Unity and Justice

Worship -- Paths of justice
     Today's worship used one of the most common biblical images: food.  God opens his hands and fills all living creatures with nourishment.  God feeds the church at the Eucharist.  Feeding the hungry is a fundamental call of the Christian life.
      In today's prayer the Scripture lesson was taken from 1 Kings 21:1-22.  It is a story of struggle for justice.  Justice for those who are dispossed of their lands, dispossed of their rights, dispossed of their means of sustenance.

       The prayer of confession and repentance was very forceful:
--when we ignore the beauty of creation;
--when trees are torn down and forests become deserts;
--when bees die and mango trees no longer have fruit;
--when we mine the land for its gold and oil yet millions have no food;
--when we know what we should do yet walk the other way
         how terrible for us.

God of creation,

hear the confession of our hearts.

Send your Spirit to renew the whole creation 

as we proclaim the everlasting love of your Son. 

Amen.

The refrain of the closing hymn went like this:

Until all are fed! We cry out; until all on earth have bread. Like the One who loves us each and every one; we serve until all are fed.

Bible study: Struggles for justice in an ambiguous world
     

        At first glance the text chosen was very difficult to get into.  We had a lot of good discussion but often times no consensus on how to interpret the text.The characters in the story include Jezebel, a princess from Phoenicia who is brought to the northern kingdom of Israel to marry King Ahab Jexebel's deity was Baal while the king's was Yahweh (but he later converts to his wife's).  When the king wanted the vineyard of Naboth and is refused, Jezebel goes into action hatching a plot to kill Naboth. Her reasoning was that the King could do whatever he wanted since he was king.

Small group discussions during the Bible study

The reason why Naboth will not give the land is because it is the inheritance given by Yahweh to his ancestors.  To make a long story short, Jazebel had Naboth accused of blasphemy and stoned, The prophet Elizah is sent by Yahweh to deal with Ahab by cursing him because he caused the wrath of God and caused Israel to sin.

      In the context of today's work in the Assembly on justice, questions concerning the inheritances and rights of people were posed.

Plenary session:  God of life, lead us to do justice in today's world

Madang setting for the justice plenary

        The theme of the plenary looked at the injustice that prevails in the world and the Christian imperative for justice.  In light of the this the plenary focused on social injustice, namely discrimination, gender injustice marginalized communities, and economic and ecological questions.  This was done in the Madang style of conversation with the intervention of several people.

        Speaking on economic injustice and the dispossession of people's ancestral lands was Mr. Martin Khor. 

         In a very passionate presentation on the injustice in witholding vital medicines from those in poorer countries especially in light of HIV Aids was Rev. Phumzile Mabizela.  The cost of such medication is so prohibative that poor people cannot afford the medication and eventually end up dying.  She also emphasized that their is no reason for children to be born HIV positive.  However, unless people can obtain the expensive medication in Africa there is still a large percentage of children being born HIV positive.

        The other participants spoke about the necessity for  theological reflection on this issues as they relate not only to justice but also to the unity of the church.  The churches need to recoginzie the moral imperative of confronting justice as an integral part of "costly discipleship".  Here is where the churches can make a difference by working together in the public arena for the cause of justice.  By doing so together they also make an important statement about unity.

With Walker-Smith is Julia Duchrow, Bishop Iosif of Patrara, Mabziela and Martin Khor

The afternoon was pretty much business with the election of the Central committee and the hearing of the reports and statements that need to be received.

        The session began with a choir of young children who sang about protecting each other's rights.

        The Assembly elected a 150-member Central Committee, which serves as the main decision-making body of the Council between assemblies.

         The new 150-person Central Committee counts women: 39%, men: 61%, youth: 13%, indigenous persons: 5%, persons with disabilities: 2%, ordained: 68%, and 32% of the members of the committee are lay persons. The nominations committee worked with a pool of names put forward by the WCC's 345 member churches. A 25-person executive committee, a moderator and two vice-moderators will be elected by the Central Committee later this week.  You can see the list by cliking on the link
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/about-us/organizational-structure/central-committee/NC032FINALMembersoftheCentralCommitteeasElectedbythe10thAssembly.pdf


SEDOS

    Since today 's theme dealt with justice, I want to share with you news on an organization of religious communities who all have as their apostolate mission

Peace and all good.

