John’s Gospel is nowhere more eloquent and more difficult to understand that in this high priestly prayer Jesus prays before his death.
I can’t begin to unravel the complexities of all the verses in our reading this morning. John is deep and dense full of meaning at many levels.
Presbyterian Support Otago is grateful for this opportunity to share with you this morning some of thoughts that gives its work meaning at many levels.
“May they be one even as the Father and The Son are one” was taken as the prayer that inspired Christian communities in the 20th century to heal their own divisions. Bans barriers and prejudices were to be removed. Some barriers fell. Others remain.
There are new divisions developing within our own nation for which we should pray – ‘may we be one.”
In his 2009 book Justice, the Harvard professor of philosophy Michael Sandel writes that while politicians have largely ignored inequality, philosophers have been debating the just distribution of income and wealth since the 1970s.
He argues an important reason to worry about inequality is that "too great a gap between rich and poor undermines the solidarity that democratic citizenship requires".
As inequality deepens, "rich and poor live increasingly separate lives".
The affluent send their children to private schools (or to public schools in wealthy suburbs), leaving other public schools to the children of families who have no alternative.
A similar trend leads to the secession by the privileged from other public institutions and facilities.
Private gyms replace council recreation centres and swimming pools.
Upscale residential communities hire private security guards and rely less on public police protection.
A second or third car removes the need to rely on public transportation. And so on. The affluent secede from public places and services, leaving them to those who can't afford anything else.
This has two bad effects, writes Sandel. "First, public services deteriorate, as those who no longer use those services become less willing to support them with their taxes. Second, public institutions such as schools, parks, playgrounds, and community centres cease to be places where citizens from different walks of life encounter one another. This is the challenge we want to take up!
Why does economic inequality matter? He asks.
“It's our increasing distance from one another – not just financially but as human beings.”
It’s almost as if we live in different worlds.
This would be reason enough for concerned citizens and social service agencies like Presbyterian Support to speak out; the very principles of social justice include equality, tolerance, compassion, fairness and democratic participation.
Surely this prayer of Jesus Christ proclaims a vision of who we are and can be that urges closeness and openness not distance and separation between his sons and daughters and his disciples.
“May they be one even as the Father and The Son are one”.
Every day we see young people, families and older people for whom these increasing distances and isolation of rich and poor are having soul destroying consequences.
We do what you enable us to do to build bridges.
We also try to speak across the divides.
We don’t expect that governments of any shade will see things our way. Governments increasingly in New Zealand move in their own hermetic circles influenced by the economic theories that don’t distribute the light at the end of the tunnel fairly.
The other aspect of the prayer that often puzzles me is around the phrases that somehow seem to say that we must be in the world “ I do not pray that they be taken out of the world” but that we may move e safely in it.
The paraphrase of this is that we must be in the world but not of it.
It’s a good catchy phrase for Christians but darn difficult to follow. It’s like dancing along an invisible line that keeps shifting under our feet.
Recently Gillian Bremner attended A conference run by the New Zealand Council of social Services. There was a very strong line up of Government speakers including the Ministers of Finance, Bill English and the Minister of Social Development, Paula Bennet.
They paid the Cristian social services organisations the complement of laying out the new rules for the so called partnerships between Government and Christian Social service sector of voluntary and non-government organisations – as Governments like to call us. – Somewhat disempowering that – calling us what we’re not.
It’s a fine line we walk.
Governments need us to do the work that’s too difficult or not sufficiently politically rewarding enough. So they are prepared to pay for that work.
But – Government speakers say social service organisations will have to amalgamate, get smarter and tender competitively for Government contracts.
Payment will be made on results. Quick results. The focus will be on things that can be measured. There will be high trust between government and chosen social service providers.
If that means we have to light on our feet and sure of what we’re doing so be it. If it means we will have to stop doing some things that are important to the excluded minority then that’s a question only we can answer.
By we I mean you and I.
Let’s look at two areas of our work where being in the world but not of it requires some faithful conviction, and spectacular line dancing.
Youthgrow – our horticultural project for young people has had to change its intakes to continue receiving Government funding. It’s a project of youth employment that helps unemployed young people learn general work skills with a focus on plants.
It’s success rate is well established and recognised. The Secondary principals association and Government have offered funding if an intake of non-attending youth is added to the mix.
They are a disaffected resistant, isolated and hurt group. Finding ways to relate to them has required some special people, monumental patience and belief.
One of these special people was a young man – himself a product of Youthgrow who developed a special talent for building relationships of trust with the school intake.
Yes they could be found fishing at the heads some days, talking, learning stuff no class room could teach them. “They knew it all anyway.”
Tough task taking on these valuable young people and turning them round – going into their world, reaching across the distance and resistance with friendship and love without becoming subverted either by Government requirements or the youth culture itself. Line dancing.
It may be my age, but many of you will know that I have become increasingly involved in questions of housing choices for older people.
We moved house this week and as I thanked the same removalist who shifted us from First Church to Ravensbourne 11 years ago I said “I’m sorry Dennis – his name too – but I won’t be using you for my next shift.” A startled look until I said – “ I expect to be employing Hope and sons for that one.”
He offered some cardboard boxes and one of his smaller vans as a cheaper option.
Whether it’s our last move or not is not for me to know.
What we do know is that by 2031 – Dunedin will be 2% of the population of Aotearoa New Zealand. People over 65 in Dunedin will be 20% of 2%.
In the past government funding has boosted what local communities have done to provide accommodation for the old. Both those who needed special care and those who don’t.
Listening to the priorities of the Social Housing Unit and reading the report on Social Housing commissioned by the DCC it’s clear to the planners at Presbyterian Support Otago that there’s going to have to be some new steps to the dance thought out.
Big business is now picking out those who can afford to live in retirement communities.
They are the income rich people who can afford the weekly outgoings of over $300 a week as well as their capital contributions.
But what about the rest. The DCC report suggests 800 new retirement housing options of all kinds will be required in Dunedin if people are to age in place and be included in the communities where they belong.
We’ll need some clever Dunedin solutions not primarily motivated by commercial gain. Presbyterian Support Otago has begun to do its thinking. We are just a small player but an important one in find the way forward. We’ll need partnerships with people of modest means to have successful connected retirement living into their late eighties and nineties.
We’ve all got to be praying as Christ prayed – not to be taken out of the world and the important issues for young and old, - not to be safe in affluent isolation – but to be sent.
Please pray for Presbyterian Support Otago, please continue to serve on our board and as our staff. Please volunteer to assist at our Op shops, the Youthgrow stall and the many other voluntary opportunities our volunteer coordinator can suggest.
Please continue to see us and support us as we try to be in the world but not of it.
