Tread lightly on the things of earth

AKMA’s weblog entry on Rowan Williams’ first sermon as the new Archibishop of Canterbury — the ABC is the “new leader of 70 million Anglicans across the globe” — influenced me to read and watch the whole thing [sermon excerpts, full transcript 1 and 2, photo and video links].

I am heartened by Abp. Rowan’s display of genuine Christian thinking and being:

Once we recognise God’s great secret, that we are all made to be God’s sons and daughters, we can’t avoid the call to see one another differently.

No one can be written off; no group, no nation, no minority can just be a scapegoat to resolve our fears and uncertainties.” …

The Church exists to pass on the promise of Jesus — “You can live in the presence of God without fear; you can receive from his fullness and set others free from fear and guilt.” …

The Christian will engage with passion in the world of our society and politics — out of a real hunger and thirst to see God’s image, the destiny of human beings to become God’s sons and daughters come to light …

When Christians grieve or protest about war … it is because of the fear we rightly feel when insult and violence blot out the divine image in our human relations, the reflection to one another of the promise of Jesus in one another. …

If all we have to offer is a Jesus who makes sense to me and people like me, we have no saving truth to give.

For followers of Jesus, war — and with inarguable certainty, preemptive war — is not an option, for it means knowingly scapegoating brothers and sisters, knowingly killing others of us whom God loves. Supporting preemptive war may seem to be sensible, may seem to be patriotic, but one thing it inescapably is not: it is not following Jesus.

I agree with AKMA who says, “We got a good one, this time.”