Showing posts with label Mark 5v21-43. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mark 5v21-43. Show all posts

Saturday, 29 June 2024

Pentecost 6 2024, Mark 5v21-43, 五旬節 6 2024 年,馬可福音 5v21-43,Pentecostés 6 2024, Marcos 5:21-43


May the eyes of the blind be opened

The poor hear good news

Those in prison be released

And Gods justice be seen in our lives. 


Song  “I danced in the morning” https://youtu.be/doIvE2JyEek?feature=shared


Reading Mark 5v21-43,

Reflection

The magpies near my garden can often be heard collectively complaining about my cat, sometime joined by the robins. When a magpie dies, the magpies that live in that area, come together, check it is dead and then engage in a long mourning process standing around the body.  It is a well reported phenomenon. Magpies have empathy, collective empathy and they mourn their dead.

So we humans are not the only ones to have empathy for our loved ones and our fellow species. Jesus uses his empathy always, to demonstrate Gods concern for us and it is often the pivot of his interaction with people in the gospels.

In the gospel reading in Mark we hear that Jesus has been begged by a religious leader to go and heal his little girl who is very ill and he goes off to do just that. The man was a male, a leader in the synagogue, head of his family, therefore socially acceptable and talks to Jesus as an equal, but also worships him.  But on the way to the mans home, Jesus is touched by a woman who has been haemorrhaging for 12 years. She is a woman, she is unclean, poor and an outcast, anonymous. She has been exploited by private health care. She touched Jesus, breaking the purity code. He feels the energy goes out of him, something I’ve only come across very rarely: the woman is healed. He continues on his way to Jairus home. The mourners, outside the religious leader’s house, laughed when Jesus said the girl was just sleeping. Their disbelief wasn’t helpful.  Jesus put them out of the house and heals her.

The pivot for all Jesus actions was compassion. Compassion for those who were in need, emotionally (demoniacs), physically (healing miracles and feeding of 5000) and spiritually (the rich young man).  But he was opposed by many religious people.

Thousands of Palestinian and Ukrainian children have been separated from their parents. Many are now orphans. In these strange and disturbing times what would Jesus have us do

Song “O Lord all the world belongs to you” https://youtu.be/jJMaNZ84xsw?feature=shared


May the God of peace inspire us

The God of Justice give us strength

The God of Hope encourage us

To be the Good News. Amen


願盲人的眼睛能被打開

窮人聽到好消息

那些在監獄裡的人都被釋放

神的公義在我們的生活中可見。

歌曲「我早上跳舞」 https://youtu.be/doIvE2JyEek?feature=shared

讀馬可福音 5v21-43

反射

經常可以聽到我花園附近的喜鵲集體抱怨我的貓,有時知更鳥也加入其中。當喜鵲死亡時,居住在該地區的喜鵲會聚集在一起,檢它是否已經死亡,然後站在屍體周圍進行長時間的哀悼。 這是一個有據可的現象。喜鵲有同理心,集體同理心,它們哀悼死去的人。

因此,我們人類並不是唯一對我們所愛的人和我們的同胞有同情心的人。耶穌總是用的同理心來表達神對我們的關心,這往往是在福音書中與人互動的關鍵。

在馬可福音的讀經中,我們聽到一位宗教領袖懇求耶穌去醫治他病得很重的小女兒,他就去做了。該男子是一名男性,是會堂的領袖,一家之主,因此受到社會的認可,以平等的身份與耶穌交談,但也崇拜他。 但在去那個人家的路上,耶穌被一個已經流血12年的女人觸動了。她是個女人,她不潔、貧窮、被遺棄、無名。她受到私人醫療保健的剝削。她觸碰了耶穌,違反了純潔守則。他感覺自己的能量消失了,這是我很少遇到的情況:那個女人被治癒了。他繼續前往睚魯家。當耶穌女孩剛剛睡著時,宗教領袖屋外的哀悼者都笑了。他們的懷疑沒有幫助。 耶穌把他們趕出家門並治癒了她。

耶穌所有行動的核心都是同情心。同情那些在情感上(惡魔)、身體上(治癒奇蹟並餵飽 5000 人)和精神上(富有的年輕人)上有需要的人。 但他遭到了許多宗教人士的反對。

數千名巴勒斯坦和烏克蘭兒童與父母失散。許多人現在已成為孤兒。在這個奇怪而令人不安的時代,耶穌會讓我們做什麼?

