Repairing The Breach

When we look at the key texts that we have been reading during the Lenten period (Isaiah 58 and Luke 4), we see some key action words - undo, loose, let the oppressed go free, break every yoke, share your bread, bring the homeless poor in your house, cover the naked. None of these are things you can do from a distance. Sure, you can give bread without meeting the person you are giving it to, but you can’t share bread. You can’t undo a knotted rope from a distance: that’s up close, definitely not Covid safe. Joining with others to be ambassadors, to show how God is reconciling people and creation to each other and to God, is all about relationship. And relationship is messy, and complex and hard. But relationship can also be beautiful, filled with signs of love, mercy and grace. Peruvian priest, Gustavo Gutierrez reminds us that in order to really see and combat injustices, we need to be up close and personal - in relationship with others. “You say you care about the poor? Then tell me, what are their names?” A quote from artist, Carol Aust, about her images on pages 48-50. “In November, 2018, I was approached by First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley to do a pair of paintings – Lost & Found - about the prodigal son. In the story, the younger son demanded his inheritance before his father’s death and then squandered it. I feel that we have been given a beautiful inheritance in the form of our planet, but we have squandered it as well, and I tried to capture this in the first canvas. But I feel that there is hope; in the second canvas there is restoration and grace, a return to community and healing for our relationships with each other, our planet, and God.” Still Waters 2 - Carol Aust 77