiah’s prophecy of a new king who claims many titles:  Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.  In our wait, we learn to identify, to welcome, and to follow the One who comes to dwell with us.  But, of course, the whole idea of waiting is to acknowledge that our celebration does not begin with our coming to Jesus.  It begins with Jesus’ coming to us.  Through God’s Spirit, may these weeks of Advent be a time when we come closer to the God who, in Jesus, has chosen to draw close to us . . . while we wait. 

This morning, I’ll be reading from Isaiah, chapter 11, verses 1-9.   

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -

3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;

4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling ^[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.

7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.

9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.

These words are some of the best known and best loved passages in all the Bible.  I think that’s because they identify what we long for, deep down.  They articulate our deep and persistent hope for peace, for justice.  To live in harmony with God, with others, with all of creation.  The Bible has a word for that sort of peace.  It’s called shalom, the peace that passes our understanding.  We want to know Isaiah’s vision of the peaceful kingdom.  We want shalom, a life without fear.  We want to know fully, to be fully known, at peace.

But it’s frustrating, it’s hard, because we never fully know others and others don’t fully know us.  Everyone interprets with eyes that can only see through their own particular relationship, clouded by the expectations they place on those relationships, the needs they seek to be filled through them. 

And it’s risky, it’s dangerous, because we fear the unknown – we fear what others don’t know about us and what we don’t know about others.  Who can know, who can understand, who can we trust with our stories, the uncut, unabridged versions?  And when we get down to it, do we truly desire this trust from others?  Who is able to hear the dark secrets locked in the dark corners of our dark places, the places from which we wage the wars that claim both us and our loved ones as collateral damages?  We have learned to be careful, suspicious of people who desire to know too much.  We find it too risky to know fully, to be fully known.  And so we soldier on, fighting the good fight, maintaining the front, but alone, isolated, fragmented, fearful.  In our fear, at our safe distance, we can miss the good news.

In 1944, during World War II, Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda was sent by the Japanese army to the remote Philippine island of Lubang.  He was twenty-two years old, and he was sent with orders from his division commander to conduct guerilla warfare against Allied forces until his division came back for him and not before then.

The island of Lubang was quickly overrun by Allies, and the Japanese soldiers there split up and retreated into the inner regions of the islands.  Onoda led a group of four soldiers.  Together, they waged their guerilla war to survive. 

In October 1945, a leaflet dropped from the sky with this announcement:  “The war ended on August 15.  Come down from the mountains.”  But to Onoda, the leaflet didn’t make sense.  His group was still receiving gunfire.  Soon thereafter, more leaflets dropped from the sky.  But they all seemed suspicious, an Allied hoax.  Leaflet after leaflet dropped.  Newspapers were left, photographs and letters floated to the ground.  But it was too risky, too dangerous.

Year after year, Onoda’s group of four stayed together in the jungle, caught in a cycle of disbelief.  Isolated from the rest of the world, everything was suspicious, everyone was the enemy.  One was them was shot and killed, another surrendered himself, and Onoda’s group of four dwindled to two.  For twenty years, they stayed on the run, fighting the fight.  Then Onoda’s partner was killed in a clash with Filipino police. He was alone. 

In 1974, nearly thirty years after the end of World War II, Onoda’s old division commander received proof that Onoda was still alive.  So the commander returned to the small island in the Philippines, tracked him down, and told him that the war was over — he could stop the fight.

And for the first time, Onoda understood.  He pulled back the bolt on his rifle.  He unloaded the bullets.  Then he eased off the pack that he had always carried with him, and he laid his gun on top of it.  Lt. Hiroo Onoda was fifty-two years old.  He had spent thirty years of his life fighting a war that had already ended. During that time, he and his men had killed at least 30 Filipinos and wounded 100 others.   But he didn’t know.[1]

Isaiah’s words of peace, of shalom, flutter down into a world at war with itself.  Guns are blazing and bombs are dropping for land, for diamonds, for oil, for open markets, for religious purity, for ethnic cleansing, for power, for peace, for more weapons to acquire more land, more oil, more markets, more religious and ethnic purity, more power, more peace. And on it goes. 

But these words of peace, of shalom, also flutter down into the battles that that are raging in our own lives.  The ongoing combat inside our souls.  Struggling in marriages that aren’t working, at least in the ways that we had hoped.  Worrying about jobs that, all of a sudden, don’t seem so secure.  Besieged with disease, with illness, with accidents that drain our financial resources.  Hiding the scars that show our insecurity, our vulnerability.  Fleeing from others to protect ourselves from more pain.  Stressing the advance of old age with all the debilities and the limitations and the weaknesses that it tends to bring.  Grieving deaths of loved ones that leave us feeling abandoned.