什麼是法西斯主義?

20世紀初,法西斯主義在歐洲興起。法西斯主義者不像社會主義者那樣關注階級衝突,而是關注種族和國家、民族和公民的純潔性。法西斯主義者談論民族復興。壓迫性的政策帶來了民族的重生。

 

首先是那些支持教會僅由純白人組成的想法的人,ein Volk,一個民族。其次,有人抗議法西斯主義,認為這是反基督教、反猶太主義、歧視猶太人的立場。猶太人與吉卜賽人、同性戀、黑人一起被殺害——為了淨化國家,超過 700 萬人被處以毒氣。

今天我們也面臨同樣的情況。

穆斯林、移民和尋求庇護者與犯罪分子聯繫在一起,透過媒體的頭版頭條大標題和媒體八卦的敘事/故事,人們可以直觀地看到穆斯林、移民和尋求庇護者。

所以你有一個誹謗的敘述。他們比我們這些人低。因此,我們並沒有平等地對待他們。我們可以毫無同情心地對待他們,甚至是嬰兒和兒童。律法高於恩典。耶穌來是要廢除律法,並以恩典、愛和憐憫取代。 「你要盡心、盡意,愛主你的神,又要愛人如己」(可 12v28-34

耶穌要我們做什麼?

我認為耶穌希望我們建造橋樑,而不是製造障礙、建造圍牆或拘留中心。我想他會希望我們幫助那些有需要的人。

所以朋友們,要明智一些,因為現在是困難時期,有強烈刺耳的聲音,人們再次舉手行納粹禮,談論奪回我們的國家,並告訴人們他們不受歡迎。我們就像喜鵲一樣可以選擇同理心或冷漠。問問自己耶穌希望我們做什麼?

歌曲《主啊,全世界都屬於祢》

https://youtu.be/jJMaNZ84xsw?feature=shared

願和平之神激勵我們

正義之神賜給我們力量

希望之神鼓勵我們

成為好消息。阿門

 

Que se abran los ojos de los ciegos

Los pobres escuchan buenas noticias.

Los que están en prisión sean liberados.

Y la justicia de Dios se vea en nuestras vidas.

Canción “Bailé por la mañana” https://youtu.be/doIvE2JyEek?feature=shared

Lectura de Marcos 5:21-43,

Reflexión

A menudo se puede escuchar a las urracas cerca de mi jardín quejándose colectivamente de mi gato, a veces acompañadas por los petirrojos. Cuando una urraca muere, las urracas que viven en esa zona, se reúnen, verifican que esté muerta y luego inician un largo proceso de duelo de pie alrededor del cuerpo. Es un fenómeno bien reportado. Las urracas tienen empatía, empatía colectiva y lloran a sus muertos.

Así que los humanos no somos los únicos que sentimos empatía por nuestros seres queridos y nuestros compañeros de especie. Jesús siempre usa su empatía para demostrar la preocupación de Dios por nosotros y, a menudo, es el eje de su interacción con las personas en los evangelios.

En la lectura del evangelio en Marcos escuchamos que un líder religioso le rogó a Jesús que fuera a sanar a su pequeña que está muy enferma y él se fue a hacer precisamente eso. El hombre era un varón, líder de la sinagoga, cabeza de familia, por lo tanto socialmente aceptable y habla con Jesús como a un igual, pero también lo adora. Pero de camino a la casa del hombre, Jesús es tocado por una mujer que sufre una hemorragia desde hace 12 años. Es mujer, es impura, pobre y marginada, anónima. Ha sido explotada por la asistencia sanitaria privada. Tocó a Jesús, rompiendo el código de pureza. Siente que se le va la energía, algo que sólo he visto muy raramente: la mujer está curada. Continúa su camino hacia la casa de Jairo. Los dolientes, afuera de la casa del líder religioso, se rieron cuando Jesús dijo que la niña simplemente estaba durmiendo. Su incredulidad no ayudó. Jesús los echa de la casa y la sana.

