by Marquis Murray | Jul 10, 2018 | Sunday Conversations
The movie starts with these words from scripture… (Isaiah 40) “The Lord is the everlasting God…he will not grow tired…gives strength to the weary…increases the power of the week…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength…they will soar…run…walk.”
We’re invited into the playful relationship with Desmond’s brother, loving relationship with his mother, and difficult one with his father.
– His mom is seen as a wonderful woman
– His Dad is a war veteran still living with the effects of his time at war…alcoholic…hates himself and takes it out on others…
– He loves his brother, though almost killed him in a play fighting accident. This is one of the things that shapes his views on fighting and killing.
While in this crisis with his brother, we see Desmond looking at a poster in his house with both the Lord’s Prayer and the 10 commandments, focusing on commandment #6, Do not Kill.
Demond seemed to always have compassion for others. While cleaning the church windows, he hears a noise, rushes out to see, and help, as someone was struck by a car. He saves his life and this starts his interest in medicine.
– This also leads him to meeting his future wife, Dorthy.
– He goes home and tells his family, “I met someone today, Dorthy, she’s gonna be my wife.”
This is of course the years of WW2. Americans are enlisting to war. Desmond’s brother enlisted. And Desmond, makes the choice to enlist as well.
– one problem, he is a conscientious objector to violence, a pacifist, an abstainer to guns and killing
– he signs up as a medic
– problem two, they send him to a rifle company/training centre for front line soldiers
Desmond goes to military training with a bible in hand. Not because he believes in war, but because he believes he can make a difference, without fighting. His dad warns him that this war isn’t going to fit into his thinking and values…“You have to pray about everything, and war doesn’t give you that option.”
Military Camp is not pleasant for Desmond. Some of the soldiers and lieutenants abuse and mistreat him. This of course is because of his faith and values. The others are told, “Do not look to Dos to save you on the battle field, as he’ll be struggling with his conscious”
In conversation with the Psychiatrist Dos says…“I’m not crazy sir”. I just simply believe what I believe. “God says not to kill” and “Jesus said, a new commandment I give unto you, to love one another.”
Doss ends up in prison for a few days, as they wait to give him a trial, and attempt to send him home. He missed his wedding because they didn’t let him go home for the weekend. His lieutenant brings his fiancé to him, to try and convince him to give up this foolishness.
This conversation unfolds… “I don’t know how I can live with myself if I don’t stay true to what I believe…or how you can live with me…I’d never be the man I wanna be in your eyes.”
During his Trial, Desmond’s Father brings the leading officer/judge a letter reminding them of the constitution; a constitution that was written to give people freedom of choice. Desmond wins the trial, is allowed to go back to the army, and the story leads us to Okinawa, Japan, and the battle on Hacksaw Ridge. His parting sentence? You are free to enter into the hell fire of war without a single weapon to protect yourself.
What proceeds to happen in the final 45 min of the movie is one of the greatest acts of courage & conviction you’ll ever see.
Desmond, true to his values, does not use a weapon, but proceeds to risk his life to save the life of others.
After a day of fighting, when the surviving soldiers leave the Ridge to go back to camp, Desmond stays, and going back and forth, bringing wounded soldiers again and again, lowering them down to camp to be cared for. During this time he ask’s God, ‘what do you want from me?’ Then hears the cries of his brothers, and knows what to do – help them.
His prayer that whole night, “Help me save one more. Please Lord, help me save one more.”
He helped more than 75 soldiers that night.
His Lieutenant said these words to him…“All I saw was a skinny kid. I didn’t know who you were. You did more than any kind of man has done in the service of this country. I hope one day you can forgive me.”
AND… “Let’s get this soldier to a hospital bed”. This is significant, as earlier in the story, Doss tells that same lieutenant, “While everybody else is taking lives, I wanna be saving it…With the world set on tearing itself a part, it doesn’t seem like a bad idea to put it back together.” He was laughed at a criticized – now he’s called a solider.
INSIGHTS/APPLICATION/SCRIPTURE: (Faith, Hope, Truth)
Live out your convictions…your values…your heart felt principles.
- Matthew 16:24-26, ““Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”
Decide how you want to be known and who you are…you have nothing else.
Have an answer for everyone who asks about the hope & faith you have.
1 Peter 3:13-15. Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…
Peace, and non-violent confrontation, even in the midst of impossible situations, is valuable and life changing/saving.
Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3 They will beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, Nor will they learn war anymore.
Q&EH?
We heard some really good questions and comments following our conversation. Some highlights…
– Why do we have to wait for someone like Doss to save 75 people before we can appreciate his values and principals?
– War movies are always about the one with the most guns while this story is about the guy with no guns or weapons.
