Reflection - Recalculating, Respond, Re-Align

Rev Bruce Moore, Moderator, Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod

Do you find yourself sometimes asking the question… when are things going to get back to normal? Some might say that disruption itself is our new normal. 

Our lives continue to be disrupted by all sorts of factors, such as digital innovation, globalisation, natural disasters, and other unplanned events… even a pandemic that you might remember?

We find ourselves in a state of social turmoil, impacting us in real ways like struggling to find affordable housing and extraordinary price hikes in basic services and supplies. This all putting more and more pressures to simply make the ends meet.  The impact of this is touching all of us in unexpected ways and leads to more feelings of uncertainty.

Recently I was using my GPS to navigate my way to an unfamiliar destination, only to hear these words when I missed a turn…. “recalculating, recalculating, recalculating”.

“Recalculating” is a word that’s become part of popular culture, quite often being made fun of. Miss a turn (even intentionally) and your GPS keeps saying it over and over until you either return to the route, stop the navigation function, or mute that “thing”.

Usually, I have the sound function turned off…, because I find myself annoyed at being constantly told what to do. Apparently one of the manufacturers even took this function out of their units because the pressure of so many complaints.

So where do you take your guidance from to navigate this ever-changing environment, that seems far from being normal?

In the Biblical Old Testament story, we read about the Prophet Micah, whom God had entrusted with a message of guidance to his people who found themselves totally disrupted and held captive by the Assyrian King.

Micah was God’s messenger, like God’s GPS - God’s Positioning System - giving instructions around what God requires of us in times of uncertainty.

“To do what is just, to show constant love, and to walk humbly” were the words of guidance that Micah proclaimed as we read in Micah 6:8.

Justice often arises out of our experiences of injustice. It fires up a deep sense of what is important and what we are not prepared to compromise - showing worth, dignity, and respect to all people, where everyone matters to God.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (based on 1 Cor 13).

When love meets love, there is no higher order. This is the opposite of holding power or using force over someone else.

Humility removes us from the center and focuses our attention on others.  It recalibrates our posture to that of serving, putting others first in our actions and decisions that we make.

It is in holding these three things in tension together that we find the real strength of what it means to follow in the ways of our God. This is the very example of what it means to be more and more like our God, the way God intended us to live in relationship with each other.

How will you respond and recalculate in this ever-changing world?