El eje de todas las acciones de Jesús fue la compasión. Compasión por aquellos que estaban necesitados, emocionalmente (endemoniados), físicamente (milagros de sanación y alimentación de 5000) y espiritualmente (el joven rico). Pero muchas personas religiosas se opusieron a él.

Miles de niños palestinos y ucranianos han sido separados de sus padres. Muchos son ahora huérfanos. En estos tiempos extraños y perturbadores, ¿qué quiere Jesús que hagamos?

¿Qué es el fascismo?

El fascismo se desarrolló en Europa a principios del siglo XX. En lugar de centrarse en el conflicto de clases, como los socialistas, los fascistas se centran en las razas y las naciones, la pureza de la nación y los ciudadanos. Los fascistas hablan de renacimiento nacional. Las políticas opresivas generan un renacimiento nacional. La iglesia bajo el fascismo en Alemania se dividió en dos bandos;

En primer lugar, aquellos que apoyaban la idea de una Iglesia compuesta únicamente de blancos puros, ein Volk, un solo pueblo. En segundo lugar, estaban los que protestaban contra el fascismo y decían que era una postura anticristiana y antisemita que discriminaba a los judíos. Los judíos estaban siendo asesinados junto con los gitanos, los homosexuales y los negros; más de siete millones fueron gaseados para purificar la nación.

Estamos en la misma situación hoy.

Los musulmanes, los inmigrantes y los solicitantes de asilo están asociados con ser criminales, visualmente en la prensa con grandes titulares de primera plana que describen a las personas como enjambres y a través de narrativas/historias chismeadas por los medios.

Entonces tienes una narrativa de denigración. Son menos que nosotros, estas personas. Por eso no los tratamos como iguales. Podemos tratarlos sin compasión, incluso a los bebés y a los niños. La ley es superior a la gracia. Jesús vino para abolir la Ley y reemplazarla con la Gracia, el amor y la compasión. “Amarás al Señor tu Dios con toda tu alma, con toda tu mente, y amarás a tu prójimo como a ti mismo” Marcos 12:28-34

¿Qué quiere Jesús que hagamos?

Creo que Jesús querría que construyéramos puentes y no barreras, ni muros, ni centros de detención. Creo que le gustaría que ayudemos a los necesitados.

Así que sean prudentes, amigos míos, porque estos son tiempos difíciles y hay voces fuertes y estridentes y gente una vez más levantando la mano en saludos nazis y hablando de recuperar nuestro país y diciéndole a la gente que no son bienvenidos. Nos gusta que las urracas tengan la opción de empatía o apatía. Pregúntese ¿qué querría Jesús que hiciéramos?

Canción “Oh Señor, todo el mundo te pertenece”

https://youtu.be/jJMaNZ84xsw?feature=shared

Que el Dios de la paz nos inspire

El Dios de la Justicia danos fuerza

El Dios de la Esperanza nos anima

Ser la Buena Nueva. Amén


Saturday, 26 June 2021

Pentecost 5 2021, Mark 5v21-43, Pentecôte 5 2021, Marc 5v21-43, Pentakosta 5 2021, Markus 5v21-43

Loving God in our constantly changing lives

Help us to learn new ways of being

And as we walk new and uncertain paths give us courage

To rest in the security of your presence with us


Song “Ive got peace like a river”

https://youtu.be/7it5W1FVtTs

 

Prayer of confession beginning with silence


God of love and forgiveness

Save us by your tenderness

From each deed that is destructive

From careless thinking

From words that hurt

Save us by your love and forgiveness. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen

 

The Lords Prayer in our own language

 

Song “Lord I lift your name on high”

https://youtu.be/3tWSu9NAFIk


Mark 5v21-43

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%205%3A21-43&version=NIV


Reflection-Confronting the powers

 

Mark is continuing his description of Jesus confronting the powers, this time over death. The story appears in all three gospels suggests that it is an eyewitness account.

