Rod and I spent our recent holiday in Asia. Two of those days were spent in Taiwan, where we attended the wedding of our niece. It was a wonderful family occasion – it was also an amazing experience of welcome, generosity and hospitality. But it was also something more than that, for in this one very personal occasion, we had the first-hand experience of what is happening in so many parts of this world as it becomes no more than a global village. We participated in a process of great possibility – learning what it means to form community across what appear to be huge gulfs of diversity.
This wedding was very different from what one might expect for the daughter of a North Otago farmer and his teacher-wife. This wedding banquet room was a far cry from the little Presbyterian church (the only place of worship in the town) where at least five generations of Mitchells have worshipped. We can probably all conjure up in our minds what our niece’s wedding might have looked like just a generation or two ago – possibly held in that little church on the hill – or some other church in rural New Zealand – where perhaps she would be marrying a local farmer. We could have expected to know the guests – they would have been there at her brothers’ and sisters’ weddings – and her aunts’ and uncles’ weddings – they would have been the same people we met at many of the local community’s baptisms and funerals. There would have been few surprises at that wedding of an earlier era. Simple things, like the weather, the style of the bride’s dress, the colour of the bridesmaids’ outfits - and maybe the destination of the honeymoon - would have provided an element of the unexpected in the midst of the happy predictable event, where long-standing friends and family gathered to reminisce and celebrate.
But this wedding wasn’t like that. The groom’s family were Buddhist and ancestor worshippers – the language was Taiwanese – the traditions and food were strange to us – even the bride was unsure of some of the traditions. We were out of our comfort zone – but we couldn’t have been made more welcome! Family members who were bilingual had been organised to sit with us, so that we could understand the speeches, the traditions and the food. Rod had been invited to lead the couple through their vows – an altogether unknown part of the ceremony for our Taiwanese hosts. We were politely steered away from traditions that might have caused some embarrassment (Taiwanese wedding guests give money to the parents who host the wedding – our, rather gauche, attempts to participate in this part of the culture were graciously refused). After a few minutes of tentativeness and uncertainty, we were swept up into the love and hospitality of this family. From the very beginning, the speeches defined the setting – we were not just honoured guests, we were family. Again and again, the importance of understanding and tolerance was stressed as we heard the ongoing welcoming message that celebrated difference and affirmed an ever-widening circle of diversity. By the end of the evening, friendships were being forged, laughter was being shared and plans were being made for future meetings…. We were in Taipei for only two days – but our family history has been changed for ever.
This experience recalls other stories, where that same welcome came again and again. I remember – as I imagine you remember – sermons preached and stories told of Jesus – stories of hospitality around the table – where the most unlikely came together to discover new possibilities, healing, and transformation. And into that reflection comes this morning’s gospel reading: “Hear, O Israel – hear, O Aotearoa-NZ – hear, O Planet Earth – the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” ... and I wonder, are we able to comprehend (let alone love) this God? Is our God still too small? Have we really fulfilled this commandment – have we opened our hearts – our souls – our minds – our strengths fully to this One God – the one beyond our comfort zones? It feels like an impossible task – especially in these days of shifting theological uncertainty. But that impossible task turns to a slightly more possible one, with the commandment that follows – “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”. Loving neighbour is not the same as loving God – but it’s an important part of the whole and maybe a step on the path.
It’s interesting that Jesus cites these commandments – in this gospel (and in Matthew and Luke) - in the context of debate, dispute and testing. Differing opinions and doubts can create a context – a helpful context – for clarification about those things which are most important. And, sometimes, the most unexpected people are the ones who provide focus for the future. In Mark’s story, the surprise comes from a scribe – someone who belongs to the group usually considered Jesus’ opponents. “You’re right, Jesus”, says the scribe – “God is One – and loving God and neighbour are much more important than all the other rituals and debates.”
Loving the One God – the one beyond our imagining - and loving our neighbour can take us on some strange and surprising paths. It might sound simplistic – but it’s complex and challenging. We know that living out this teaching led Jesus to his death – but we also know it is the path to hope, meaning and abundant life.
The story of Ruth reminds us that such surprising journeys are not just a recent phenomenon. Life couldn’t have been much tougher for Naomi – poverty and famine drove her family into exile, where her sons married local foreigners – and then her husband died – and her two sons died. The only solution she could see was for the three widows – she and her daughters-in-law – each to return to their own home. In spite of all Naomi’s urging, Ruth refuses; instead, showing loyalty and love, way beyond that which was normal or expected, she insists on going with her foreign mother-in-law - “Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God”.
And the surprising journeys continue – right into present day. In Monday’s newspaper, you may have read of University Lecturer, Asaf Hussain, who, in his spare time, is conducting coach tours for retired people in Leicester, England. These “cultural safaris” visit a Muslim mosque, Hindu, Sikh and Jain temples concluding with lunch at a Bangladeshi restaurant. “It widens horizons.” Mr Hussain said [Leicester] is a multicultural city with different religions and different cultures, and they’re all British. … Each community wants to stay within its own circle. Now I’m trying to break that barrier and make it intercultural.”[1]
My friends, these are exciting times. The One God, who cannot be defined or confined, is calling us on a journey – a journey that calls us to turn our whole beings with love towards the One God and towards our neighbour. We will face challenges along the way – but let us step out in faith.
[1] “Cultural safaris reveal diversity of England” by Prashant Rao AFP in World Focus, Otago Daily Times Monday October 30, 2006.