World Vision Canada Mississauga September 27th 2017 The Politics of Love World Vision Canada Mississauga September 27th 2017

remembering as a radical disciple growing up, World Vision impressed me with its sight that the focus of the work of the kingdom of God was the world and not the church that the church was the servant of the kingdom for the world and not for itself that the gospel was the seed for the space left by the two world wars in the face of the growth of the communist domination system

seeing communism has partly fallen and now the capitalist domination system is unravelling new political space is again in front of us religious, nationalist and racist responses are threatening to dominate the space this new space needs cultivating with the seed of the gospel

the gospel is the politics of love “the kingdom of God is at hand” and “make way for the politics of love” are the same thing the good news is that the old law-based system is transforming into a love-based way of life You have heard it said “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” but I say to you…love your enemies” (Mtt 5: 38-44)

love is the purpose of everything in every sphere of life, business, health, education, entertainment, the arts, security and so on the purpose is love as Nazarene theologian Thomas Jay Oord spells it out “to love is to act intentionally, in empathetic, sympathetic response to God and others to promote overall wellbeing” or more simply put by my friend the late Ken McGreavy, “follow the flow of love”

love is the way love has always been the nature of true power and authority domination by status, force and money is the way of empire whether it is called dictatorship, autocracy, monarchy, republic, representative democracy or whatever when faced with empire Jesus opened up the way of love. It’s open still

two central texts Christ Jesus…who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, being made in the likeness of men .. became obedient to death ..on the cross (Phil 2: 6-8) Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself and began to wash the disciples' feet (Jn 13:3-5)

kenarchy Some of us have begun to call this politics of love kenarchy. You can if it helps. But it’s the substance that matters In the gospel testimony it was opened up to the multitude in at least seven ways: women were instated, children prioritized, the poor advocated for, strangers welcomed, humanity and the creation integrated, prisoners set free and the sick cared for this is the seed, the way, the flow of the politics of love into the open space before us today