 

The story begins with Jairus, an official in the local synagogue, confronting Jesus and pleading with him to come and heal his daughter. He was by the lake when the leader of the synagogue approached him. He fell at Jesus feet to beg him to heal his daughter. His daughter was almost dead and he was desperate. He wants Jesus to lay hands on her and heal her.

 

The crowd are pushing in on him and the woman with the hemorrhage is healed suddenly and dramatically. She has had this condition for 12 years and spent all her money on doctors. The word healed is used 14 times in Mark and here means deliverance from the enemies of life that threaten our existence. 

  

Jesus knows that power has gone out of him so he turned around to the crowd and asked.who touched his clothes?  The woman is frightened and trembling so she fell at his feet and told him it was her. Jesus has compassion on her and calls her daughter, a term of endearment meaning she is part of the family. He tells her that her faith has healed her, saved her and tells her to go in peace, go in wellbeing, be freed from her suffering. 

 

While Jesus was speaking servants arrive from Jairus house and tell him not to bother coming for his daughter because she has already died. Jesus tells the father to ignore them. Do not be afraid but believe. He took just the three disciples with him to provide witnesses and went into the house and talked to the crowd there. There is a terrible commotion, people are crying and wailing. He asks them “Why are you crying and carrying on like this?" Then he went into the room and said that the child was not dead but just sleeping.  She is actually 12 years old,

 

The crowd says she is dead; Jesus says she is alive. So they laughed at him and he threw them all out! Then he took by the hand and using Aramaic he took her by the hand and told her to get up. She immediately got up and began walking around. They were completely astonished and he told them to tell no one what had happened and gave orders for her to be fed by her parents to normalize the situation. 

 

The moral of this story is don’t be led by the crowd but trust your own instincts about what God is doing in any situation!  What powers do we have to confront?!

 

Song “I shall not want”

https://youtu.be/YgqDY1whzoc

 

We pray for our world, our country, our communities, our families and friends.

Blessing

The blessing of God be upon you     

The blessing of the Christ of Love 

The blessing of the Spirit of Peace

On you, those you love and those you meet

This day and for evermore. Amen.

 

Song “The Lord bless you”

https://youtu.be/uiWZXLsdE9w

 

Lagu "Aku punya kedamaian seperti sungai"

https://youtu.be/7it5W1FVtTs

 

Mengasihi Tuhan dalam hidup kita yang terus berubah Bantu kami mempelajari cara hidup baru Dan saat kami menempuh jalan baru dan tidak pasti beri kami keberanian Untuk beristirahat dalam keamanan kehadiran-Mu bersama kami

 

Doa pengakuan dimulai dengan keheningan Tuhan yang penuh kasih dan pengampunan Selamatkan kami dengan kelembutan-Mu Dari setiap perbuatan yang merusak Dari pemikiran yang ceroboh Dari kata-kata yang menyakiti Selamatkan kami dengan cinta dan pengampunan-Mu. Dalam Nama Yesus kami berdoa. Amin

 

Doa Bapa Kami dalam bahasa kami sendiri

 

Lagu "Tuhan aku mengangkat namamu tinggi-tinggi"

https://youtu.be/3tWSu9NAFIk

 

Bacaan Markus 5:21-43

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%205%3A21-43&version=NIV

 

Refleksi-Menghadapi kekuatan

 

Markus melanjutkan deskripsinya tentang Yesus yang menghadapi kuasa, kali ini atas kematian. Kisah yang muncul dalam ketiga Injil menunjukkan bahwa itu adalah kisah saksi mata.

 

Cerita dimulai dengan Yairus, seorang pejabat di sinagoga setempat, menghadapi Yesus dan memohon padanya untuk datang dan menyembuhkan putrinya. Dia berada di tepi danau ketika pemimpin sinagoga mendekatinya. Dia tersungkur di kaki Yesus untuk memohon agar dia menyembuhkan putrinya. Putrinya hampir mati dan dia putus asa. Dia ingin Yesus meletakkan tangan di atasnya dan menyembuhkannya.