Unity -- the heart of the ecumenical movement

The Heart of the Matter: Unity

Worship:  Fire and wind – ways toward unity

The symbol used today was the icon of Pentecost. In the Eastern tradition icons are written by the artist who had entered into a spiritual retreat in order to open eyes onto the heavenly reality.  We never say an icon is beautiful but rather it is true.  This means that those who use the icon for their spiritual enrichment find in its beauty,  divine truth.

“Suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind. (...)

Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.”  

        The One Spirit creates a unity manifested as a koinonia of spiritual diversities. Even though St. Luke and St. Paul were not physically present on the day of Pentecost, the portrayal of their presence with the Apostles in an open circle demonstrates that the unity God seeks through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is an open process with eschatological significance. The king at the bottom of the icon represents the cosmos, which speaks to the fact that the descent of the Holy Spirit is constantly implementing God’s will for the unity and restoration of the whole of creation.

Both fire and wind remind us how important it is to develop a discerning Christian witness, and to develop it together - in the perspective of the eschatological hope we all share as Christians.

The prayer concluded with these words:

Triune One who makes us one

make our unity visible 

and bring healing to the world.

Amen.

Bible study: Being and Becoming Church

The Bible study explored several dimensions of the Pentecost event.   First of these was the element of staying together.  Luke mentioned that “they were all together in one place”.  The disciples had experienced several traumatic events: betrayal by one of their, death of their master, news of the empty tomb, and after Jesus’ ascension the disarray of what they were to do now.  Their response, their choice was to stay together and to pray. They gathered there as a bewildered community, not with the expectation of being endowed with mystical or supernatural powers but to celebrate together their hope in God amidst fears, anxieties and uncertainties.

The Pentecost event was the reversal of the Babel curse (Gen. 11:1-9) where humans lost the possibility of communication and reciprocal comprehension due to diverse languages.  Because they became a Spirit-filled community, the possibility of mutual understanding was restored.  All now spoke one language, the Gospel, and each heard and understood the message in his or her own language.




With fear conquered, the disciples became the instruments of the Holy Spirit. They not only went out with great zeal to proclaim the wonders of God done in Jesus Christ but they ‘gathered in’, forming a community with the purpose of welcoming diversity.  The church was not so much a closed and self-sufficient institution as it was a new creation (2 Cor 5:17).  What sustains unity is a common vision of the Spirit-led community.

The Bible study invited the participants of the Assembly to take the next step and relate it to the church today by asking what would it be like to be gathered again in one place and what would make the church today an authentic ‘Pentecost-church’? How can we understand the Pentecost event from a unity perspective that can bring new insight, dynamism, and power to the ecumenical movement? The role of the Spirit is unity in diversity, as well as the relationship of Pentecost to justice and peace, are interesting to explore in today’s changing landscapes.

The Bible study had time to discuss and share everyone's insights in small groups.





The Unity plenary

This plenary was a little different than the previous ones.  It was presented in a prayerful atmosphere beginning with a reflection on the icon of the Trinity and concluding with a form of the Taizé prayer for unity.
Mary Tanner led the plenary whose purpose was to present the Unity Statement of the WCC.  The Statement contains a line very close to the opening of the Vatican II document, Lumen gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church: “Unity of the Church, the unity of the human community and the unity of the whole creation belong together”.  She added that “Our unity is not of our own making” since it is grounded in the communion of love that flows through the Holy Trinity.

          Metropolitan Nifon of Targoviste, Romanian Orthodox Church described the situation within the WCC where some of the constituencies speak out against the ecumenical movement for fear of losing their traditions.  Encouragement in the face of fear needs to be taken from the very life of the Trinity itself in whose image the Church is created.  He made an appeal not to forget the two Orthodox bishops who have been abducted in Syria and for whom we have no news.

