There is a time of not knowing
and then there is a time to Know
there is a time to doubt
and pure moments of utter Surety
You are as real in my hearts bitterest poverty
as in the Sweetest Joy it has tasted.
You in all things.
All things in You.
Talitha Fraser
Dance fears,
dance anger,
dance failure,
dance sorrow.
Lead, and I
will follow
the steps that will
lead me to You.
Talitha Fraser
On the weekend of 24-25 September Whitley College hosted a conference called Constitutions and Treaties: Law, Justice, Spirituality – these are notes from session 5 of 9. We acknowledge that this gathering, listening and learning occurred of the land of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nations and offer our respects to their elders past and present, and all visiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island visitors present.
this culture
grips, snips, snares you
wants a share of you
does everything it can
to make you small
I will stand tall
I see your wall
but I see too
I don’t have to go over, under, through
just be and do
as I’m called
yours is not the law I follow
yours is not the path I take
yours is not the truth I believe
shallow, fake, relieved…
I will go on
Talitha Fraser
Facilitated by Mehrin Almassi from the Indigenous Hospitality House, in this bible study series we will seek to make connections between the story of the nation of Israel told in Lamentations and our own national story. We will look to see whether this book may help us to address our shared histories of displacement and endeavour to distill how we might move forward as a nation in light of the biblical example.
Connection to Creator (Spirit)
What do we think of when we hear the word Spirit? What do we think of when we hear the words Spirit of God?
What do we think about when we hear the term Creator Spirit?
What do we think is meant by each of these phrases? Are they related? Could they be?
Read Lamentations 3
Did the Israelite people have a sense of the Spirit of God – the Creator Spirit?
What was God like for the people of Israel? What was their experience of relating to God?
How do we relate to and/or experience God? Is our experience different to that of the Israelites? If so, can we think why?
Let’s read the Boon Wurrung Story.
What might this story teach us about the way the Boon Wurrung people experience the Creator Spirit?
What may this story teach us about the importance of our own stories in relation to local, national and international issues?
How else might we apply important narratives of the past to current situations needing attention?
Kids Activity
In parallel to grown ups run a kids session: talk about pictures as stories, songlines and place.
Will need:
What do you like about stories?
Look at this image? What is this a picture of?
(girls, dog, trees…)
This picture tells the story of the time Talitha and Bron went to the park with Gracie.
What about this image? what’s happening here? who was there? but they aren’t in the picture… how do you know they were there?
(pictures can capture a “moment”, some part of a bigger memory, tobogganing and snow angels, other friends… reminder of something bigger that we can no longer see)
Pictures have two things, a place and a “happening”.
Using your pictures so far, talk about where they are happening and what is happening.
Indigenous stories tell something about a place and also about something happening there.
WHERE: Maybe there is a waterhole (blue), things grow there (green), drier sand/soil as you move away (orange), day rocks (red).
WHAT: An animal comes to the watering hole and then goes (tracks).
Ask children to share a memory, a story, and make a picture – collectively or individually (age depending). Then ask of each: Where is your story taking place? What is happening there?
How would you feel if you couldn’t got there again? If you couldn’t do that again? (sad)
Today the grown ups are talking about the story of lamentations – a lament is a sound of grief and sorrow. That’s what people in the story did when they couldn’t go back to the place they remembered or do the things they used to do there.
Learning:
our stories and our pictures can be used to tell each other about places we haven’t been and things we haven’t done, remembering and reminders can comfort us when we feel sad
let’s take a photo now, today of all of us together, making and telling stories so that we have a memory-capture. It’s good to take photos and write stories and make pictures because they help us remember
take your picture now to a grown up – tell them your story – use things inside the picture and outside the picture
the sun shines
and I fear the grace
given to me has gone away
somewhere like a bird freed
to a better and happier place
people are fleeing, drowning, dying
fear is a relative thing
you must look at me and think
I don’t know what fear is
I fear I don’t
and that desensitises me
to you somehow
lost, cold, hungry
should I call the cops on you?
that’s only called for if you’re
taking what I don’t want to give you
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry we cannot be more generous.
Talitha Fraser
‘to love our neighbours as ourselves’ is a common belief across all faiths.
Sometimes feel depressed – actually those are things worth feeling depressed about (global financial crisis, global warming…) We are complicit in an exploitative system. Fills us with sorrow. Accept it as a reasonable response and don’t let it incapacitate me.
Joy and sorrow can co-exist. Sadder the older I get.
Nehemiah – the joy of the Lord is my strength. In the midst of my sorrow need to find a reason for hope/joy. God is always there. God brings joy. Need a spiritual discipline of finding God in sorrow. In all things God is working for good. When we find God in a situation we will find good. Get up everyday and find something I can rejoice in: within myself, in my relationship with my wife, my family, my community…
Action research – look for problems. Find them. Generate more à become overwhelmed e.g. “what do you see as the problems in our relationship?”, ask your partner that question and you will have found some problems to work on!
