THOUGHT FOR THE DAY ON RADIO OBAN FM
10 minute Service for Sunday 9th September 2012 Racial Justice Sunday
Murdoch MacKenzie
Good morning Breege and good morning to all our listeners. My name is Murdoch MacKenzie and I live in Connel. Today is Racial Justice Sunday when churches across the UK have racial justice as the theme of their worship. Recently my wife and I were travelling on a train in South India where we met a family from Orissa. We had a long conversation about everything under the sun which ended with a young woman in the family saying: ‘There’s only one thing that matters. We are all human beings.’ And that young woman was right.
Jesus knew all about this and when asked by a lawyer the question: ‘Who is my neighbour?’ he replied with the Parable of the Good Samaritan, knowing full well that the Jews, of whom he was one, would have nothing to do with Samaritans. Let’s listen to the parable now in Luke 10:25-37 (NRSV).
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied,“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’
Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”Now the one who showed mercy on him was a Samaritan and the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. Were Jesus in Israel today it would have been the Good Palestinian or if he were in the UK.........? Well, who do you think it would have been about ? The good immigrant, perhaps, or asylum seeker, or the good traveller, the good gypsy? In Romans 13:8 -10 St Paul says: ' Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for whoever loves their neighbour has fulfilled the law......the commandments are summed up in this sentence 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilling of the law'. In Luke 13:29-30 we hear Jesus saying: ‘People will come from east and west and from north and south and sit at table in the kingdom of God. And behold some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.’
In my pocket together with my credit card, my card for the Co-op and my Donor Card, I carry a racist incidents card, which underlines the commitment of the Police to Victims of Racist Incidents. If we are going to fulfil the law by loving our neighbours as ourselves then we need to do something about it, otherwise what point is there in coming to church and hearing the words of the Bible and allowing the seed to fall on stony ground. One of the most important books of recent years is that by the Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks called ‘The Dignity of Difference’. In it he has a special section on the problem of the stranger in which he points out that only in one place does the Hebrew Bible give the command: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’ but in no fewer than 36 places we are commanded to ‘love the stranger’.
Also the Bible returns Time and again to this theme: In Exodus 23 verse 9 we read: ‘You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of the stranger – you yourselves were strangers in the land of Egypt.’ And in Leviticus 19:33-34: ‘When a stranger lives with you in your land, do not ill-treat him. The stranger who lives with you shall be treated like the native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’
Racial Justice Sunday reminds us that Jesus broke down all barriers of ethnicity, class, gender, power and wealth, and also reminds us that we are one race, the human race, and that many Scots have left our shores as refugees to seek fame and fortune in every corner of the globe. and to remind us that when we meet asylum seekers and strangers on the streets of Glasgow, Oban or Connel – that we ourselves were strangers in the land of Egypt. So let us pray:
We pray today for those who have been forced to leave their homes and
families because of persecution and discrimination and those affected by war or political violence. May we always be ready to welcome the stranger in our midst, to offer them compassionate support at what is a very difficult time of their lives.
Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer
We pray, with gratitude, for the many gifts refugees bring to this country and ask You to help us to be more tolerant and understanding of different cultures and customs so that all may feel able to use their gifts, achieve their potential and feel part of our family.
And the World Peace Prayer first used publicly by Mother Teresa in London in 1981:
Lead me from death to life,
from falsehood to truth;
lead me from despair to hope,
from fear to trust;
lead me from hate to love,
from war to peace.
Let peace fill our heart,
our world, our universe. Amen.
Now we sing a hymn of St Francis of Assissi ‘Make me a channel of your peace’.
And now a Celtic blessing
10 minute Service for Sunday 9th September 2012 Racial Justice Sunday
Murdoch MacKenzie
Good morning Breege and good morning to all our listeners. My name is Murdoch MacKenzie and I live in Connel. Today is Racial Justice Sunday when churches across the UK have racial justice as the theme of their worship. Recently my wife and I were travelling on a train in South India where we met a family from Orissa. We had a long conversation about everything under the sun which ended with a young woman in the family saying: ‘There’s only one thing that matters. We are all human beings.’ And that young woman was right.
Jesus knew all about this and when asked by a lawyer the question: ‘Who is my neighbour?’ he replied with the Parable of the Good Samaritan, knowing full well that the Jews, of whom he was one, would have nothing to do with Samaritans. Let’s listen to the parable now in Luke 10:25-37 (NRSV).
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied,“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’
Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”Now the one who showed mercy on him was a Samaritan and the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. Were Jesus in Israel today it would have been the Good Palestinian or if he were in the UK.........? Well, who do you think it would have been about ? The good immigrant, perhaps, or asylum seeker, or the good traveller, the good gypsy? In Romans 13:8 -10 St Paul says: ' Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for whoever loves their neighbour has fulfilled the law......the commandments are summed up in this sentence 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilling of the law'. In Luke 13:29-30 we hear Jesus saying: ‘People will come from east and west and from north and south and sit at table in the kingdom of God. And behold some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.’
In my pocket together with my credit card, my card for the Co-op and my Donor Card, I carry a racist incidents card, which underlines the commitment of the Police to Victims of Racist Incidents. If we are going to fulfil the law by loving our neighbours as ourselves then we need to do something about it, otherwise what point is there in coming to church and hearing the words of the Bible and allowing the seed to fall on stony ground. One of the most important books of recent years is that by the Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks called ‘The Dignity of Difference’. In it he has a special section on the problem of the stranger in which he points out that only in one place does the Hebrew Bible give the command: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’ but in no fewer than 36 places we are commanded to ‘love the stranger’.
Also the Bible returns Time and again to this theme: In Exodus 23 verse 9 we read: ‘You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of the stranger – you yourselves were strangers in the land of Egypt.’ And in Leviticus 19:33-34: ‘When a stranger lives with you in your land, do not ill-treat him. The stranger who lives with you shall be treated like the native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’
Racial Justice Sunday reminds us that Jesus broke down all barriers of ethnicity, class, gender, power and wealth, and also reminds us that we are one race, the human race, and that many Scots have left our shores as refugees to seek fame and fortune in every corner of the globe. and to remind us that when we meet asylum seekers and strangers on the streets of Glasgow, Oban or Connel – that we ourselves were strangers in the land of Egypt. So let us pray:
We pray today for those who have been forced to leave their homes and
families because of persecution and discrimination and those affected by war or political violence. May we always be ready to welcome the stranger in our midst, to offer them compassionate support at what is a very difficult time of their lives.
Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer
We pray, with gratitude, for the many gifts refugees bring to this country and ask You to help us to be more tolerant and understanding of different cultures and customs so that all may feel able to use their gifts, achieve their potential and feel part of our family.
And the World Peace Prayer first used publicly by Mother Teresa in London in 1981:
Lead me from death to life,
from falsehood to truth;
lead me from despair to hope,
from fear to trust;
lead me from hate to love,
from war to peace.
Let peace fill our heart,
our world, our universe. Amen.
Now we sing a hymn of St Francis of Assissi ‘Make me a channel of your peace’.
And now a Celtic blessing
Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the Son of peace to you. Amen
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the Son of peace to you. Amen
