Still no news of Jestina Mokoko in Zimbabwe

We received this from the Zimbabwe Advocacy office in Geneva today:

Following the alert we received from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights concerning the abduction of Zimbabwe Peace Project Director, Jestina Mukoko in the early hours of Wednesday, December 3, our office together with the World YWCA and the World Student Christian Federation have sent an urgent communication to the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council here in Geneva to alert them of the abduction and to use their mandates to ensure potection for Ms Mukoko. We also highlighted the raids on the Bulawayo offices of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.

We will continue to work with the UN human rights system to ensure the protection and well-being of all missing human rights defenders in Zimbabwe.

Full text here.

Perfect love casts out fear

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 1 John 4.18

In this Advent time I wait for that perfect love and recognize how far away I am from anything ressembling it. Today I experienced both the embedded presence of fear in my life and its destructive capacity. I also felt its sudden lifting. My facial muscles relaxed, I smiled again and suddenly felt and looked much better.
We human beings are such complex simple animals.

Dr B as father Christmas

Sometimes a normal day at work is not quite so normal. At some point this morning Dr B recieved a phone call from reception saying that the German toddler group had an emergency - Father Christmas had fallen ill and they really needed a German-speaking man to play "Nikolaus". So Dr B was torn away from his computer and put into white beard and red suit and the children got a German-speaking Liverpool accented Nikolaus.
Of course we all know this story isn't really true, "Le Père noel n'est jamais malade!"
Sorry I haven't got any photos.

Cosmos verses chaos and finding meaning in beauty

We read and compared the creation stories in Genesis 1 and 2 with the young people at KT yesterday, meditating the ordering of cosmos out of chaos, the beauty of creation.
To try to understand the different ways we appreciate beauty, we climbed up to the organ loft and met with one of the organists, Joëlle Gouel, who gave us a taste of the various sounds the instrument can make, and tried to get them to guess the century of the music she was playing or the story behind the music.
None of the young people admitted to particularly liking the organ before we met with Joelle but seeing the instrument in action and learning about how it is made, had quite an impact on them. Later they spoke more freely about their own music - and we discovered we have the makings of a small jazz band.
Towards the end of our time together we made small creations out of clay, spoke about them and read and then sang Psalm 8 together around the first candle on the Advent wreath.
Meanwhile I highly recommend Joëlle Gouel's excellent book "Les Chants du Pèlerin" which offers an overview of hymnody in French, including hymns she's translated herself from beyond the francophone tradtion.

Exile with poetry from Bertolt Brecht

Dr B brought me a beautiful Suhrkamp complete edition of Bertolt Brecht's poems. There are over 1500 pages so I won't get around to finishing reading them any time soon. My approach to poetry tends to be flick through the pages and hope something catches my eye. So far I've been reading and re-reading the one below, entitled thoughts on the length of exile.


Gedanken über die Dauer des Exils

Schlage keinen Nagel in die Wand
Wirf den Rock auf den Stuhl.
Warum vorsorgen für vier Tage?
Du kehrst morgen zurück.

Laß den kleinen Baum ohne Wasser.
Wozu noch einen Baum pflanzen?
Bevor er so hoch wie eine Stufe ist
Gehst du froh weg von hier.

Zieh die Mütze ins Gesicht, wenn Leute vorbeigehn!
Wozu in einer fremden Grammatik blättern?
Die Nachricht, die dich heimruft
Ist in bekannter Sprache geschrieben.

So wie der Kalk vom Gebälk blättert
(Tue nichts dagegen!)
Wir der Zaun der Gewalt zermorschen
Der an der Grenze aufgerichtet ist
Gegen die Gerechtigkeit.

II

Sieh den Nagel in der Wand, den du eingeschlagen hast:
Wann, glaubst du, wirst du zurückkehren?
Willst du wissen, was du im Innersten glaubst?

Tag um Tag
Arbeitest du an der Befreiung
Sitzend in der Kammer schreibst du.
Willst du wissen, was du von deiner Arbeit hältst?
Sieh den kleinen Kastanienbaum im Eck des Hofes
Zu dem du die Kanne voll Wasser schlepptest!

