Happenings 4 June 2020

Like it or not, America is a global influencer and the things that happen there are often felt in other parts of the world also. America is deeply hurting at the moment. Michelle Goldberg of The New York Times recently noted that America has revisited some of the most traumatic experiences of the past century all in the space of five short months—from the Spanish flu in 1918 to the economic crash of 1929 to race-related killings and urban unrest in 1968 to impeachment in 1974. It has been torrid stuff, and we have been made more aware of the often hidden fabric of human society and culture as it has been publicly disrupted and violently ripped. There is another name for this fabric … it is called ‘community’. Community encompasses all the ways that people interact together, including solidarity (or not) under pressure, issues of value and respect, systems and structures of power, the way leadership functions (or doesn’t), the use and misuse of resources, and the double-edged sword of personal freedoms and responsibilities. The fabric seems vast, but in reality it is made up many very small threads. George Floyd, and the nexus of community around him was one such thread, and the results of its fraying affected the whole. Of course, in many ways, his death was the proverbial ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ and there was a vast build-up of pressure that was unleashed at his killing. But it is a reminder to us all of the power of the single thread. Community is the sum of the parts, and the way we each treat others powerfully influences the whole fabric. Our values are not to be chosen at random, but are to be sourced from the very nature and character of God himself. And so … to quote from the Master … let us remember this week both to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, and souls and minds and strength, and to love those around us as we love ourselves. And pray for the bruised and battered nations of this world.

In Him,
Murray