BREXIT
means BREXIT! My analysis of the state of our country could be summed up with
these words. We are all aware that BREXIT means BREXIT, but less clear what
BREXIT really means! We know that we are British and we live in the United
Kingdom, but when it comes to the small print of our values and our
relationships with the rest of the world, we differ hugely.
I am
aware that in schools we teach: British values? I wonder what these are
exactly. Many of our laws and values were based around the Christian faith, but
I am fairly clear we can no longer meaningfully call ourselves a Christian
country. I do not mourn its passing, for all of my lifetime we have only given
it lip service. I prefer genuine and passionate commitment rather than
begrudging formal acquiescence.
One thing that Christianity did
bring was a story around which to build our values: love your neighbour, do
unto others, love your enemies, the love of money is the root of evil, take the
plank out of your own eye, remember a child is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven…… to the poor will be given the kingdom of God, the hungry will be
satisfied, those who weep will have a time to laugh, those that mourn will be
comforted. All of these teachings are actually counter cultural ideas, especially
when we live in a culture whose core idol is SELF; who I am and what I can get.
They sit more comfortably in a culture which genuinely values community, and
realises that for its health all have a responsibility towards the weak.
Alongside
the above teachings of Jesus we have the foundations from his Jewish roots: Do
not murder, do not steal, do not commit adultery, do not lie (give false
testimony) and do not be jealous (of your neighbour’s wife, and thus presumably
husband, or their Ox, Donkey or belongings.) How can we be a ‘Christian’
country, when our living rooms are flooded each day with adverts directly
contradicting this? Without jealousy we may learn contentment, but then our
economy could not be stoked up with the personal debt of the poor!
The
bright eyed of you may have realised that I have quoted only five of the Ten
Commandments, I wonder how many of you know the others. Others may look at this
list and conclude that indeed they were not a bad starting point upon which to
build a healthy civilisation. Perhaps they contributed to our willingness to
tackle the worst excesses of slavery and inhumane practices and inequality,
even when these seemed to damage the wealth or status of those who held power.
Indeed it could be argued that as they have sunk into the sub-conscious we have
inadvertently allowed new forms of slavery and inequality and injustice to
flourish.
The five
commandments I have omitted are all summed up in Jesus’ answer to the question which
is the greatest commandment. He answers, ‘to love the lord your God with all
your heart, soul, mind and strength.’ He sums up all we’ve said above by
saying, ‘the second is like it, love your neighbour as yourself.’ For me this
is the crucial question. It is the answer to BREXIT, it is the answer to our
understanding of ourselves and our values. To whom or to what are we related.
For myself I am convinced that I am related, indebted, valued and cherished by
something far beyond myself and my local concerns. This in turn connects me to
my neighbour in Frampton and indeed my neighbour in Syria. I am also convinced
that the vast majority of my country no longer sense the vitality of these relationships.
Our
country must now negotiate towards a society no longer confined by our European
heritage or indeed Christian heritage. I do worry about the values that we
might adopt. However for me BREXIT means that I must refresh my own
relationships and commitments to ensure that, wherever it is in my power, I
exude a love for my neighbour, wherever they may be, which honours sufficiently
the love that I understand has been offered to me. 