Reflection by Roy Nelson, October 16, 2011

I asked god for strength that I might achieve
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey
I asked for help that I might do greater things
I was given infirmity that I might do better things
I asked for riches that I might be happy
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life
I was given life that I might enjoy all things
I got nothing I asked for
but everything I had hoped for.
Despite myself my prayers were answered
I am, among all people, richly blessedanonymous

To-day is recognition of World Food Day. I really wasn't sure how to tackle this reflection. Choosing a scripture was the first obstacle because the lectionary suggestion wasn't about food. Moses and manna and the five loaves and two fishes didn't seem to fit. The world's hungry could certainly do with a miracle but how could I lay the problem at Jesus' feet or God's doorstep when neither of them was the cause of global warming or industrial greed.

Joseph and his dream...seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine comes close since the scientific community tells us we will not see any reversal in climate change until 2050 and that is only if we begin now to correct CO² emmissions. So let me try Ruth's story and deal with the lectionary suggestion later.

There had been a famine in the land of Judah and so Elimelech, his wife, Naomi, and their two sons journeyed to the land called Moab. Here the two sons married one to Ruth and the other to Orpah. About ten years later both sons died and Naomi, already a widow, decided to return to Judah but said Ruth and Orpah should remain in Moab. Ruth stubbornly refused, determined to stay with Naomi saying, "Where you go I will follow and where you are, there will I also be." — you know the rest of the story so I will skip to the end. Ruth and Naomi return to Judah and Ruth goes to the fields with the other women of the community to gather the kernels and stalks of barley left by the harvesters. These were the gleaners. Ruth is noticed by Boaz, the land owner who enquires of her and learning of her kin and relationship orders her protection and freedom to work in the fields gleaning the remnants. This practice was an unwritten arrangement in which the wealthy landowners shared a portion of the harvest with the peasantry.

As a child, there hung on my bedroom wall a print of "The Gleaners", a painting done in 1857 by Jean Francois Millet. It is oil on canvas of three peasant women bending to pick up the loose stalks of grain left in the field by the men harvesting the crop. Millet's work was not appreciated by the french aristocracy who looked on it as a rebuke of their wealth and priviledge and drew attention to the disparity between them and the working people. All Millet was doing was revealing through his artistry the age old custom of sharing a portion of the bounty with the poor.

The old testament stories about moses and joseph are not just abot food. They, like to-day's scripture read by Elaine, are about their relationship with god. Ruth's story is about the relationship between the peasantry and the landowner. Let me substitute the landowner with big business to-day and Ruth with our working class . In many cases to-day's model lacks the unwritten obligation to share more equitably. When ethics and compassion in business are replaced by the rule of maximized profit society is left with a failed union of its components.

As I prepared this reflection I recognized the life we live in canada in contrast to that of those in third world countries and those whose lives are in turmoil because of drought and famine and totalitarian rule. Not to be ignored or trivialized is the plight of some of our own in this country and right here in Nelson, but their need is less savage than that in the Horn of Africa and Somalia. Most of us take our trip to the supermarket as commonplace and sometimes a bit of a drudge. Think about it though in the light of the gift it is. Two weeks ago Charlotte and I had friends from North Vancouver stay with us. elwood was recovering from open heart surgery. For him it was a vacation, a time away from the stress of just being at home and business; for Nancy, much the same and an opportunity to voice concerns to an undersatanding ear. This was an escape for both of them. They walked our place, checked out the flower and vegetable gardens, picked apples and relaxed in a rural setting. The last day of their stay we went to the garden to give them produce. Elwood confessed he had always wanted to be a farmer, growing his own food. He was like a kid finding buried treasure as we dug potatoes and he sifted through the earth searching for hidden ones as I turned the soil. Nancy was pulling carrots with cCharlotte. This was pure ectasy to her. It was like a spiritual experience. She stood there with the carrots in her hands, her eyes alight and a big smile on her face. To think, the earth had yielded this to her. She was dissappointed when I, not thinking, pulled two onions that she had wanted to pull herself. This was a healing time for both of them and we were glad for them, yet to-day I am saddened for others who don't have a similar bounty to share.