Rev. Dr Neville Callam, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, offered reflections on the “Journey of fellowship: hopes and challenges on the way”.  He especially lifted up the work of the Faith and Order Commission, especially on the recently released document One Baptism: Toward Mutual Recognition and The Church: Towards a Common Vision.  In spite the progress made on the ecclesiological front other obstacles to unity include conflicts on moral issues, weak promotion of unity among young adults and racism, including that within the church.

Rev. Neville Callam

Alice Fabian, the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa who served as a member of the unity statement drafting group, and Bishop Mark MacDonald shared reflections on the “Journey of fellowship: God’s gift and calling”. The plenary closed with an invitation to recommit to the search for unity in faith.

To conclude the plenary, Tanner asked the participants to write their own prayers for unity that were collected during the plenary and formed part of the closing mid-day prayer led by two brothers from Taizé with young people from different parts of the world.

Ecumenical conversations

Today was the last of the sessions on the conversations so everyone was busy preparing the statements that would be brought to the Assembly.  The conversation that I followed was on the Church.  The task was to formulate affirmations of the text and challenges that are presented by the text.  Finally recommendations were offered to the WCC for action in the next seven years.
This text on the Church was very positively received in our group.  The greatest difficulty forseen is how this text can speak to the new ‘non-denominational. Churches that are being formed and are growing rapidly especially in what is called the ‘global south’ (although this includes Asia as well).  All of this material now goes to the floor for the consensus process and then to the program committee who hands it over to the new Central committee for action during the next seven years.

Catholic evening prayer
         This very long day came to a beautiful close with a form of evening praise offered by the Catholics present at the Assembly.

         Members of the Vatican delegation and elements from the local Catholic church took part in the modified vespers.  Many cultural elements were included in the sing of evening song.

          As in traditional Korean prayer the assembly was called to prayer by the ring of the gong.

As a meditation following the reading, traditional dancers interpreted the piece of scripture.

The prayers were presided over by Archbishop Kim and Bishop Farrell with Sr, Cecilia as leader.

During the singing of the Magnificat, traditional dance prayerfully and graciously brought to life the words of this hymn of praise of Mary.

A small musical ensemble accompanied the singing and the psalm was sung to the music of a harp.

As the prayer began with the gong so it concluded to send the worshippers to a peaceful evening rest.

Group of traditional dancers together with the Bishops

Pilgrimage of peace

     I want to share with you some brief reflections from Fra. Roberto Giraldo, ofm who went to the DMZ on a prilgrimage of peace and unity.

Peace and all good.

Down to Business at the WCC Assembly

New Presidents elected
   After the weekend of rest, the General Assembly picks up the pace.   The first elections took place in the business session this afternoon.  These will be ex officio members of the Central Committee.

The eight new WCC Presidents are:

Africa:  Rev. Dr Mary Anne Plaatjies van Huffel, Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa
Asia: Rev. Prof. Dr Sang Chan, Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea
Europe: Archbishop Anders Wejryd, Church of Sweden
Latin America and Caribbean:  Rev. Gloria Nohemy Ulloa Alvarado, Presbyterian Church in Colombia
North America: Bishop Mark MacDonald, Anglican Church of Canada
Pacific: Rev. Dr Mele’ana Puloka, Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga
Eastern Orthodox:  H.B. John X Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East
Oriental Orthodox: H.H. Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians

Water the source of life -- it purifies and liberates

     Today's worship used the symbol of water to re-link us to our baptism.  In baptism the water symbol has two valences:  it is a sign of life but also that of destruction.  The Christian is born "of water and the Spirit" (John 3:5). However, we know the consequences of water unleashed: floods, tsunami, polution -- all elements of destruction and death.

     Today millions of people die because of the lack of safe drinking water, yet multinationals like Coca-cola or Nestlé buy up the water rights in the same countries were people do not have access to their own water. They profit from selling water while the legitimate owners of the water die.

 Religious leaders from Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist faiths poured water into a common vessel.  In almost all religions and their sacred texts, water is a symbol of cleansing, justice, peace, and it is therefore profoundly relevant to the Assembly theme: God of life, lead us to justice and peace.

      The Scripture reading for the worship and Bible study came from Acts 8:27-39, the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. Not only did we consider the question of baptism but also that of mission since Philip was proclaiming and explaining the Word of God.  This led the eunuch to seek baptism.