The Potato famine saga from Ruthann Gill

My friend Ruthann Gill has responded to JK Gayle's and David Ker's saga challenge. But hey she doesn't have a blog yet - though I already know what it should be called if she did: puzzle. Anyway here's what she wrote:

I couldn't come up with a life story using just 50 words. So, I wrote another poem around one I had written before about The Hunger in Ireland and how if my ancestors hadn't made it out I would not be here today as who I am ... I think of all those children in Africa and India, around the world actually, families dying by the thousands and I know we, as a human race, have not advanced at all with using hunger, water, and death to displace, wound, and eliminate not only generations but whole peoples. And so, here it is

The Great Hunger

‘taint easy living in wounded spaces
living in the wakes of our own broken places
walking through hillsides of old death remembered
flailing death
fractured peace where
there but for - what grace of God they lie?
I have to greet inside myself
whispered thanks for
ancestors spared this passing-by remembrance

Call for a European translation policy - sign the petition!

Thanks to my German colleague at work I've just come across this. Rosemarie came across it in the Süddeutsche Zeitung. I shall have to a trawl through the English speaking media to see whether it has been picked up at all there - saying it a call by European intelectuals is unfortunately unlikely to give it a lot of appeal to the English-speaking public and even less to the press!
You can also sign a petition to maintain mulitlingualism in Europe here and look at the European multilingual website here.

It's being publicised now because of recent debates within the EU about translation.
Meanwhile at the end of November Welsh was recognised as an official minority language in the EU - meaning that Welsh ministers can speak in their mother tongue at EU meetings. It's a beautiful language, but then so is every language.

Anyway here's the statement in full, I think it gives a good defence of why translation is so important.

Call for a European translation policy
Europe cannot continue to grow if it fails to respect its multiple languages; for the alternative would be to deny its very identity. It can take one of two paths: promote the general use of a “business dialect” to further exchange, with the risk of a collective loss; or welcome linguistic diversity and safeguard it so as to achieve improved mutual understanding and genuine dialogue.
The European Union, at least within its provisional borders, has ensured the movement of goods, capital and people. It is time for Europe to take on the duty of circulating knowledge, works and imaginary worlds, thereby reviving the flourishing times of historical Europe. It is time for Europeans to learn to talk to one another in their different languages. Showcasing the languages of Europe will help reconcile citizens with Europe. Translation plays a vital political role.
For a language is not solely an instrument for communication or a service; nor is it simply heritage or an identity to be preserved. Each language is a different net thrown across the world, it exists solely in its interaction with others. In translating a language, we accentuate its uniqueness and that of the other one: we must understand at least two languages to realise that we speak one.
Since a language is about transcending identities and experiencing differences, translation must be at the core of a European public area that we must all take responsibility in building, in its citizen-based and institutional dimensions, and in its cultural, social, political and economic components.
This is why we call for the implementation of a genuine European translation policy, which will have two cornerstones: mobilising all actors and sectors in cultural life (teaching, research, interpreting, publishing, arts, media); giving structure to the European Union’s internal approaches as well as its external policies, by ensuring in concrete terms the inclusion of other languages in Europe and the knowledge of Europe’s languages elsewhere in the world.
In translation, the European project will draw on renewed vigour.

Advent Signs in Food for Life

One of the meditations for Advent last weekend was to slowly eat a piece of bread, to taste its goodness and reflect on your need to be nourished. Today my Advent star box invited me to eat a bowl of rice with steamed vegetables as a meal and to consider those who think themselves lucky if this is the only food they get today.

Pictured with this post is the cover of Food for Life: Recipes and Stories on the Right to Food. It's published by the Lutheran World Federation edited by Karin Achtelstetter and Miriam Reidy-Prost with the recipes tested by the muti-talented Geneva-based Argentine cook Gabriela Vilardo. You can read more about it here. You can order the book by following the links at the bottom.

