It's been a week since I left Akron, and here I am at Pendle Hill, a Quaker retreat center just outside of Philly. How did I get here? The days have sped past. I've journeyed some 70 miles so far with infinite support and love I hardly know where to begin. I'd love to share all the details, but not over such an impersonal medium as a blog. (The luddite in me shines through!) Ask me when we meet face to face and I'll tell you some tales. But I do want to thank all of you:
To Ronie, thanks for the conversation my first hour on the road.
To Christina and everyone at Market Street House, thanks for welcoming me in and rocking the joint with music.
To Tim and Jared, thanks for the warm party on a cold night.
To Steve, thanks for picking up a stranger hitchhiking and celebrating with me.
To Officer Abel, thanks for picking me up and dropping me off at The Church of the Good Samaritan.
To Pastor Carol, thanks for directing me to Daylesford Abbey.
To everyone at Daylesford Abbey, thanks for sharing your faith and making space for me.
To all of you who have contributed to this walk financially, thanks for giving me the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with the kindhearted folks at Pendle Hill.
To those who have given me clothes or food for the journey, thank you.
To everyone who has offered a kind or challenging word, thank you.
And thank God for literally opening the way before me.
I'm off to enjoy the community. I hope you all have a wonderful day of thanks. And if you don't have someone to celebrate with, go out and look for them, they are there waiting.
PS Please keep thinking about security and comfort. The world isn't as dire as we sometimes fear. I'm still listening as I walk, something is happening, I can't figure out what exactly, but I know all of us will have to work hard for it to be born.
In peace,
Curtis Villanueva Jantzi
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Freedom and Security, pt. 1
I have only been walking for a few days now. I doubt I've gone more than 20 miles. But the time on the road allows so much freedom to think and breathe. I've been staying with friends in Lancaster, PA. Tomorrow I head out towards Philadelphia. Yet, I've been too preoccupied with daily life to worry about where I'll stay during the 60 miles from here to there.
My current thoughts turn to Blossom Hill Mennonite Church, where today Pastor Jane Peifer spoke on Matthew 25:31-46. This is the passage where Jesus talks about the sheep (the righteous) and the goats (the self-righteous) being separated and receiving their reward. But the reward isn't what interested me, rather I'm curious why the righteous are blessed.
Matthew 25:37-40 (NIV)
37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40 The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
The righteous have been rewarded because they were merciful to those in pain. What strikes me most about this passage is that everyone of us has been a stranger, hungry, naked, thirsty, sick, even imprisoned. This passage is about recognizing ourselves and God in the face of others. When one of us suffers, we all suffer. Whoever comforts one of the least of these is a citizen of the Kingdom. But what does belonging to the Kingdom mean, what does it represent, how does it manifest itself? I can see that the entire Biblical story is about two kingdoms (I am definitely not the first to have this thought).
Last week I read TimN's insights on 2 Kings 17: 7-23 (Young Anabaptist Radicals) and was reminded of the Lord's response to Samuel when Israel demanded a king. The desire of the Israelites was to have a visible sign of strength. They wanted a leader they could see and hear, rather than live by faith.
In order to give some context, at this point in his life Samuel was old and appointed his sons to be the next judges for the nation of Israel. The people trusted Samuel but his sons were dishonest. The elders gathered to tell Samuel that his sons were unfit to lead. Furthermore, they wanted a king in order to be like the other nations that threatened them.
1 Samuel 8:6-7 (NIV)
6 But when they said, 'Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king."
Interestingly, the Lord went on to say in the next verses that the people had been rejecting him and serving false gods ever since he freed them from slavery in Egypt. The Israelites were willing to give up freedom almost as soon as they left the civilized world of Egypt. In fact, when faced with the desert wildernesses, shortly after the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, they longed for the security they had as slaves in Egypt. (Exodus 16:3) Although, time and again God had provided them with everything they needed, it was not enough.
The Israelites wanted concrete assurances that they would be protected in times of trouble. They did not want to trust in a God who only spoke through a few individuals. Why believe in an unseen God when they could place their trust in the very real power of military might and economic prosperity? All they had to do was look at neighboring empires with their massive armies and sprawling cities.
It's as simple a choice as trading freedom for security.
(I'll continue this at a later date, good night all.)
My current thoughts turn to Blossom Hill Mennonite Church, where today Pastor Jane Peifer spoke on Matthew 25:31-46. This is the passage where Jesus talks about the sheep (the righteous) and the goats (the self-righteous) being separated and receiving their reward. But the reward isn't what interested me, rather I'm curious why the righteous are blessed.