We live in a land of abundance. If there is drought in Alberta there is a good crop in Saskatchewan or Manitoba. There is a relationship between our farmers and the land and a relationship between the farmers. These bonds are the keys to our full silos and our willingness to share our bounty with those in need. During the cold war Canada sent wheat to a hungry USSR. We are our brothers keeper. It is about sharing. We no longer live in isolation even though our land is bordered coast to coast to coast and along the 49^th parallel. Our atlases draw borders around the countries of the world, but technology has crossed those with wireless communication, picture taking cellphones and satellite transmissions. We can no longer plead ignorance of world events. So why are we so slow at times to take affirmative action and concrete assistance?

We can move oranges from Africa and pineapples from Costa Rica, lamb from New Zealand, and produce from California to the shelves in our supermarkets but are hardpressed to move food to the Horn of Africa. We can move planes and tanks and armaments and troops any where in the world, but have difficulty in moving food and aid to Haiti.

It begs the question, "Why?" Is it purely a lack of political will? Is it a mindset similar to that of Marie Antoinette when the peasantry were starving for a staple meal and her response was "Let them eat cake." No main course? Give them dessert. Is it that we don't know how to organise transport or a way to feed the masses? I can't accept that. Where there is a will there is a way. Perhaps the idea "it is not my problem" sits with too many people. Perhaps we lack a true relationship with god and an acceptance of our responsibilities to the global community.

These past few months we have witnessed the power of the people as they rallied against tyranny and oppression, first in Tunisia, then Egypt, then Libya and now in Syria and there are rumblings in Venezuela. These were primarily protests which became revolutions. We are experiencing protest gatherings on wall street in New York, on Howe Street in Vancouver and to-day at city hall here in Nelson. T hese are protests , revolutions of a kind but not as savage as the one in France. Ours are revolts against the greed of a few who limit access to a better life for the many. Corporate greed on Wall Street has decimated pensions and jobs and led to the loss of their home for thousands. That same greed filtered down in a domino affect to seriously impair monetary stability in Europe, Spain, Ireland and Greece.

The people have called for reform through the voice of government and the response has been deafening in the sound of silence. It should be no surprise then to the halves that enough is enough. We lost the voices of Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King Junior, Bobby and John Kennedy, the "disappeared" in Argentina and Quatemala, but like a Phoenix, it comes alive again. Is anybody listening? Does anybody care? I believe so.

George Eastman, a modest man who loved music and gardens is one of the greatest philanthroposts of the 20^th century. He and others like him: Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, were born into meagre surroundings which exposed them to hardship and an appreciation of their good fortune. Out of that era we saw the birth of the J.D. Rockefeller Foundation and to-day we see the birth of the Belinda and Bill Gates Foundation and the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Philanthropy is not dead but it needs help. I believe our churches must take a stronger stand against hunger and the exploitation of the working class by aligning themselves with legitimate protest. Mainline churches should be at the forefront to create change in a global economic system that recognises and supports the need for a social awareness that becomes a social democracy. People around the world are concerned about economic collapse and the drying up of money for health, job creation, education and the list goes on. The truth is there is the same amount of money right now as there was before the wall street collapse. It has just gone into hiding and will appear again when confidence is restored in the political arena. Our churches are concerned with the loss of a younger generation in our pews and yet we know with certainty that secondary and university students are seeking a spiritual connection that adds stability and reason to their life. They want a church that is relevant to the world they live in. A church that shares their concern for clean air, clean water and everything in between. Perhaps the church has lost its place in their lives because we do not engage the things that matter most to them.

Let me quote Albert Schweitzer:

"The deeper we look into nature, the more we recognise that it is full of life and the more profoundly we know that all life is a secret and that we are united with all life in nature. Man can no longer live his life for himself alone. we realize that all life is valuable and we are united to all this life. From this knowledge comes our spiritual relationship to the universe."

We ask god for help and god gives us opportunity to help ourselves. So be it.