One of the best things about making a new friend is the opportunity to see the world through their eyes.
They offer us new insights and knowledge because they’ve had different experiences. They’ve been on different holidays.They’ve read different books. As we get to know each other we expand each other’s horizons. We make life richer and deeper for each other.
Generally, we find it easier to hear things from our friends. They make us feel accepted and safe. We find joy in their company.
Because our bond is strong, we are less uncomfortable when they challenge us. If there is turbulence in the friendship, we find it easier to repair. Our friends bring us joy.
But it is not only friends who can change our view of the world. Everyone can help us have a broader understanding. People can enrich our lives by sharing their culture and their story with us.
It won’t all be easy to hear. People will challenge our assumptions and make us feel uncomfortable. Their life experience will be different to ours. They will share different political and social insights.
The big question is whether we are willing to be challenged! Are we open to change?
For decades, only white men told us the stories of the Christian faith and interpreted them for us. These men were academically trained in the US-English-European university systems.
Access to these universities was expensive. Men from privileged backgrounds shaped our insight into the way of Jesus. I am conscious as I write that I am a white male with a tertiary education.
If we are willing to listen, other people have something to tell us about faith and life. Women and descendants of slaves have helped me see more in the Bible. I have learnt much about justice from people of colour and oppressed peoples.
Their insights helped my understanding of the Good Friday and Easter stories grow. I always see the women in the story now. They display stronger courage and compassion than the men. I always see Jesus as aligned to the minority.
He is the victim of an oppressive regime. I cannot walk past the account of women’s empowerment. Mary Magdalene is the first to tell the greatest news in the world.
The Bible becomes what it was meant to be. It is a revolutionary text revealing God’s love, mercy and justice. It is a book created by a revolutionary community which saw all human beings as equal.
Why does all this matter?
As the Newcastle Anglican Bishop, I get to work with some wonderful people.
One of them is our Director of Reconciliation, the Reverend Aunty Di Langham. She is helping me see the world through her eyes.
Slowly and carefully, she is expanding my understanding of Australian history. I am hearing the experience of Australian Aboriginal people.
Aunty Di offers me insights into an ancient and rich culture. It has profound stories and spirituality which were told long before the birth of Jesus. I am challenged and enriched by these conversations. I am deeply moved by the adverse impact of colonisation still felt by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Friends and people who are different help make me a better male, a better human being, and a better bishop. They enrich my life by telling me their stories and sharing their experiences. I learn from them.
There is an unholy arrogance in presuming that we are right about everything. The quest for power and control has resulted in horrendous outcomes. We see the character of God in the diversity of humanity. No one group should dominate our view of the world.
Over these next few days, I hope a Christian view of the world might encourage you. Christians understand that God is saying that sin does not win in the end. Christians believe that death does not have the last word, love conquers all.
Christians hear a challenge in the Easter story. Christians affirm the view that God wants people to embody his love and compassion for the world. God wants us to build communities of trust which pursue the common good.
Our world will be a better place if we deeply listen to one another and learn from each other. Spend time listening to your family and friends. Be open to challenge and change.
Happy Easter!
Bishop Peter Stuart