Nelson Mandela had one over-riding value in his life: equality. One value: Equality. In studying about Mandela I learned that even more than non-violence he valued equality, so there came a time when the African National Congress used violence in their freedom movement.
There were folks in their movement that advocated for the non-violent ways of Gandhi, but others won out, and disappointingly, eventually they went to armed combat as one means to their end. However, once they got their freedom, and a democratic form of government, and legally protected equality for all - Mandela was clear that it was his role as a leader to LEAD his country into a new day for everyone, and that day included peace, respect, and EQUALITY for everyone.
In worship at The Village we watched a scene from the movie Invictus. Once Mandela is elected President, his small personal staff of bodyguards know they need a larger contingent to protect their new president. They ask for more bodyguards. But when they get what they ask for, they are faced with a huge challenge.
Rather than fellow members of the struggle, fellow Africans, they instead face Whites. Worse still, while these new members are highly trained, having guarded the prior president, they are also their oppressors. The members of the Special Branch used to arrest, torture and even kill their comrades. Now, members of that group are going to join their group. The oppressors who were against them, are now to be trusted and risk their lives to protect a man they put in jail.
The leader of the existing team is furious. He runs to the president asking for an explanation. Mandela responds simply, eloquently, but firmly: “Reconciliation starts here. Forgiveness starts here. Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon. The Rainbow Nation begins here!”. If watch the clip, you will see it's going to take some time for this work of reconciliation to take place in South Africa.
Mandela's understanding of equality is rooted in the African concept of ubuntu, which is the "profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will in equal measure be due to the work and accomplishment of others" (Mandela's Way, page ix). We are connected to one another in the human family. The Bumper sticker version is simply: "No one is free until everyone is free."
We have passed through a period in American History, at least we hope we are passing through and not settling into it,: radical individualism; an utter focus on the SELF, as I put it “I got mine, you’ve got to get yours”. This is a foreign concept in the Bible, it's unknown to God; Jesus is not wired this way. Followers of Jesus don't act this way - it's what makes us revolutionary.
And here is where our value comes from. We value the connectedness of people. We are all in this together. We are a village - where we take care of one another. There are NO dividing walls. We are all beloved children of God. We are all living in one home, reconciled in Jesus.
In the scripture we read today, a letter from Paul to the new church, like The Village in the village of Ephesus (from Epshesians 2: 14-22, the Message Translation for those following along at home):
He [Jesus] tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance. . . .Instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion, he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody. . . . You're no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. . . . Now God's using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day-a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.
We said it happening here every week at The Village. We all come here to get a fresh start every week. We see it here, at an old bar, in a neighborhood that refuses to give into a type of despair and decay, here at the corner of Monroe & Central.
When we follow Jesus, we WILL change the world, because we will live as people with NO DIVIDING WALLS. This is not something to be taken lightly, folks. This is serious. We are not playing church here, we are being the church.
If you watch the clip from Invictus, you will see it on the faces of Mandela's bodyguards. You will see the commitment on Mandela's face. There was NO QUESTION. He understood that everyone was of value to God. He had 27 years in prison to deepen his resolve to that principle, at the hands of some of the people he then welcomed into his inner circle or protectors and even advisors later.
You see. . . here is the deal: When WE receive this GIFT - for ourselves. . .this wonderful message that God made us and God loves us. Then the logical next step is to recognize that God made that person sitting next to us and the person across the street and around the world. And God loves that person. Yes, even that person or people who annoy the BLEEP out of us.
Now, sure, God wants all of us to change some of our actions. But God loves each one of us, because God made us. We are all God's people and so we are connected to God in one family. We are equal in God's eyes. THERE ARE NO WALLS. Human walls are artificial. They are ALL artificial.
There are no walls. And once the walls of apartheid in South Africa were dismantled Mandela said to his people: "Alright then we are going to take this seriously and live as if the wall is really GONE." Forgiveness starts here today.
So, my friends, what would it look like for us to live, as followers of Jesus, as if the dividing walls were ALL GONE? Who do you have a wall built up against? What group of people? What kind of people? Can you imagine that God loves that person? It’s easy to think about them needing to change, but this is ABOUT US! This is about our hearts changing, now praying to have them change their hearts. To see the belovedness of all, not just those who are like us, agree with us, would pray good things for us.
We shared a sign of reconciliation and peace with each other as we got ready to share communion today. But, as we did so, each of us tried to picture the others in the room as those others in our life, that we want walled off. And we imagined starting to tear down those walls. But this will not be an easy journey. Not for any of us.
If you’re ready to be a part of a community that is tearing down these artificial wall, and living the ideal that we are all in this together, join us. We start again each Sunday at 10:30 on this journey, and we’re all this together.
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