I think in this sermon you will see my heart beat for a faith that makes a difference in the world and you will see why I am in politics.
Please comment on my post with your own faith and politics stories.
I'm particularly keen that those of you who are supporters of labour and also people of faith share your story. For many people of faith the Labour party values resonate deeply with their own values. For me the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus own life and ministry, his teaching about the kingdom of God all share a vision for better, fairer more just world which is at the heart of progressive politics. grace and peace Steve. #Labourfaith
Power, Politics and Peace
Hunger and thirst are the most basic drivers of
human activity. We will do almost
anything to satisfy our need to for food and water and when we are desperate
for satisfaction we will go to desperate lengths to have our needs meet.
Of course in theory that is true – yet for most of us we’ve never experienced real hunger
or thirst or had to go to desperate measures to have our basic need fulfilled.
So in our part of the world where we have access to
good clean water at the turn of a tap and all manner of ready to eat food
available 24 hours a day this metaphor breaks down.
We know that other people struggle to have their
basic needs meet and while we may feel some empathy and give a little money not
many of us strive with all our might to meet the needs of others.
Jesus said blessed are those that hunger and thirst for
righteousness: they shall be satisfied.
Let’s sit with that phrase for a moment.
Here is a promise of satisfaction and fulfilment
I think that what Jesus is saying is this,
Real meaning and
satisfaction in life comes from doing something that is worthwhile and
contributes to the needs of others. In
discovering within yourself a dissatisfaction, a holy discontent for the status
quo and a desire to see God’s kingdom established on earth as it in heaven is
the starting point to making a contribution and that will bring great
satisfaction.
I believe that as brothers and sisters of Jesus we
have the same desires as him to see our world made just and peaceful. However we feel hamstrung and powerless to
act because the problems seem too big for any of us to make a difference. So this morning I want to touch on Power,
Politics and Peace. As I believe that we
can make a difference in our world and that we should strive to do so.
Christians have a natural suspicion of politics for
a number of reasons.
1. We
have an eternal view of life which relativizes the kingdoms of this world
2. We’ve
seen many bad examples of Christians in politics
3. We’ve
retreated into the so-called spiritual arena and considered the political arena
as unspiritual.
I contend that unless we actually believe that this
world doesn’t matter at all that we have a moral obligation to get involved in
politics. For if our world is to become
a more just place and a more peaceful place then we need a political atmosphere
that has soul. We need a politics of
vision, justice, morality and courage. If the church doesn’t have its say and
wield its influence for the common good, then other philosophies and agendas
will prevail.
Politics is far more than voting at elections or
belonging to a party, it involves the way we act and the way we talk on a day
to day basis. It is about the decisions
we make for example; whether to invest in mighty river power, or use public
transport, to help out at school, to meet and welcome refugees, to buy certain
products and so on. Almost all of our
actions are political actions just as they are spiritual actions, moral actions
and values revealing actions.
Do we shy away from talking about political issues
whether it is economics or foreign policy, or immigration or child welfare? We have a contribution to make to these
discussions, let us do it.
Of course when we think politics we often think
political leaders. It is important that
we enter into the conversation about that type of political leaders we
want. Where the world is often content
with the 10 second sound bite, the charismatic and colourful, the good looking,
the witty – there are deeper and more important dimensions that we should speak
up about even if only to our friends and neighbours.
We want leaders with a strong sense of fairness,
justice and who value liberty and equality.
We want leaders who have a strong and credible
vision for a better world and a viable plan for getting us there.
A good leader will exhibit courage and will be
unafraid to tackle the hard issues;
·
Poverty
·
Environment
·
Energy
·
Peace and security
We want leaders who have a good moral constitution
who have consistent values and are driven by an internal energy and not by the
polls or by desire to be popular and liked, who do what is right because it is
right.
We want servant leaders who feel called to serve
everyone regardless of income or status.
We want leaders who are humble who have imaginations
and creativity, who are good with people, generous and hard-working.
Yes our expectation of leaders is very high that is
because we follow Jesus the Servant King who is the model for all leadership
and the measure by which we evaluate our political leaders.
Of course no leader is capable of emulating Jesus
perfectly, all leaders are fallible and that is why politics is far too
important to leave to the politicians. If we hunger and thirst for a just a
peaceful world we need to play our part.
We need to play our part because:
·
Even the best intended politician will
stray from the common good
·
Most politicians are ideologically
driven and all ideology is flawed and needs to be challenged and critiqued and
corrected from time to time.
·
Party politics involves a lot of
compromise it is the art of the possible and very pragmatically driven.
·
Many politicians have vested interest as
they enter into power and most develop vested interest once they are in power
including their strong interest in getting re-elected
·
The political process is powerfully
influenced by money and by corporate interests.
