St George's Cathedral, Cape Town

Leader column by the Very Reverend Rowan Smith, Cape Times, 24 December 2008

Our Hopes and Fears

Many people are discovering the importance to our well-being, both as individuals and as a society to stand back from our daily pursuits from time to time and in the light of our frenetic world to develop the gift of reflection. This is not only a spiritual discipline but it can be applied to all aspects of our life. The year's end, and the focus of Christian believers on the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is an opportune moment for such introspection.

This year 2008 has been one in which we have been confronted with our hopes and fears in South Africa and global events around us have underscored our essential African wisdom that we are, described as ubunthu, inter-related across boundaries because a person becomes a person through other persons. We are still, for example, to feel the impact of the economic recession as the result of the financial crisis in the Unites States of America where billions of dollars, more than enough to service the national debt of the whole of Africa, has to be raised to bail out certain financial houses. Closer to home, our hearts bleed for the people of Zimbabwe, where lust for power and the lack of political will on the part of SADC leaders, is seeing that country being destroyed. But even within our own borders the xenophobic attacks on fellow Africans, our political intolerance alongside a similar display of homophobia has caused us to reassess what a democratic, rainbow nation is meant to be. On the day of Reconciliation, when the name of Maki Skozana was raised up again, we were vividly reminded of how in the last days of apartheid we could treat a fellow human being as rubbish to be burnt. These are some of the fears of the past years, let alone our own personal struggles in a world which seems not to care for the individual.

That hope is alive is evident too admist our fears and it is still true that hope springs eternal in the human heart. The belief that what presently confronts Zimbabwe can change is what encourages us to work towards supporting those who are engaged in various Human Rights organisations, for example, Women of Zimbabwe Arise. We are also encouraged by the success of others and our athletes at the Paralympics and Special Olympics challenged all of us to look beyond our limitations and rise above our circumstances. There can be no doubt that 2008 will be regarded as the year of Barack Obama both in terms of his political accomplishment in the United States but also in his inspiration to ordinary people, especially “minority” groups, to say emphatically “yes we can”. There are others too in our own communities, who may not be even honoured for their efforts, whose small accomplishments inspire and challenge our complacency and call us to hope. And hope is not optimism or looking at the world with rose=coloured spectacles. Hope is the gift of those whose vision sees beyond the present circumstances as one scriptural text puts it “ Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen?” Thus we are confronted with that same promise of hope in the vulnerability of a child born amongst domestic animals almost as if to emphasize that experience of being powerless. This is no sentimental picture but a commanding challenge to our perception of what constitutes power in the world. The celebration of the birth of the Christ subverts our lust for control because we see God, who is the Creator of all things, weak and helpless and dependent upon Mary and Joseph to survive. No matter who we are, we are all challenged to re examine our perceptions as well as finding God in and amongst our fears and brokenness. This is what so many struggle to accept while to others it is a source of hope that this God is self-emptying, laying aside power and is found in the ordinary. Would that those who yield power, as the world understands it, imitate the God who does not cling to power. But so also those who believe are called to reflect that same character, have the same nature of the Christ whose humanity redeems us in weakness. For we are called to live beyond the manger, finding God in the ordinary as we now encounter Him in Bread and Wine. The healing of our broken world be it as regards Zimbabwe or the Holy Land; as regards poverty or violence towards women and children; as regards corruption or AIDS; it comes down to this, to choose life and to choose love. And perfect love casts out fear; God's love for us which shines forth from an animal trough, graciously in the face of Christ Jesus. May your life be open to such love in 2009 so that not only at Christmass but throughout the year,

“from tabled altar, steepled Krauns
in Khaya or where campfires dance
from fruited valley, field of wheat
in hut or city let drums beat…
let truth and freedom reign.”
           (words from Frank Bary)

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