Released! Into Freedom and Love to be 'One and Free!

As we prepare for our National Day – for some celebration and others mourning and grief – I re-read Dorothy Mackellar’s beloved poem, My Country. One stanza is especially well-known:

I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains,

Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains.

I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea,

Her beauty and her terror – The wide brown land for me!

We have been fortunate to see some of the beautiful diversity and wonder Dorothy Mackellar speaks of – the wonder of rainforests, the beauty of Kakadu and the wild rugged cliffs of the Kimberley. Bush, forest, plain and rugged, ancient mountains, streams and rivers, beaches and ocean. The wide blue sky and broad horizon, the light and sunshine, the wild, strange and unique creatures, birds, reptiles, trees, shrubs and flowers. It is a beautiful and wondrous land!

Then there are the people. The First Peoples, the oldest continuous culture on Earth, whose wisdom and intimate knowledge of the land goes largely unrecognised, as they struggle for a place in modern Australia. They bring the pain and struggle of cultural genocide, the loss of culture, language and land. They bring their pain and alienation of being part of the Stolen Generation, and their loss of hope or a voice into national conversation. Alongside, this ancient culture, are peoples from all parts of the Earth, arriving by air and sea, immigrants all – ‘boat people.’ There is a cultural mix pot of colour, culture, language, wisdom, spirituality and hope to live in freedom and life together in the land. It is a dream and hope that we all share.

There is much to celebrate, much that is achieved, much success and beauty. But where the light shines brightly, there is deeper, darker shadow, and such exists in our land. A brief look or listen to a news feed will highlight some of the pain and struggle, the suffering and challenge, the conflict and violent that permeates our land.

Our National Anthem has replaced the line, ‘Young and free’ to ‘One and free…’ It is clear that we aren’t one – nor are most of us free. There is much conflict, as racial, religious, political and other tensions that boil over into violence. There is exclusion and the marginalisation of people and groups, those who are different, in language, culture, faith, gender, orientation, politics, status, dress, education… There is much fear and as we are urged to accumulate more wealth, power and control, and we try to struggle our way ‘to the top’ there is competition and failure. As some make it, many are left behind, but is anyone happy or content?

Within Australia there is a pandemic of violence, the most insidious is domestic violence, often hidden behind closed doors, revealed only when the pain is too much or there is a tragedy. Too many women and children (occasionally a male) are subject to violence from those who pretend to love them, too often resulting in murder.

For others, the cost of living, the lack of affordable housing, and the challenges of balancing work, family and everything else tears them apart, leaving us tired, stressed and stretched. Beyond these elements of contemporary life, there is loneliness and isolation, the challenges of long-term illness and mental illness, the lack of belonging and the anxiety, depression and despair that many people feel, at least some of the time. Having a country (and politicians) that boasts of prosperity and affluence, doesn’t ensure we are whole and have well-being of body, mind and spirit, or connected, supportive relationships that sustain us. There really is much to ponder, especially as we look towards another election, with politicians fawning over us and promising the world – a world they will never be able to deliver.

The alienation we experience in our lives drives fear, loneliness and existential angst as we seek a deeper purpose and meaning amidst the affluence and prosperity that brings stress but changes our happiness or joy very little.  This week’s Gospel reading is quite significant for us our national life.  It comes from Luke 4:14-21.  It is the inaugural sermon of Jesus in Luke’s story – his mission statement if you like.  Jesus read some verses from the prophet Isaiah.  Jesus said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

The Jewish conception of poverty, it isn’t only economic.  New Testament commentator, Joel Green defines "poor" in the first-century Mediterranean world:  In that culture, one's status in a community was not so much a function of economic realities, but depended on a number of elements, including education, gender, family heritage, religious purity, vocation, economics, and so on.  Thus, lack of subsistence might account for one's designation as "poor," but so might other disadvantaged conditions, and "poor" would serve as a cipher for those of low status, for those excluded according to normal canons of status honour in the Mediterranean world.

Poverty is material/ economic but also spiritual, psychological and physical.  The poverty for which Jesus promises ‘good news’ is not just economic but also the poverty of oppression where people are held captive.  This could be political, religious, economic, health, psychological, addiction – anything that oppresses people and holds them captive.  For many in the wealthy West it could affluence and materialism.  Jesus’ message and mission is about an alternative that delivers freedom and life rather than ongoing bondage.  There are captives and prisoners that Jesus refers to and he speaks of release from the social, spiritual and economic factors that bind people and hold them captive.  This is a message for our world and one that we would do well to contemplate as we celebrate (or mourn) our national day.

This is ultimately about building an inclusive, caring, compassionate community that welcomes all and shares resources, life, hope and is a community of healing and wholeness. It is a community that is honest with itself and open to correction and renewal when we inevitably get it wrong. It is a community that resists all forms of violence and becomes a model of hope and light for a struggling world. The Good news of Jesus challenges our culture and the assumptions of much of our society.  It challenges us with another way of seeing the world and the people around us, drawing us into a deeper sense of generous, hospitable community grounded in love not fear.  This way of God is life-giving for all and nurtures a radical realignment of our world towards the God’s Reign.