Category Archives: shane claiborne

Jubilee

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I have not yet done the study I need to do concerning the Old Testament biblical concept of jubilee. But, if I’m getting this right, God told Israel that every7 years your land was supposed to rest. On that seventh year there was no planting, and the fields themselves enjoyed a season of sabbath. Additionally, every 49 years (on the 50th year) it was a a year of jubilee where the land was to rest, slaves were to be set free, and land was to be returned to its ancestral owner. In other words, everything started over.

While, as I understand it, we have no proof that Israel ever practiced this 50th year jubilee, it is nonetheless God’s idea. And a beautiful one at that!

One author while calling Christianity today to practice the spirit of jubilee says:

Those who have been trained to trust God for provision are the only people who will ever believe that Jubilee is a good idea. Otherwise, it looks like losing everything you have worked so hard to earn. But if we never earn anything-if everything is a gift-then it begins to make sense that God would want to redistribute gifts as a guard against injustice in a broken and sinful world.

That’s a powerful thought isn’t it? Don’t we so often fall into that trap of thinking that our stuff is actually ours? God had intended that for Israel everything would be leased. Nothing would be owned longer than 50 years unless it was given to your family by God. Well in reality, doesn’t everything that we own belong to God? So, in essence, everything we have is leased. It belongs to us only for a season (for this life) and will not stay with us forever. And yet we spend so much time worrying about what we have…oops, sorry, I’m starting to preach. That’s not what I intended. Let me share one more connected and quick thought.

I once commented to a wise older friend saying that I loved capitalism, but what it seemed to be lacking was a year of jubilee. Capitalism works really well until eventually the scales get so lopsided that it no longer becomes a free market system but instead becomes a free market to those who are privileged with opportunity. So what capitalism is lacking is a do-over. I commented that capitalism needs a point in time where we start things new, and create a clean slate. My friend smiled and said “that’s what a recession is.”

interesting.

Shane

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Last week a couple of people from my home community went with me to hear Shane Claiborne speak last week at Mosaic Church. They were unfamiliar with Shane, the Simple Way community, or much of the dialogue concerning intentional community and ordinary radical living. When we showed up to a packed out church we found quite a few friends there too (Jason, Ron and Lori, and Xolani).

As a side note, you’ve got to check out Shane’s rules about speaking at events. They’re very intentional, funny, and simple. I love it.

It was so refreshing to hear Shane remind us of things that Jessica and I have already wanted to be true of us but had grown fuzzy on. Hearing him talk only a few weeks removed from Kairos Strategy Lab where we spent time prayerfully putting a dream for a church on paper was excellent timing as well because much of what he said reiterated qualities we desired to be true of our church.

He spoke about the importance of the church, that the church was God’s creation not ours. It is through the church that God desires to communicate his love to the world. At the same time he compared the church to the ark from the story of Noah. It’s filled with crap but if you step outside of it you’re going to stink. He quoted another author and speaker (st. Augustine) saying “The church is a whore, but she’s my mother”. It may not be perfect but it’s Gods!

Shane reminded us that we’ve spent so much time trying to tell people about Jesus that it’s time we stopped using words. People are tired of us using words to tell them why they need Jesus and it’s about time that we stopped using words and started using our actions. Let’s show people that we love Jesus and that Jesus loves them huh?!

One courageous audience member came up to the microphone and said that that he and his wife read Shanes book a year ago and decided to move into lower income housing and to begin living in community with those in their neighborhood. That was a year ago. And then he said, “but it hasn’t happened. I guess what I’m trying to ask you is…umm…how do I become friends with my neighbor?” It was great and poignant and a perfect question! Shanes friend Chris answered the question. He talked about taking hot chocolate to some people on the corner waiting to buy some drugs. He talked about doing small things. About prayer. But mostly he said (and I love this) work on your marriage! Your marriage is your best tool for showing your neighbors Jesus. He said it doesn’t matter if you live in a ghetto or in suburbia, you’ve got to work on your marriage first.

There was so much more I could say. As Brandon (one of the friends who came with me) said, “I wish I could just listen for five minuets and then have a day to think about it.” There was all Shanes usual stuff about using your imagination, about being a radical, about redefining, about avoiding the dangers of Babylon, etc. You’ll have to read his books for that stuff.

Peace.