These words of peace, of shalom, flutter down to a world that is not at peace.  They fall into our lives that are not at peace.  And so, in our fear, we find them too suspicious, too idealistic, too unbelievable to be trusted, at least right now.  Yes, we believe that this is what it will look like at the end of all time, but we’re in a war here.  This is not the time for sentiment.  Just look at the destruction and the despair and the death all around us.

The people of Israel were waiting for a king like David, a king who judged fairly, who pursued justice.  Isaiah saw David’s throne as God’s means of implementing his will, first for Judah and Jerusalem, then for the whole world.  This king would be marked by the spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and power, knowledge and fear of the LORD.   One whose judgment would be based on righteousness, not on the appearances that his eyes see or the hearsay, rumors, or manipulations that his ears hear.  Through Isaiah, God promises his people a future that is not warranted by their past.  A future king through whom God not only brings people in right relationship with each other but includes all of creation in shalom.  The wolf and the lamb.  The leopard and the goat.  The lion and the calf.  And a little child shall lead them.

This, I believe, is what the promise of a wonderful counselor means.  A counselor who knows fully our stories, the unabridged, uncut versions.  A counselor who not only knows our stories but whose word carries the power to transform our stories.  A counselor who is able to bring to pass the wonderful deeds he counsels, who knows fully and is fully known, who understands his people because he is at one with his people.  The One whose judgment is based on righteousness, his righteousness, and through his atonement, we are made righteous.  Through his atonement, at-one-ment, we are free to live in harmony with God and with others, with all of creation. Yes, this is the wonderful counselor, and he will be marked by the Spirit of the LORD.

We think Isaiah is still talking about the future, but in the gospels, Jesus is preaching and teaching and healing.  Many crowds followed him, and he cured them all.  And Matthew writes that, in Jesus, God was fulfilling what Isaiah prophesied so long before:

Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,
my beloved, whom I am 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 smoldering wick
until he brings justice to victory.

And in his name the Gentiles will hope.
(Matthew 12:18-21)

This is the good news that flutters into our world and onto the top of our heads.  In Jesus, there is peace.  In Jesus, the battle has been won, victory has been proclaimed.  In Jesus, you can stop the fight.  You can come out now.  You are safe.  Fully known, fully knowing.

Yes, I know, there are battles still raging.  Isaiah’s vision of the peaceable kingdom is not yet realized.  But that’s only because not everyone has believed the news or received the news.  And that’s because we spend our lives learning to trust the good news.  And the news is this:  Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the dominion of death, isolation, and war has been broken for the kingdom of life, wholeness, and shalom. 

I know that there are some of you right now who, when I talk about this peace, know what I am talking about.  You’ve experienced the healing, the grace of Jesus in powerful ways.  But I also know that there are some of you who never have experienced this peace.  Or maybe you did at one time, but the wounds of this life have wiped it away.  And the truth is that our world and we ourselves, will not know this peace fully, completely, until Jesus returns to implement the victory that has already been won. 

But this vision in Isaiah is not merely a future hope.  It is for you, right now.  The spirit of the LORD that fluttered down from above and rested on Jesus on the day of his baptism is the same spirit that flutters down upon us, empowering us together, with wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and fear of the LORD.  There is grace and peace in that.  Together, we are on our way to living whole lives, not fragmented ones, believing that in Christ, all things hold together.  Together, as the church, we learn to lay down our arms and to walk in peace, for peace, and to peace through Christ

My message this morning is not full of shoulds or oughts or mustn’ts.  Sometimes, we focus so much on our marching orders that we miss the good news.  The good news is simply an announcement.  This announcement.  In Jesus, the war is over.  Lay down your weapons.  You can come out now.  It’s safe.  In the name of Jesus and through his Spirit, you can become who you really are, as one invited to live in harmony with God, with others, and with all of creation.

“On that day, the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.”  (Isaiah 11:10)

On this day, shalom.

Vamos refletir sobre o que Yeshua diz em Matitiyahu (Mateus) 10: 34-36:

“Não penseis que vim trazer shalom à terra; não vim trazer shalom, mas espada. Porque eu vim pôr em dissensão o homem contra seu pai, a filha contra sua mãe, e a nora contra sua sogra; e assim os inimigos do homem serão os da sua própria casa.”

