|
This and That
By François Brassard, Ladysmith, BC 
There were those who were called terrorists in Palestine at the time of Jesus.
They sought freedom from Roman hegemony. And they hated the temple priesthood
of Jerusalem, because it supported and cooperated with Rome. Rome dealt harshly
with these “patriots”, crucifying thousands at a time on occasion. Unfortunately,
even the innocent were crucified if they uttered subversive doctrine. Indeed,
Jesus’ message of radical hospitality and compassion was considered dangerous
by the powers that be: “it is better that one man die than the whole nation
perish.” It didn’t really matter. Eventually, when the Sadducean leadership
of Jerusalem was unable to quell the violence in the late 60’s C.E., Rome
quashed all resistance by destroying the Temple and the fortress of Masada
(70 C.E.).Sadducean Judaism was obliterated, but Judaism survived as a lay, non-hierarchical, pharisaic movement that included for a time the followers of Jesus (until 93 C.E.). These christians moved beyond the confines of Judaism. They had a global message of hospitality and compassion which they lived quietly in many small and diverse communities located mostly in urban centres. And so it was until Constantine made christianity a state religion in the 4th century C.E., and a new patriarchal priesthood dominated the movement. In september 2001, one of these small christian communities, namely Corpus Canada, gathered in Bragg Creek, Alberta. It was a diverse group of people from many parts of Canada, united particularly by their desire to renew the way leadership works in the Church. By the end of the weekend, we all came to a profound understanding of what it means to be a small christian community (the theme of the Gathering). We were encouraged to live the gospel message of hospitality and compassion both among ourselves and in our local areas in whatever way we felt called or gifted, either as a group or as individuals. And we wanted leaders, men and women, who could enlighten and inspire us to live the Jesus message in our own times. At the Annual General Meeting of Corpus Canada on Sunday, september 16, true to our hopes and desires, we chose leaders who could help us live out our vision, both nationally and locally: Grant Croswell and Colleen Lisamer. We also approved national strategies for promoting our organizational vision and for a more effective ministry of hospitality at the local level. What we have done and propose to do may be seen by some as subversive. For us, it is our way of living out the Gospel message and, dare I say, our small contribution to the defeat of global terrorism. For pictures of the conference see Bragg
Creek Album
|