For me food is a desperately complex issue, as it is for many women battling with weight, cravings and guilt. I'm not just a fat woman but also a fat woman who preaches, encouraging others and myself to live more responsibly. An instant's look at me tells you I'm not taking enough of the medecine I preach about so freely. So another level of guilt is added - my size being a counter-witness to the life-giving Word I seek to share.
So as the world food crisis deepens, I wait for more justice for the millions who do not have anywhere near enough. I also wait to lay down my burden of guilt about food and to learn to concentrate on what truly nourishes me. And I give thanks for spiritual discipline that at least allows me to evoke my lack of nutritional discipline.

"Food for Life: Recipes and Stories on the Right to Food", published by the Lutheran World Federation, Geneva, ISBN 978-3-905676-62-4, price 25 Swiss francs/15 euros + postage, order from cmu@lutheranworld.org

Web: www.lutheranworld.org/What_We_Do/OCS/OCS-Cookbook.html

Congratulations

Deirdre Good and Julian Sheffield have written at Episcopal Cafe about Our (same sex) marriage. It's a personal and powerful piece.

Another tag, another meme, write your life in a 50 word mini saga

So now it's Kurk Gayle who's tagged me on another of David Ker's memes, a 50 word boy meets girl mini saga. Now of course I believe that my life is a major saga not a mini saga but hey here's one for starters. I am (almost) inspired to try a write a second, third and fourth about my parents and grand parents. The mini saga approach to family history. Maybe it would be fun to try and write a mini saga of institutions, the church, the banking industry, the UN, the WHO ... so who can I tag ... Thomas Zweiffler, Ruthann Gill (the potato famine woman!), Olive Alvis and any of the rest of you who fancy having a go.

Love over post-church coffee.
Newspapers. Politics. Theology. Rants.
The Berlin wall.
Separation.
Proposal
Finally vows
And a tent
Barefoot joy in a garden
France Belgium Germany Switzerland
surviving
happy
together
waiting for another conversation about Walter Benjamin
still wondering about the meaning of life
and celebrating the wonder of love.

Pure pleasure while praying

This evening we gathered in the side chapel as we do on Wednesdays through Advent and Lent for Holden evening prayer. While Annie and Colin, our soloists, were singing the magnificat and we were responding, I was overtaken for a moment by the gentle pleasurable beauty of worshiping and praying in this way. It was precious and I briefly glimpsed an understanding of what Advent and incarnation and being church might all be about. For a few short notes of music I learnt about being upheld and led out by tune, melody and harmony. Going to church can be good for you.

Impossible Advent

I've been meditating this quote below from Ann Pettifor on Simon Barrow's blog

“We’ve lost the ability to hold our breath. Everything is instantly available, regardless of longer-term costs, and the damage we do to ourselves and our planet is immense. So we get into debt, we produce more emissions and become unhappy if we are not immediately gratified.”

In the northern hemisphere Advent coincides with busy end of year deadlines, not an easy time to delay gratification. Looking at what it is that truly nourishes us can actually be quite scary - it calls into question values we take for granted, like having money, spending money and time on things rather than on people.

This evening I've been thinking about a wonderful lady in my parish who for years cared for a husband with Alzheimer's. She gave modest amounts to the church but gave away more than 20% of her teacher's pension to a variety of French and overseas charities. She also gave generously of her time to help immigrant children with their schoolwork and adults with writing official letters. Any of her aquaintances having problems making ends meet at the end of the month knew that she'd always provide them with a square meal.

Church wasn't really her thing, although she read her Bible and prayed daily. For me she embodies straightforward, joyful, open minded Christian witness. Her witness also shows me that Advent values are possible. It's not just about giving it's about caring.

This statement on the sidebar of Advocacy International's website also inspired me to think there are small places where Advent is possible:

Ours is a dynamic, professional, hard-working team with big achievements to their credit. But they're human too: approachable, keen and above all, committed.

Jestina Mukoko arrested

The WSCF Zimbabwe human rights desk has just sent out the urgent message below about the arrest of Jestina Mukoko. Please get this information out to your networks as soon as possible. Continue to pray for the people of Zimbabwe and for Jestina's speedy and safe return. Let's hope ...