Pode parecer estranho Yeshua, o Sar Shalom (Príncipe da Shalom), dizer que não veio trazer shalom, mas dissensão nas famílias. Mas o que será que ele realmente quer dizer? Ele diz que não veio trazer shalom, mas espada. Que espada? Se olharmos o que Rav Sha’ul diz em Efessayah (Efésios) 6: 17, podemos começar a entender isso:

“Tomai também o capacete da salvação, e a espada da Ruach, que é a palavra de Elohim”.

De acordo com o Rav Sha’ul, a espada é a palavra de Elohim, ou seja, a Torah. Sabemos que, de acordo com o próprio Yeshua em Matitiyahu (Mateus) 5:17, Ele  não veio destruir a Torah ou os profetas; mas cumprir. Os sábios concordavam que um dos papéis do Mashiach seria explicar a Torah. E Yeshua foi a plena revelação do propósito da Torah, nos mostrando na prática como aplicá-la corretamente.

Sabemos também que o mistério da ira contra a Torah tem operando fortemente nos dias de hoje, trazendo engano e afastando pessoas do Caminho do Eterno, conforme dito em Tessalonissayah Beit (II Tessalonicenses) 2:7-12:

“Pois o mistério da ira contra a Torah já opera; somente há um que agora o detém até que seja posto fora; e então será revelado o inimigo da Torah, a quem o Senhor Yeshua matará como o sopro de sua boca e destruirá com a manifestação da sua vinda; a esse inimigo da Torah cuja vinda é segundo a eficácia de HaSatan com todo o poder e sinais e prodígios de mentira, e com todo o engano da injustiça para os que perecem, porque não receberam o amor da verdade para serem salvos.  E por isso Elohim lhes envia a operação do erro, para que creiam na mentira; para que sejam julgados todos os que não creram na verdade, antes tiveram prazer na injustiça.”

Vemos pessoas seguindo um falso messias, que opera segundo a eficácia de HaSatan, com poder, sinais e prodígios, levando muitos a negarem a Torah do Eterno e suas mitzvot.  E em Yirmiyahu (Jeremias) 3:14, YHWH diz: “Convertei-vos, ó filhos rebeldes, diz YHWH; pois eu vos desposei; e vos tomarei, a um de uma cidade, e a dois de uma família; e vos levarei a Tsiyon”.

Quantos de nós não temos em nossas famílias pessoas que estão na operação do erro, sendo enganados por HaSatan, convencidos que a Torah não é mais válida, que foi abolida pelo seu falso messias. Estas palavras podem parecer duras, mas são verdadeiras, e confirmadas pelo próprio Yeshua, em Matitiyahu (Mateus) 7:22-23:

“Muitos me dirão naquele dia: Senhor, Senhor, não profetizamos nós em teu nome? e em teu nome não expulsamos demônios? E em teu nome não fizemos muitos milagres? Então lhes direi claramente: Nunca vos conheci; apartai−vos de mim, vós que praticais a transgressão da Torah”.

E é quando nós enveredamos pelo Caminho da Teshuvá, que estas pessoas que estão sendo enganadas se levantam contra nós.  Nossos pais, irmãos, amigos, pessoas próximas, que começam a nos olhar diferente, começam a dizer que ficamos loucos, que nós estamos no erro, por querer guardar os mandamentos de Elohim. Vemos então o que Yeshua quis dizer. Quando começamos a seguir o verdadeiro Mashiach, recebemos então a espada de Elohim, que é a Sua Torah Viva, e então filho se levanta contra pai, filha contra mãe, nora contra sogra, e assim, e os da nossa própria casa se tornam nossos inimigos.

“The prophets dreamed of a new age in which human crookedness would be straightened out, rough places made plain. The foolish would be made wise, and the wise, humble.

They dreamed of a time when the deserts would flower, the mountains would run with wine, weeping would cease, and people could go to sleep without weapons on their laps.

People would work in peace and work to fruitful effect. Lambs could lie down with lions. All nature would be fruitful, benign, and filled with wonder upon wonder.

All humans would be knit together in brotherhood and sisterhood; and all nature and all humans would look to God, walk with God, lean toward God, and delight in God.

Shouts of joy and recognition would well up from valleys and seas, from women in streets and from men on ships. The webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight is what the Hebrew prophets call shalom.”

–Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin(Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995), 9-10.

This is a part of a larger papercut. I used golden leaves for the background, and 4 layers of paper.