Matthew 25:37-40 (NIV)
37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40 The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
The righteous have been rewarded because they were merciful to those in pain. What strikes me most about this passage is that everyone of us has been a stranger, hungry, naked, thirsty, sick, even imprisoned. This passage is about recognizing ourselves and God in the face of others. When one of us suffers, we all suffer. Whoever comforts one of the least of these is a citizen of the Kingdom. But what does belonging to the Kingdom mean, what does it represent, how does it manifest itself? I can see that the entire Biblical story is about two kingdoms (I am definitely not the first to have this thought).
Last week I read TimN's insights on 2 Kings 17: 7-23 (Young Anabaptist Radicals) and was reminded of the Lord's response to Samuel when Israel demanded a king. The desire of the Israelites was to have a visible sign of strength. They wanted a leader they could see and hear, rather than live by faith.
In order to give some context, at this point in his life Samuel was old and appointed his sons to be the next judges for the nation of Israel. The people trusted Samuel but his sons were dishonest. The elders gathered to tell Samuel that his sons were unfit to lead. Furthermore, they wanted a king in order to be like the other nations that threatened them.
1 Samuel 8:6-7 (NIV)
6 But when they said, 'Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king."
Interestingly, the Lord went on to say in the next verses that the people had been rejecting him and serving false gods ever since he freed them from slavery in Egypt. The Israelites were willing to give up freedom almost as soon as they left the civilized world of Egypt. In fact, when faced with the desert wildernesses, shortly after the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, they longed for the security they had as slaves in Egypt. (Exodus 16:3) Although, time and again God had provided them with everything they needed, it was not enough.
The Israelites wanted concrete assurances that they would be protected in times of trouble. They did not want to trust in a God who only spoke through a few individuals. Why believe in an unseen God when they could place their trust in the very real power of military might and economic prosperity? All they had to do was look at neighboring empires with their massive armies and sprawling cities.
It's as simple a choice as trading freedom for security.
(I'll continue this at a later date, good night all.)
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Walking Shoes
On November 4th 2008, millions celebrated the election of Senator Barack Obama to the office of President of the United States of America. As I watched the crowd in Grant Park and felt the irrepressible hope at a chance for change, I realized that no group nor person has a monopoly on hope. Even though I did not vote, I fully agree that the election of Sen. Obama is a move in the right direction as a nation.
Nevertheless, I am not the first to recognize that he will be unable to fix the social ills we suffer from: sexism, racism, homophobia and poverty. Nor is it his job as President, to fix these problems. True change doesn't come from the top, but from the bottom. As anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” It is my view that the Church, those of us who call ourselves believers in Christ, must be on the front lines of social change.
I believe the US church has forgotten our role to be different, radically different, from the world we live in; we are to be set apart by our love and compassion. A love so powerful we cannot abide to see the hungry, and homeless on our streets, nor a woman being abused by her partner, nor the rich family suffering because they are isolated in their wealth.
For that reason, I have decided to walk from now until our hearts have changed to reflect the love we believe is real. It will be a purposeful walk, in the hope of building a community on and along the way. I'm very hopeful that some of you will join me if not physically then in prayer and spirit. Ultimately, this is not something I can, nor want to do on my own. I will be looking for others who want to see the same change and we will walk together, even if only for a short time.
Tomorrow I'll be heading down to Lancaster, PA and spending a couple of nights there before making my way towards Philadelphia. I'm extremely excited about the journey and I'm looking forward to sharing the stories of my travels with all of you. It is a goal of mine to keep you all updated whenever I have access to a computer.
Joyfully,
Curtis Villanueva Jantzi
Nevertheless, I am not the first to recognize that he will be unable to fix the social ills we suffer from: sexism, racism, homophobia and poverty. Nor is it his job as President, to fix these problems. True change doesn't come from the top, but from the bottom. As anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” It is my view that the Church, those of us who call ourselves believers in Christ, must be on the front lines of social change.
I believe the US church has forgotten our role to be different, radically different, from the world we live in; we are to be set apart by our love and compassion. A love so powerful we cannot abide to see the hungry, and homeless on our streets, nor a woman being abused by her partner, nor the rich family suffering because they are isolated in their wealth.
For that reason, I have decided to walk from now until our hearts have changed to reflect the love we believe is real. It will be a purposeful walk, in the hope of building a community on and along the way. I'm very hopeful that some of you will join me if not physically then in prayer and spirit. Ultimately, this is not something I can, nor want to do on my own. I will be looking for others who want to see the same change and we will walk together, even if only for a short time.
Tomorrow I'll be heading down to Lancaster, PA and spending a couple of nights there before making my way towards Philadelphia. I'm extremely excited about the journey and I'm looking forward to sharing the stories of my travels with all of you. It is a goal of mine to keep you all updated whenever I have access to a computer.
Joyfully,
Curtis Villanueva Jantzi
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