Our friends at Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights are sending out an SOS message concerning the abduction of Zimbabwe Peace Project Director, Jestina Mukoko at 5am (Zimbabwean time - 3 hours ago) this morning. Jestina was bundled into an unmarked Mazda Familia by suspected Central Intelligence Organisation agents and her whereabouts are currently unknown. According to her son a group of 20 or more people surrounded their house early this morning and 4 armed men broke in and dragged out Jestina. It is also unclear whether Jestina's abduction is specifically targeting ZPP or is part of a wider clampdown on civil society activists ahead of the planned ZCTU strike action today.
Lawyers from ZLHR are going from police station to police in a bid to locate where she is being held. Our office has alerted the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and they are now making a follow-up within the UN protection system.

To what are you a slave?

The ALTERnativity star box invited us to remember the international day against slavery yesterday, but also to pray for all those in slavery still today. The following comes from the Free the Slaves site:
Today, millions of economically and socially vulnerable people around the world are potential slaves. This “supply” makes slaves today cheaper than they have ever been. Since they are so cheap, slaves are today are not considered a major investment worth maintaining. If slaves get sick, are injured, outlive their usefulness, or become troublesome to the slaveholder, they are dumped or killed.
The star box also asked a more personal question for meditation,"to what are you a slave?" So I've been wondering about that and trying to respond honestly - am I a slave to work, to my emotions, to my past, to my lifestyle?
Listening to Advent promises of liberation and justice in the Magnificat calls both modern day slavery and the way many of us lead our lives into stark relief.

World Aids Day - Ecumenical Centre Geneva

Advent beginnings with gong and candle

This morning's service for world AIDS day was very powerful. Red cloth was laid out in the centre of the chapel in the shape of the Aids logo. This was surrounded by small red votive candles which were all lit as the service began. In the centre of the ribbon tie was the advent wreath. (photos will follow soon)
The service began very simply with a gong sounding every fifteen seconds, each time it sounded a candle was snuffed out - to represent a person dying from AIDS related illness.
Each part of the service, each line from a hymn, each stanza from a psalm, each line of the Lord's prayer was carefully said as we waited for the gong. Gradually the light around the red ribbon became less and less.

Only one candle was lit during the service and it was the only one still burning at the end of the service - the first candle on our advent crown. A powerful symbol that even in the midst of death we dare to hope, that hope is what lights our path.
In both French and English we heard from Psalm 130 "I wait for the Lord, and in his word I hope. My soul waits for the Lord, more than the watchers for the morning ..."
So Advent begins. News of death surrounds us. And we long for the values of God. We thirst for something other than that bloody, shocking and arid news which has the stench of death. We long for the breeze of hope, for a glimmer of light on our path forwards.
And we sang - Oh come, oh come Emmanuel ...

From Advent to Epiphany - a renewed attempt at spiritual discipline

Earlier this year I was inspired by Steve Taylor at emergent kiwi to blog for a month on signs of the kingdom. I found it helpful as a way of grounding and focusing my spirituality and theological thoughts.
So for Advent I thought I would try it again, trying to blog five days out of every seven between December 1st and Epiphany about waiting, preparation, change, and light. We'll see how it goes. Since becoming an adult I have tended to feel something I might call emotional cognitive dissonance in the run up to Christmas. So doing this is a way of trying to feel a bit more connected to what truly nourishes me.

The resources I'll be using for personal meditation will come from the beautiful star box by ALTERnativity (any spiritual exercise that involves eating a chocolate has to be worth a try!) and the Ruth Burgess Wild Goose book Hear my Cry. I'm also reading Maggi Dawn's Beginnings and Endings.
There are also some wonderful resources available on the web and I hope I'll have time to discover those as Advent progresses. Here are some to get your started:
I like the idea of the things from Proost, especially the Advent calendar and comic by Si Smith, but haven't had time to look at them in more datail yet;
Sanctuary are also involving people in writing Advent meditations, perhaps you could offer to write something for them as part of your advent devotions?
Sacred space provides exactly that in many languages and not just for Advent but all year round. The prayers seem to be having problems loading at the moment so click on the printer frinedly version.