We praise you God, for this font, for you breathe into the water to wash away sin and birth us anew into you peace and joy. We praise you, O God for water!

O God, you are the Ocean, the source of all life. 

  O God, you are the River, saving us from death. 

  O God, you are the Stream, restoring our community's strength. We praise you O God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, today, tomorrow, forever. Amen and Amen!

     The theme of water was then further developed in the Bible study as we made the transition from worship to the plenary on mission.

Mission: a call to life-giving witness

     You will remember that the plenary sessions serve to develop one of the major sub-themes of the Assembly.  Today it was mission.  The Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) presented its work on a Practical Guide that accompanies the WCC's updated statement on mission approved by the Central Committee in Greece in 2012 under the title Together towards Life:  Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes.  

     Three presentations were made whose purpose was to focus attention on the new contexts within which mission and evangelism now take place.

     Fr. Stephen Bevans, a Divine Word missionary, painted a picture of the contexts of mission today.  In his dynamic presentation he underscored the role of the Spirit in mission and the implications it has for mission work in different contexts.

Rev. Cecilia Castillo Nanjarí, a Penecostal Pastor from Chile, spoke on "New Ways of doing Evangelism" in the contemporary context of the world.  She emphasized the fact that the churches are responsible for paying little or no attention to the major problems of women and indigenous populations at risk. She addressed new concrete ways of witnessing to the Gospel of Life in secular, post-modern contexts.

Bishop Dr. Geevarghese Mor Corillos, who is moderator of the CWME, speaking on the concepts of mission, including “mission from the margins”, derived from the new affirmations of the mission statement.  In his presentation he made mention of the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis who has set an example by calling for a church of the poor who minister to the poor.  This is the great challenge today for any kind of missionary work. He presented four points that he felt are essential for revitalizing mission today.  First it must be Trinitarian orientated, namely reflecting the inter-relationships of the Divine Trinity of love and respect for all of creation.  Secondo, it must be Spirit inspired and Spirit driven that will compel all toward the God of Creation.  Third it must be respectful of the contexts of the people and finally it must be mission to the margins.  Only in this way will missionary activities bear lasting fruit.

Baptism document: front and center!

One of the Madang Worshops today was the presentation of the recently published Faith and Order Commission text One Baptism:  Towards Mutual Recognition.

Following the BEM report of 1982, the Faith and Order Commission continued the study on baptism. When the Churches responded to BEM a number of questions came to the surface.  One question in particukar was concerning the mutual recognition of baptism and what this means practically for the churches.  The text picks up where BEM left off. One of the rich results from this 10 year study was the fact that the churches talk about baptism as part of a wider process of conversion which is life long. Questions about the mutual recognition of baptism and ecclesial recognition are considered in this text as well as the consequences of putting mutual recognition fully into practice.  A lively discussion  pursued after brief introductory remarks by some of the people who worked on the text or have been involved in Faith and Order projects.

Ecumenical conversations

The conversations continued.  I have been following the ecclesiological statement conversation.

We continued exploring the implications of this statement.  This time with input from two women: one from China and the other from Latin America.  Their perspectives were based on how their churches might receive this text.  One was a pastor in a Pentecostal church and the other in a "post-denominational" church. Difficulty was expressed in having access to some of the language of the text since it was not the type of vocabulary that their churches were used to. However, they found the text beneficial in allowing them to pose questions to their own churches. Both spoke about the new realities of non-denominational or new charismatic churches that are being born and the issues that these will pose to the understanding and discussion of the text.

Ms Cecelia Castillo Nanjari and Rev. Manhong Lin

Always new discoveries in Korean cuisine

    The Catholic delegation has been eating in one of the restaurants in the convention center.  Its name is Party & Play.  Almost every night there is something new or curious to be discovered and tried.  Tonight it was a new fruit that we discovered.  It is soft and sweet on the inside.  I understand it grows pretty much in the Philippines.  

Here is what it looks like:

Mangosteen fruit

Here is the reaction to a first encounter:

So from me to you:

Peace and all good!