 

Kerumunan mendorongnya dan wanita dengan pendarahan itu sembuh secara tiba-tiba dan dramatis. Dia telah memiliki kondisi ini selama 12 tahun dan menghabiskan semua uangnya untuk dokter. Kata sembuh digunakan 14 kali dalam Markus dan di sini berarti pembebasan dari musuh kehidupan yang mengancam keberadaan kita.

  

Yesus tahu bahwa kekuatan telah keluar darinya sehingga dia berbalik ke arah orang banyak dan bertanya. Siapa yang menyentuh pakaiannya? Wanita itu ketakutan dan gemetar sehingga dia jatuh di kakinya dan mengatakan kepadanya bahwa itu adalah dia. Yesus memiliki belas kasihan padanya dan memanggil putrinya, istilah sayang yang berarti dia adalah bagian dari keluarga. Dia mengatakan kepadanya bahwa imannya telah menyembuhkannya, menyelamatkannya dan menyuruhnya pergi dengan damai, pergi dengan sehat, dibebaskan dari penderitaannya.

 

Sementara Yesus berbicara, para pelayan datang dari rumah Yairus dan mengatakan kepadanya untuk tidak repot-repot datang menjemput putrinya karena dia sudah meninggal. Yesus memberitahu ayah untuk mengabaikan mereka. Jangan takut tapi percaya. Dia hanya membawa tiga murid bersamanya untuk memberikan kesaksian dan pergi ke rumah dan berbicara kepada orang banyak di sana. Ada keributan yang mengerikan, orang-orang menangis dan meratap. Dia bertanya kepada mereka "Mengapa kamu menangis dan terus seperti ini?" Kemudian dia masuk ke kamar dan mengatakan bahwa anak itu tidak mati tetapi hanya tidur. Dia sebenarnya berusia 12 tahun,

 

Kerumunan mengatakan dia sudah mati; Yesus mengatakan dia hidup. Jadi mereka menertawakannya dan dia membuang semuanya! Kemudian dia memegang tangannya dan menggunakan bahasa Aram dia memegang tangannya dan menyuruhnya untuk bangun. Dia segera bangkit dan mulai berjalan-jalan. Mereka benar-benar heran dan dia mengatakan kepada mereka untuk tidak memberi tahu siapa pun apa yang telah terjadi dan memberi perintah agar dia diberi makan oleh orang tuanya untuk menormalkan situasi.

 

Moral dari cerita ini adalah jangan dipimpin oleh orang banyak tetapi percayalah pada insting Anda sendiri tentang apa yang Tuhan lakukan dalam situasi apa pun! Kekuatan apa yang harus kita hadapi?!

 

Lagu "Aku tidak mau"

https://youtu.be/YgqDY1whzoc

 

Kami berdoa untuk dunia kami, negara kami, komunitas kami, keluarga kami, dan teman-teman kami.

Berkah Berkat Tuhan tercurah untukmu Berkat Kristus Kasih Karunia Roh Damai

Pada Anda, orang-orang yang Anda cintai dan orang-orang yang Anda temui

Hari ini dan untuk selama-lamanya. Amin.

 

Lagu "Tuhan memberkatimu"

https://youtu.be/uiWZXLsdE9w

 

Chanson "J'ai la paix comme une rivière"

https://youtu.be/7it5W1FVtTs

 

Aimer Dieu dans nos vies en constante évolution Aide-nous à apprendre de nouvelles manières d'être Et tandis que nous marchons sur des chemins nouveaux et incertains, donne-nous le courage De nous reposer dans la sécurité de ta présence avec nous

 

Prière de confession commençant par le silence Dieu d'amour et de pardon Sauve-nous par ta tendresse De chaque acte qui est destructeur De la pensée insouciante Des paroles qui blessent Sauve-nous par ton amour et ton pardon. Au Nom de Jésus, nous prions. Amen

 

La prière du Seigneur dans notre propre langue

 

Chanson "Seigneur, je lève ton nom en haut"

https://youtu.be/3tWSu9NAFIk

 

Lire Marc 5:21-43

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%205%3A21-43&version=NIV

 

 Réflexion-Confronter les pouvoirs

 

Marc poursuit sa description de Jésus affrontant les puissances, cette fois sur la mort. L'histoire qui apparaît dans les trois évangiles suggère qu'il s'agit d'un témoignage oculaire.

