In
former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now
been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow
heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through
the gospel. Ephesians 3.5-6
Since early September I have been
conducting an on-line tutorial in liturgy with two students from the College of
Emmanuel and Saint Chad in Saskatoon.
For the last two weeks we have been looking at baptism.
On Tuesday we discussed what I
understand to be the difference between Sin
and sins. To my way of thinking Sin is the human desire to be God, to be
the centre of the universe. What we call
sins are the particular acts and attitudes that give expression to this Sin.
Sin
has both personal and corporate character.
In my opinion, racism, sexism, nationalism, consumerism, fundamentalism
and all other ‘-isms’ which ‘corrupt and destroy the creatures of God’ (The
Book of Alternative Services, 154) are corporate manifestations of Sin.
We confront Sin with the mystery of God as unfolded in the life and witness
of Jesus of Nazareth. At the heart of
this mystery is the revelation that we are each and every one of us necessary
to God. Each and every one of us has
gifts that help form the divine mosaic, begun in creation, disrupted by human Sin, and restored through Christ in the
power of the Spirit.
In the face of the Sin that manifests itself in events such
as the recent attacks in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Ottawa, attacks motivated
by a religious fundamentalism that cannot make room for others, we hold up the
mystery of inclusion. In Christ there is
no longer Jew or Greek, no longer slave or free, no longer male and female
(Galatians 3.28). There is only one
humanity whose diversity is not meant to divide but to enrich. It is to us that the task falls to continue
to empower the mystery first made known in Christ and being made known in those
who follow the way of the Logos.
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