Christian aestheticist Nicholas Wolterstorff has written, "Responsible action is the vocation of man; shalom is his end; and in this end lies his uniqueness as much as in his vocation."  (NiWolterstorff, Nicholas. Art in Action:   Toward a Christian Aesthetic) His premise is that God's dream for creation, for humanity, can be summarized in the Hebrew word shalom - peace, connectedness, the oneness of all of life.  I agree with Wolterstorff and see the teachings of the prophets and of Jesus pointing to this dream.  

What will it mean to realize the dream of shalom?  Isaiah described it in visions of a peaceable kingdom with humans, animals, and the natural order existing at peace with one another.  Jesus described it when 5,000 people were fed and satisfied by redistributing one boy's lunch.  What will it mean to realize God's dream?  It will mean that no divisions because shalom is not divided.  It is not racially divided, not socio-economically divided, and not religiously divided.  It is not divided between the haves and the have-nots.  It is not divided between the good people and the bad people.  It is not divided between those who are filled full and those who hungry.

Shalom is not impersonal.   Each individual is enabled and encouraged to live her and his own uniqueness fully and thus contribute to the whole.  All relationships are rich, deep, and personal.  All the pain with which any of us lives becomes the means of new and vital growth.   Shalom is letting go of the stories about us, the stories that bind us to our pain, and just being us.

So, what is this going to cost?   After all, nothing is free!  Tony Compolo wrote about the cost of shalom in a recent Jim Walis' God's Politics blog.  Compolo was reflecting on the feelings of resentment that have been expressed, many by Christian people including himself, in response to the recent economic bailout plan for people in mortgage default.  

With an air of self-righteous indignation, we declare, 'They didn't do what's right and now we're being asked to rescue them from the financial mess they've created for themselves!'

But then, as though pausing for the Spirit's breath to fill him, he realized,

The gospel is about grace and we all know that grace is about us receiving from God blessings that we don't deserve. But now, I, having received grace, find that my voice is blending in with a host of other older brother types who are reluctant to grant grace to those desperate home-buyers who were seduced into lavish living they could ill afford.

The cost of shalom is immense.   It includes giving up our righteous judgment of others, even when it is right!  The cost includes giving up my right to move ahead in a system that makes allowance for me, but makes it almost impossible for many others to move ahead, especially if they are racially in the minority or female.  Shalom is not about fostering a sense of dependency in people, but it affirms that, unless we make it to the finish line together, none of us ultimately wins the race.

Jesus told us that the cost of shalom is symbolized by the cross.  His invitation remains to all:   "Take up your cross and follow.".  The price to me is that I can never be comfortable in my shoes while others have no shoes.   Tony Compolo recognized in his own behavior the older brother from the Prodigal Son parable (Luke 15: 11-32).  To the extent we are that older brother, we are indeed our brother's keeper.  

The dream of shalom is God's dream.  As we participate in its fulfillment, remember that none of us can make it happen, even working together.  By faith, we can believe that the universe in God is already moving in the direction of shalom, and each of us can choose to cooperate in that movement.   We can hold ourselves in the movement of the Spirit and seek shalom in our own lives and our relationships.

Thanks for continuing to bless me as we journey together.
  
Jack Price

FYI - Jack has published several articles at: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jack_F_Price

Return to the Enotes index