 

L'histoire commence avec Jaïrus, un fonctionnaire de la synagogue locale, confrontant Jésus et le suppliant de venir guérir sa fille. Il était au bord du lac lorsque le chef de la synagogue s'est approché de lui. Il tomba aux pieds de Jésus pour le supplier de guérir sa fille. Sa fille était presque morte et il était désespéré. Il veut que Jésus lui impose les mains et la guérisse.

 

La foule se précipite sur lui et la femme avec l'hémorragie est guérie soudainement et de façon spectaculaire. Elle souffre de cette maladie depuis 12 ans et a dépensé tout son argent en médecins. Le mot guéri est utilisé 14 fois dans Marc et signifie ici la délivrance des ennemis de la vie qui menacent notre existence.

  

Jésus sait que le pouvoir est sorti de lui alors il s'est retourné vers la foule et a demandé. Qui a touché ses vêtements ? La femme est effrayée et tremblante alors elle est tombée à ses pieds et lui a dit que c'était elle. Jésus a compassion d'elle et appelle sa fille, un terme affectueux signifiant qu'elle fait partie de la famille. Il lui dit que sa foi l'a guérie, sauvée et lui dit d'aller en paix, d'aller dans le bien-être, de se libérer de sa souffrance.

 

Pendant que Jésus parlait, des serviteurs arrivent de la maison de Jaïrus et lui disent de ne pas prendre la peine de venir chercher sa fille car elle est déjà morte. Jésus dit au père de les ignorer. N'ayez pas peur mais croyez. Il n'a emmené que les trois disciples avec lui pour fournir des témoins et est entré dans la maison et a parlé à la foule qui s'y trouvait. Il y a une agitation terrible, les gens pleurent et se lamentent. Il leur demande « Pourquoi pleurez-vous et continuez-vous comme ça ? » Puis il est entré dans la pièce et a dit que l'enfant n'était pas mort mais qu'il dormait. Elle a en fait 12 ans,

 

La foule dit qu'elle est morte ; Jésus dit qu'elle est vivante. Alors ils se sont moqués de lui et il les a tous jetés dehors ! Puis il la prit par la main et en utilisant l'araméen il la prit par la main et lui dit de se lever. Elle s'est immédiatement levée et a commencé à marcher. Ils étaient complètement étonnés et il leur a dit de ne dire à personne ce qui s'était passé et a donné l'ordre qu'elle soit nourrie par ses parents pour normaliser la situation.

 

La morale de cette histoire est de ne pas se laisser guider par la foule mais de se fier à ses propres instincts sur ce que Dieu fait dans n'importe quelle situation ! Quels pouvoirs devons-nous affronter ?!

 

Chanson "Je ne veux pas"

https://youtu.be/YgqDY1whzoc

 

Nous prions pour notre monde, notre pays, nos communautés, nos familles et nos amis.

Bénédiction La bénédiction de Dieu soit sur vous La bénédiction du Christ d'Amour La bénédiction de l'Esprit de Paix

Sur vous, ceux que vous aimez et ceux que vous rencontrez

Ce jour et pour toujours. Amen.

 

Chanson « Que le Seigneur vous bénisse »

https://youtu.be/uiWZXLsdE9w

 

 

Friday, 6 July 2018

Mark 5v21-43, Acts 2v42-47, Pentecost 6, Fascism

 
Bridges and Barriers 



The magpies near my garden can often be heard collectively complaining about my 
cat, sometime joined by the robins. When a magpie dies, the magpies that live in that 
area, come together, check it is dead and then engage in a long mourning process 
standing around the body. It is a well reported phenomenon. Magpies have 
empathy, collective empathy and they mourn their dead. 

So we humans are not the only ones to have empathy for our loved ones and our 
fellow species. Jesus uses his empathy always, to demonstrate Gods concern for us 
and it is often the pivot of his interaction with people in the gospels. 