– All we can do is help one person at a time and leave the results up to God.
by Marquis Murray | Jul 3, 2018 | Sunday Conversations
We’ve been tracking with this theme for a 3 weeks, and I’m sure someone has thought or said this to themselves during our conversations, “But I don’t even like my neighbours…I don’t like my neighbourhood…I wish I didn’t live with these people”.
As we finish up our series, we look at a place in scripture where Israel was displaced and living in a place they wish they didn’t. They felt homeless and out of place, not fitting in with their new surroundings.
We find ourselves in Jeremiah 29…Israel is in Exile. They’ve been brought to Babylon by another king, and of course don’t like it one bit. God tells them that there is a purpose in this; that he can use them there, but of course this is hard to take or listen to.
Here are words to people who don’t like their new neighbours, who are unsettled, who don’t fit in, and wish they were somewhere else.
Jeremiah 29:1-13
4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”8 … 10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord…
A few things we want to point out here…
- This is a letter to exiles
- Those Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Israel to Babylon
- Babylon has become a metaphor for displacement and not fitting in…as Israel is in another land…
- God is saying that he sent them there
- They have a purpose to be there
- Israel isn’t lost or misplaced, they’re exactly where they need to be
- Israel doesn’t know how to act or live while placed in a neighbourhood they don’t want to be in. God says…
- Build Houses / Live in them
- Plant Gardens / Eat from them
- Do life, Get Married, Multiply, Increase
- AND…the key verse here:
- “Seek the welfare (peace & prosperity) of the city I have sent you to”
- Pray for your neighbourhood, your city, your region, your country
- Sounds like, “Love your neighbour as yourself”
- Wish for your neighbour what you wish for yourself. If they prosper, you prosper.
- You are not an island unto yourself
- Later we read, “I know the plans I have for you…your welfare, your future, your hope.
- As we pray that for others, know that God is planning that for us.
- Finally, God says, pray & call on me. Seek me and you will find me…I will be found by you.
“When you find a home in God you will always feel at home wherever you live.”
This is a story about people who are sent to live with neighbours they don’t want to live with. They’re struggling with how to live their faith in the midst of a culture that doesn’t acknowledge GOD as their God.
What does God tell them/us to do?
- Bloom where you are planted
- Pray for your neighbours
- Pray for your city
- Pray that they do well
- Pray to me…seek me…I’ll be right their with you the whole time.
– – – – – – – –
So, we want to end our series, won’t you be my neighbour? with some prayer and some homework.
PRAY FOR…
– a neighbour you like or love (someone who’s blessed you)
– a neighbour you do not like or don’t get along with (someone who’s hurt you)
– your city, region, province, country
HOMEWORK for the SUMMER…(60 Day Challenge)
– Attempt to have meaningful conversations with at least two neighbours this summer that is
a little more than chit chat…
– Purposely engage in an act of kindness that serves a need or seizes an opportunity that you’ve become aware of…
– Ask God to use you to speak encouragement to your closest neighbours (family/friends).
– Walk across the street…more than you currently do.
(Read/Pray/Rest)
– Read one gospel book (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John)
– Read one short NT book (i.e. Philippians, Ephesians, Jude, etc)
– Start each week with one Psalm (i.e. 1, 4, 8, 13, 15, 23, 46, 51, 100, 133, 139, 150)
– Pray before & after (simple prayer with Praise, Confession, Gratefulness, Requests)
– Rest/Unplug (make sure to rest when you have the opportunity, this is spiritual too)
by Marquis Murray | Jun 27, 2018 | Sunday Conversations
Watch This…TIM HORTON’s COMMERCIAL
Is that not an amazing commercial?
Say what you will about their coffee (you may or may not be a fan), but Tim Horton’s knocked it out of the park with this creative genius. Sure…there are 100’s of other drinks or food choices one could use to bring people together, but the point was well made.
And how timely is this commercial?
You could show this in any season. But this past week, with all the talk about borders and the lack of human dignity, we needed to be reminded just how important it is to break down walls and both love & see our neighbour as our selves.
(The southern US border issue has totally taken over the news these days, has it not?)
We’ve been asking this question the last few weeks…won’t you be my neighbour?
And challenged ourselves with this other question…what kind of neighbour will you be?
You know what’s at the heart of this conversation? Why neighbouring is difficult? Because human beings are diverse and complex beings.
So here’s a third question? How can I connect with those who are different then me? How can I be a neighbour to someone who looks, talks, acts, lives, and believes differently than me?
Glad you asked this question 🙂
TWO important statements we must get out of the way…
We’re all different…
You know this to be true simply because even the people who are closest to you are different than you…in character, personality, interests, etc.
&
We’re also all the same…
You also know this to be true because we all share similar needs, food, rest, relationships, shelter, etc.
If we’re all the same, but also all very different, why is it that we have such a hard time relating to people who are both the same and different if every one is both the same and different? A bit of a tongue twister, but worth asking.
