大象传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Dr Krish Kandiah

Good Morning.

Thank you for inviting me to speak this morning. And for not subsequently disinviting me. I have been quite disheartened watching how University campuses have hit the headlines for inviting speakers and then disinviting them after student protests. "No platforming" and "cancel culture" have become part of our lexicon. But in fact the practice is nothing new. The ancient world had its own challenges with polarisation and division and silencing of unwanted voices.

In Jesus鈥� day the furore was not over who you invited to speak at an event but who you invited to share food with. Eating together was an indicator of who you considered acceptable and who you didn't, and Jesus frequently found himself caught up in a scandal over inappropriate guest choices.

Jesus refused to cancel appointments with people who are socially suspect. Jesus refused to 鈥渘o platform鈥� people with whom he disagreed. In fact he was more likely to draw near to them and engage lovingly with them in order to bring transformation. That's why Jesus is constantly criticised for spending time with the wrong kinds of people. Because the wrong kinds of people are exactly the right kind of people for Jesus to serve.

There are lots of people who could fall into today鈥檚 categories of 鈥榯he wrong sort of people鈥�. Which makes it all the more easy for us to cancel our part in cancel culture and invite the disinvited. We can fill our homes and lives and contact lists with those who others keep their distance from. We can show unconditional love and acceptance, just as we would like to be shown unconditional love and acceptance.

Lord God, thank you for Jesus鈥� example to us. He always put advocating for the marginalised above protecting his own reputation. Help us to welcome the outcast and include the forgotten, the shamed and the downtrodden. In your name.

Amen.