In the gospel reading in Mark we hear that Jesus has been begged by a religious 
leader to go and heal his little girl who is very ill and he goes off to do just that. The 
man was a male, a leader in the synagogue, head of his family, therefore socially 
acceptable and talks to Jesus as an equal, but also worships him. But on the way to 
the mans home, Jesus is touched by a woman who has been haemorrhaging for 12 
years. She is a woman, she is unclean, poor and an outcast, anonymous. She has 
been exploited by private health care. She touched Jesus, breaking the purity code. 
He feels the energy goes out of him, something I’ve only come across very rarely: 
the woman is healed. Finally he continues on his way to Jairus home. The mourners, 
outside the religious leaders house, laughed when Jesus said the girl was just 
sleeping. Their disbelief wasn’t helpful. So Jesus put them out of the house and 
heals her. 

The pivot for all Jesus actions was compassion. Compassion for those who were in 
need, emotionally (demoniacs), physically (healing miracles and feeding of 5000) 
and spiritually (the rich young man). But he was opposed by many religious people. 
2,342 Mexican children have been separated from their parents on the Mexico/US 
border between May 5 and June 9th. The children have been held in cages, 
temporary shelters and tents. The older children are looking after the younger 
children, some who are in nappies. 

This week a US senior judge laughed at the stories of separation and called critics, 
lunatics. 

So in these strange and disturbing times what would Jesus do? It seems that this 
question is very divisive. There are two realities in the US and in the UK and across 
Europe. Our ideologies divide us. 

Some 18 months ago I preached about the Church under Fascism. As we 
increasingly encounter people giving Nazi salutes on our streets this is more relevant 
than ever. Madeline Albright has recently written about populism and Fascism. So 
have others. 

What is Fascism? 
Fascism developed in Europe, in the early 20th century. Instead of focusing on class 
conflict, like the socialists, fascists focus on races and nations, purity of nationhood 
and citizens. Fascists talk of national rebirth. Oppressive policies deliver national 
rebirth. 

The church under Fascism divided into two camps; 
Firstly those who supported the idea of a Church composed of just pure white 
people, ein Volk, one people. One American leader has talked this week of regaining 
a “White” America. 

Secondly there were those who protested against the Fascism and said it was anti-
Christian stance, and anti-Semitic, discriminating against Jews. Jews were being 
murdered along with gypsies, gays, black people-over 7 million were gassed to purify 
the nation. 

We are in the same situation today. 

Muslims, migrants and asylum seekers are associated with being criminals, visually 
in the press with big front page headlines describing people as swarms and through 
narratives/stories gossiped by the media. 

So you have a narrative of denigration. They are less than us, these people. 
Therefore we do not treat them as equals. Therefore we can treat them without 
compassion, even babies and children. The law is superior to grace. The law says 
they are subject to authority. 

The passage in Acts tells us how Christians lived shortly after Jesus died. These 
were holy people, amazing things were happening, and they shared what they had 
with one another, They sold stuff to give to those who were in need, They ate 
together, prayed together, and were good to people they met. And their number 
grew. 

The Roman historian Eusebius has a vivid description of these people some 100 
years later. (Stevenson, J.S, The New Eusebius, p58) 

They were accused of being cannibal’s because it was thought they were eating the 
body and drinking the blood of Christ. When they shared wine they remembered that 
Christ had died for them and his blood had been shed as he had predicted in the 
Last Supper. 

Jesus came to abolish the Law and replace it with Grace, with love and with
compassion. “Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your soul, with all your mind, 
and love your neighbour as yourself” Mark 12v28-34

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/18/us-border-families-separated-
audio-recording

What would Jesus have us do? 

I think that Jesus would want us to build bridges and not create barriers or build 
walls, or detention centres. I think he would want us to do what those Christians in 
Acts were doing, to pray, to share, to give to others, to help those in need. As the 
Roman historian Eusebius shows us that was a political act that undermined the 
Roman Empire and people were arrested and killed for simply living as Christians. 
So be wise my friends, because these are difficult times and there are strong strident 
voices and people once again raising hands in Nazi salutes and talking of taking our 
country back and telling people they are not welcome. We like the magpies have the 
choice of empathy or apathy. 

Ask yourself what would Jesus do? 



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