Some of the the main characters of the Christmas story are Mary, shepherds and the Wise Men. Mary is probably a young woman who is pregnant without a husband. The shepherds are considered to be the working poor, and gruff men. The Wise Men are from another country, and they might be of different races or religions. Most of what we think we know about the Magi is from the tradition and not from the Bible. A single mom, smelly poor people and immigrants from a strange land are central to the story. All these people are from the outside, but they are people of our Story of God “being with us” at the birth of the Christ Child.
Mary’s song of praise to God did not find its way to the community at Guayabo, Colombia. On Wednesday December 13, 2017 the community was changed forever. The Magnificat did not arrive during Advent or Christmas for this community. After a long a difficult process many farmers in the community were violently evicted off of their property, buildings destroyed and crops cut down.The shepherds, or the subsistence farmers of this community also did not see the hope of Christmas this week. These farmers grow food mostly for themselves. They exist on very little extra, and they are happy or were happy. The Wise Men from away also were not able to deliver the gifts to the manger. Christian Peacemaker Teams and other human rights groups have walked in the community for years, and they were disappointed that the wealthy landowners and the local police came and evicted these people off of their land. They had farmed it for thirty years or more. And now it is taken away.
My wife Shirley and I visited this community last year. We stayed in a small room, and were given breakfast from two local farming families. The farmers talked to us about their lives, farming and families. They were worried because they knew that their voices were not heard in the chambers of the courts of the local community. It is a wonderful community that now might be destroyed.
But you know that this community is a powerful witness to non-violence . They had been harassed over many years by the man who wanted to take their land. He and his workers would shoot at the people, and destroy their crops, and carry their weapons around the community. And the community of El Guayabo had a week’s notice that the landowner and the police would arrive to evict the people. None of the citizens of Guayabo took up arms to deny the police access to the community. What a witness to the Kingdom heaven on earth. The police were well armed, but they did not know this community. Maybe part of Mary’s Song did arrive last Wednesday.
But , it does not get them their land back. This and many other at-risk communities will continue to under threat. They wait for the Song of Mary, the Magnificat , to be enacted in their world. The powers of this world are the Herods of the story . The sneaky and violent King of Judea threatened the wise men, and killed the babies, in order to stay in power.
Before, I get too haughty , I realize the Herod in my own life. I want to continue to have all the things that I have in Canada. I am part of the power structures of this world . I have written to the Prime Minister to invite Canada to stand up for human rights everywhere, and in Colombia for Guayabo. If you want a different gift to give this year, why don’t you write to the Prime Minister expressing your concern of the Marys, shepherds and Wise Men of this world . A different gift for a different time.
Fred Redekop
Merry Christmas to everyone.
Ponder Anew 