We love those we know and who are like us. We hold no fear. There is nothing to muddy our sanitised world views. It is easy to be the person of faith in that place. But we are not given that luxury. We must love the invisible ones, the ones who are different from us, or who challenge us.
I shared a very disturbing piece of art on Facebook recently of a child of colour painted onto the stairs at the entrance of a busy train station. The caption read “the invisible poverty”. In our current landscape we could substitute the Aboriginal person lost into an endless cycle of incarceration; the young refugees recently released from hotel detainment with no support; the transgender person not welcomed in your church; or the woman in the pew behind you living in violence at home.
What do we do, what action do we take? Are we prepared to stand up and be anti-racist, anti-discrimination, anti-violence and what does that mean we have to do?
Or are we content to look away and be the “liar” John refers to…
We mourned Jesus death, rejoiced in the resurrection, but before we hang up the red flames and doves, let us take some time to reflect on what transformation took place within us, within our church community, within our presbytery because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Our transformation renders us incapable of ignoring the invisible ones, for it is in them we find God.
“Those who love God, must love their brothers and sisters also”.
Rev Marian Bisset