Google Church

I often wrestle with the apparent tensions between ‘local’ and ‘global’.

Last November we arrived home from a bonfire night party to find a man lying motionless in the road with his head covered in blood.

I discovered retrospectively that the assault had followed an argument in the local bookies. Anyway, it was late and raining and it seemed that all other characters lurking in the dark were either ‘turning a blind eye’ or were unaware of the situation.

Less because I am a good Samaritan and more because he was lying in my parking space, I attended to the man finding him drifting in and out of consciousness due to several blows to the head. I called the emergency services on his behalf.

The swiftness with which they arrived to nurture his recovery reinforced my appreciation for both the global technologies - like the mobile/cell phone - that we have at our fingertips, as well as for those who persevere stressful or lonely global lifestyles to bring them to us.

But in another respect, the episode reminds me that ‘local’ can mean responsive, hands-on, tactile and connecting in a way that ‘global’ cannot.

Global definitions of friendship - like as the veneer of a one-click-covenant according to one popular 'social networking' website - are a far cry from the teachings of Jesus/Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua.

I am unconvinced of the idly used notion of loving our ‘global neighbours’ from afar. Would our passions not be best exercised by moving into their neighbourhood?

If the church is confident in her identity, is our best response to globalisation that of riding the waves of global capitalism as a bunch of shallow virtual networks?

[1030:3694]

Prisoner Or Free ?

Today I reached a wall.

I cannot get over it. I cannot get under it. I cannot get around it.

There is not much to see on either side of the wall, except a few people. Some are on this side (us), and some are on the other (them).

How do I find out if it is them or us that are free ?

[1017:3660]

Justice v Grace

These days I work as a barber. Today a long-haired customer walked in and asked for a short cut. So we chatted and I snipped. Snip snip. Anyway, suddenly he said “stop!”. I said “what’s wrong?”. He said “it isn’t short enough”. I said “I know, I haven’t finished”. He said “and it’s wet”. I said “yes, I had to wet it to cut it straight, your hair was all ruffled”. He said “this is not good enough, I’m not paying”, stormed out of the shop and slammed the door.

The trouble is, right now, I badly need that revenue.

So here is my dilemma:
From my standpoint in the marketplace I want justice.
I think he is in the wrong and I want to make him pay.

From my standpoint in the church, I wonder if I should exercise grace, and this is why:
Jesus said “… if someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also …” [B’rC|NT:Luk6]
Paul said “… why not rather be wronged? why not rather be cheated? …” [B’rC|NT:1Cor6]

So justice or grace?

If grace, then must the perpetrator first be shown his error?

[988:3581]