It cost a lot of money to run a campaign (not as bad in NZ as in US)
·
Many international corporations are
bigger than the NZ government and are very persuasive.
·
Entities like the IMF and World Bank
place constraints on governments’ fiscal policies and apply pressure to cut
taxes and cut government spending.
Politics is a complex business yet it shapes our
lives and influences the type of society we are and are becoming. Politics can help make the world a more
prosperous, peaceful and just world or it can make the world, harder, scarier
and less just for many while privileging the few. The shape of our society and the future of
our planet is far too important to leave to the political elite we must all
play our part.
Before touching on what it is we can do I want us to
consider another of the beatitudes, Blessed
are the peacemakers they shall be called children of God.
Politics and power has long been associated with war
and peace. The state whether it be a
fully fledged democracy such as the US or GB, or a dictatorship such as Iraq
under Sudam Hussein or a theocratic government such as Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini,
states of all types have used violence to exert power. Violence or the threat of violence on one’s
own citizens or one ones neighbours is a detestable part of our history.
It is also a part of our religious heritage. The Old Testament is replete with acts of
violence and war carried out in God’s name.
The Christian church has for most if its existence supported and
encouraged war. This is in spite of the
fact that Jesus teaches the way of peace and proposes non-violent ways of
dealing with conflict. The early church before Constantine and the
marriage of church and state was almost exclusively pacifist. Once the church got in bed with the state she
adopted the weapons of the state and adopted the stance of Holy War and Just
War.
The lesson:
We need to maintain a little bit of distance from the state in order to
maintain our prophetic edge and if we are to be peace makers we need to
consider very carefully what sort of compromises we are prepared to make.
I’ve been reading Antony Beevor’s History of World War 2. It is an excellent book, which details the
human story very well. It is incredible how much energy people will put into
war and how little they will put into peace.
History is full of the stories of gallant soldiers who suffered in the
extremes of battle to fight for king and country. Soldiers in WW2 endured, the extremes of
climate, terrible fear, disease, hunger, thirst, physical pain, mental
exhaustion, post-traumatic stress disorder, torture, humiliation and
debilitating injuries all in order to wage war and win at all costs. I wonder what the world would be like if we
could recruit an army of soldiers for peace, who sought non-violent solutions
to conflict and who were prepared to suffer and die even as soldiers of war are
prepared. I wonder what would have
happened in Iraq if a million peace soldiers showed up at the border and
marched on Bagdad carrying gifts instead of guns.
Jesus says we are to pray for our enemies and bless
those who persecute us. He says we are
to turn the other cheek, walk the extra mile and give the shirt off our back in
order to pursue peace.
War has often been justified by a need to protect
one’s own country and citizens. Yet war
is the least likely path to security.
Jesus teaches us that our security is found in the security of our
enemy. By blessing those who oppose us we turn an enemy into a friend or at
least we defuse their hostile intentions.
And it costs a lot less. One long
range American stealth bomber costs about $2.3 Billion.
The psalmist reminds us that justice and peace
belong together, that peace and righteousness kiss each other. The protestors
chant, no justice no peace is a
reflection of biblical truth and reminds us that the path to peace is by means
of justice done.
Peace, Power and Politics: do you hunger for a more peaceful world a
more just world, then don’t leave these important issues to the
politicians. We do have power to
make a difference.
Be
informed
I’ve hardly scratched
the surface over the last 3 weeks on the big issues that affect all of us. These issues need to be tackled at every
possible level.
The Local the national
and global. The political and the
spiritual. Take an interest, don’t
settle for the 10 second sound bites or the polls read things with a grain of
salt and be salt and light.
Affirm
critique:
Speak up tell your
friends and neighbours when you observe the good and the bad. Don’t just moan about the bad, tell someone
who cares. Don’t get caught up in the
negative but applaud the positive as well, Bouquets as well as brickbats
Contribute
a Christian presence
The political arena is
an important place for the gospel to be heard.
I’ve had lots of opportunities to share the faith that I have within me
in numerous political contexts. In
Parliament for example there are many MPs who have a church, or Sunday school
background. For many it’s their faith
that has brought them to parliament.
I’ve heard one for example talk of his call from God to enter politics.
There are many others. Some have overt faith, some keep it close to their hearts
and find it hard to talk about their faith because their experience has been
that this leads to criticism from the church and the charge of hypocrisy from
others.
Be
the change you want to see.
As Christian people and
Christian communities it so important that we model the change that we want to
see. It gives credibility to our
message.
Let’s be peacemakers
and live at peace with each other. We
have the prince of peace to aid us in this.
Let’s look at ways that
we can be a more economically just and eco-friendly community, sharing our resources
so each has enough to live well among us and so that we are passing on a sustainable
heritage to our children.
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