Let me got this out of the way: we should appreciate people’s differences! People who follow Jesus should appreciate people’s differences! Because Everyone Matters to God. Period.
– – – – – – – – – –
We’ve been coming back to the same story, week after week. It’s found in two gospels, Mark 12 & Luke 10.
In Mark Jesus is asked what is the greatest commandment. In Luke he is asked how one experiences eternal life. The response is the same: Love God & Love Others.
Love God…how…with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
Love your neighbour…how…as you love yourself.
Let’s jump to Luke 10…after this exchange the religious teacher asks a follow up question…
“And who is my neighbour?”
Know that this question is more about ‘who is pure?’, ‘who is to be loved?’. Up to this point, they’re pretty sure neighbour would be someone close to them, like them, in their clan or tribe or culture or religion.
If you were here in week one (or read our recap), we learned that Jesus is quoting Leviticus, a book for Israel, to help Israel live in community. So the initial reference is about someone who was close, in culture and experience.
Jesus…as he does so well…expands our understanding of neighbour…and by doing that also expands our understanding of love.
Jesus responds by telling the (well known) story of the Good Samaritan…
- A man is hurt on the side of a road…robbed, stripped, left for dead
- A priest walks by and moves to the other side of the street
- A Levite (religious leader) also moves to the other side of the street
- A Samaritan…had pity on him, helped him, bandaged him, paid for his hotel room
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
I love that Jesus doesn’t just say, ‘correct answer’, he says, ‘go and live this out’.
This isn’t just about who has more compassion, it’s about who the Samaritan is in the story? Samaritan’s and Jews didn’t get along. Samaritan’s were different. They weren’t ‘pure’. They were ‘other people’. YET…the Samaritan is the neighbour in the story who loves on the other (needy) neighbour in the story. Jesus identifies the neighbour in need, and the neighbour with love.
The original listener, a religious Jew, thinks the priest or the Levite is correct? (stay clean…they’re not one of you…they’re not your neighbour…they’re not the same culture) But…by obeying the Torah (Law), they disobeyed it’s intent (Loving others).
Remember this: Loving others beats loving the Law. Love people more than you love your Bible. Why? Cause if you love your bible more than you love people, you’re probably not falling in love with the Jesus we find in the Bible.
This week was both a wild week in the news, and ironically also had a designated day… #RefugeeDay/#WithRefugee Day
Here are some of the quotes that caught my attention in relation to our conversation…
The busier we are living our lives the less we think about others. Don’t neglect those important to you. (D. Ridgley)
Neighbouring is so important because the way we treat others is a reflection of our relationship with Jesus.
We encounter Jesus in those who are poor, rejected, or refugees. Do not let fear get in the way of welcoming our neighbour in need.#WithRefugees (Pope)
A person’s dignity does not depend on them being a citizen, a migrant, or a refugee. Saving the life of someone fleeing war and poverty is an act of humanity. #WithRefugees (Pope)
“Being a Christian is not about having new ideas; it’s about having new eyes. It’s about seeing Jesus in our neighbours.” @ShaneClaiborne
“We get the sense that the closer we are to God the less we should want to throw stones at each other. None of us are beyond redemption and none of us above reproach”
@ShaneClaiborne
Hospitality is more than an open door. It’s an acknowledgement of the gifts the stranger brings. (Joan Chittister)
Do not spend time bothering whether to love your neighbour, act as if you did. (CS Lewis)
Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart and one who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them. (posted by Kristen Mauceri)
This is all bound up in, “Who is my neighbour?”
A better question might be, “to whom can I be a neighbour?”
The difference is, you’re not sifting through your options, but looking to live out Jesus’ love of others.
This means that neighbourly love is whenever love and wherever love… (BIG)
That sounds extravagant, I know, but it’s the kind of love God has for us…and the kind of love that should pour out of us for others.
For this to happen; for us to love those who are the same & different…we need to practice these things…
– Respect
– Understanding & Appreciation of where people from
– Empathetic of others situation or circumstances
– Non-Judgment of peoples differences
– Hold your views with conviction & humility
– Instead of walking to the other side of the street to get away…walk to the side they’re on to get to know them.
TAKE HOME…
Here are a few things to think about when trying to connect with people who are different than you, and loving them, your neighbour, at the same time…
1) Start with Common Ground (the Tim Horton’s clip does this well)
2) Read a book with an opposing view as you
3) Build a relationship with someone who is different. Examples would be…people who don’t have your sexual orientation, who is of a different faith, who is of a different class or financial bracket, who sees the world differently than you do.
– If you look into each of those persons eyes, they matter to God!
– This is not to say that you should stay in a toxic relationship…or allow others to bully you or abuse you…not at all!
4) Pray…for those you love and for those you have a hard time loving.
In the words of the king of Wakanda (Black Panther) “Build Bridges, not walls”