Appreciative research – peak experience, best practice. What do you like about our relationship? Why? How could we do this more often in the future? E.g. what are the best times we’ve had together? What made them good? How could we have them more often?
Dealing with the negative in a more positive framework is more energy-giving.
What is truly there? Something about how it operates that sustains it – start from that. E.g. people will keep running a programme long beyond when it is sustainable, it must be because there is something in that worth saving.
Positions polarise – close down options into one of two. Those positions harden and it becomes difficult to see resolution. Ask “why?” of both sides to draw out fears and desires. See if there are solutions beyond their positions that meet desires and address fears. Not easy and not quick. Fear of the process greater than need to change. E.g. building mosque – the side against were concerned about increased traffic flow and parking, Muslim people feared religious intolerance in their community.
Several options that can look like:
– No existing relationship, no interest in a common goal
– Committed to action, regardless of how it affects other relationships
– Relationship so important, need to NOT act. Can’t risk it.
– Do have a relationship – are interested in resolution (partial/unlimited)
Community with family:
Plan our time together and there are different kinds:
– Non-negotiable time, this belongs to my wife and family and it cannot be given away
– Non-negotiable time, give freely to everybody – don’t need to talk about it
– Negotiable, to family or community
It is easy to give up something that is not important to yourself on behalf of someone else e.g. living without a fridge in India – easy for Dave to commit to but not for his wife àfundamental injustice. Only sacrifice what is mine, not what belongs to others. Sometimes excruciating to negotiate, ‘worst way of doing it, apart from all the other ways’. Consequences of not negotiating – more painful. Negotiating is a heavy process. Something that is life-giving for me might also be death-giving t someone else – have to negotiate to a cost. Often these aren’t win:win but rather choose what is life-giving for her this time and hope that it will roll around to my turn next time. Important to be putting the other person first.
When first started this work it was all or nothing. Gave freely and fully. Became hurt. You can help and resource others without risking anything but you can’t love them. Need to be willing/able to be vulnerable. I was becoming increasingly hardened. Prayed. God is love. To reflect God to the world need to show love. Get hurt along the way and now scared. Need to ask ourselves: what can we do today to reach out to those around us so if its not reciprocated or appreciated it won’t destroy us?
Want to risk but can’t take the same amount every day. A given that we will reach out but give ourselves permission to say how much we are able to risk. E.g. could be the difference between jumping in my car to go to work and only waving at my neighbours on the ways past, or walk out the door and seek people out but only talk about what is ‘light, right, nice, polite’ – no capacity to go to the depths, or go up to one person and go deep: “I’m sorry that we aren’t getting on so well, love to shout you a coffee sometime and talk about it…”
Need to monitor our own degrees of vulnerability. Become bitter if give more than we can give happily.
Sacrificial giving – condemn Pharisees who only give a little themselves and exploit widows. Exploit our desire to be generous and then guilt-trip is for more. Jesus was willing to die but not every day, most times Jesus ran away – only died once. No one takes my life from me but I can lie it down. Sacrifice. We will take a stand and get done over, but not every day.
Need to think about our choices in relation to our partners/kids. E.g. if I am away on holiday for 14 days – need to manage myself to be back, present and attentive, on day 15. Otherwise that is time that I have stolen from my wife and kids.
So many voices, culture, choices in our head driving us – seek out still small voice (role of the Holy Spirit). For myself, get a blank piece of paper and write things down with an arrow beside them
Arrow pointing upwards: things I want to ask God
Arrow pointing downwards: things God tells me
~ this becomes my ‘to do’ list
Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can and the wisdom to know it’s me.
Turning inwards, that job will never be complete. But others seeing you on the journey might be inspired to become more like you. Teach me the lessons I need to learn so that I can be useful to someone else in the future.
Appreciative inquiry – if actions are oppressing a third party: have to intervene. In some occasions you can avoid/walk away but others you must intervene.
Becoming involved in conflict:
Keep your distance – a) helps situation not to escalate and b) gives you a head start if you need to run. Say something like “hey mate, can I help you something?” address the perpetrator not the victim. Will think you’re on their side. Want to protect them from harm themselves. Always frightened and fearful when getting involved. If fair fight might sometimes keep walking but not if someone is out-numbered or overpowered.
Be gentle on ourselves. Can be our own worst enemy and our own best friend. Rather than seeking validation from others, seek how God sees me. My needs and ideas are valid too. Can’t wait for someone else to tell me that. Desire for acceptance/approval. “The Lucifer effect”
In the context of God’s validation, accept ourselves.
Activist/doing – gets approval. Hard work of seeking God and being still – becoming aware of our own faults and limitations. Can ‘survive’ and not maintain your soul. What is the bottom line of what you are willing to compromise of your faith/values? E.g. in a concentration camp: some did anything to survive, even kill other jews (had a life, but no soul), others were reformers preaching hope/outspoken, executed quickly (had soul but not their life), third type would not intervene in someone being beaten but would not engage in brutality themselves (both soul and life).
Whether they fire or shoot me won’t do ….
What is the bottom line of what you are willing to compromise of your faith/values?
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