dear god

Dear God,

Are boys

better than

girls. I know

you are one

but try to

be fair.

Sylvia


Child's letter from
Children's Letters to God

kairos

"War, hunger, poverty and ecological degradation—when we pick up the newspaper and read the signs of the times, it is a perplexing and sobering experience. In this complex world, interpreting the present time without confusion or despair is an immense challenge. And, as people of faith, not only are we to see and judge, but to dare to act for justice—a task ever more urgent and yet ever more risky and demanding. If we are to discern wisely, speak boldly, and act decisively, where will we find our hope and strength? Who will be our companions?"

KAIROS Canada, with a nod to Katrina for pointing me this way.

genuine wealth

"Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of things . . . Gross National Product counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors, and jails for those who break them. It counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and the cost of a nuclear warhead . . .

"Yet the GNP does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate, or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile."

Senator Robert F. Kennedy, 1968

The David Suzuki Foundation, among others, offers a pragmatic and achievable economic and political definition of Genuine Wealth in Sustainability within a Generation: A New Vision for Canada.

we are not alone

Arthur Van Seters, Principal Emeritus, Knox College, Toronto, in his inspiring essay "Evangelical Faith and the Radical Compassion of Love for the World" from the PCC Social Action Handbook, writes:

"Such stories [Jesus' parables] are sometimes introduced with the phrase “the Kingdom of heaven (or God) is like…” which signals a new order where God’s reign is everywhere evident. The parables, in other words, picture another way of being where the rejected and the unworthy are included, where evil systems are undermined and where generosity reaches beyond merit to grace.

How might the agenda for the church reflect this new order? Back in 1997 the World Alliance of Reformed Churches met in General Council in Debrecen, Hungary. It published a far-reaching Declaration which begins with a theological affirmation:

“We belong – body and soul, in life and death –not to ourselves but to our faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.”

This is followed by a confession of moral failure and complicity in adding to the world’s burdens and allows for a movement to claim new life that relies on the promises of God to break the chains of injustice.

Finally the statement moves to a litany that links the phrase “we are not alone” with a set of affirmations.

We are not alone - we will be stewards of creation.
We are not alone - no human ideology or agenda holds the secret of history.
We are not alone - we are in solidarity with the poor.
We are not alone - human beings are not commodities.
We are not alone - we are called to build a new community with a simple lifestyle.
We are not alone - we do not despair for God reigns.
We are not alone - with all God’s people we welcome and proclaim God’s glory."