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Friday, January 25, 2008 CW Weekly Devotional - "Ends and Means" By laneglaze @ 4:40 PM :: 495 Views :: :: Weekly Devotional   From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4:17, KJV   After a full week of various conversations, bible study groups and other activities, I find myself on Friday morning contemplating a philosophy that has long been attributed to the 15th century diplomat, playwright, Niccolo Machiavelli: the ends justify the means.  But why? My week began on Monday morning doing what I have done since arriving in Clemson in 2001 - assisting with the university's celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King's life through the Day of Service celebration.  The DOS is designed to encourage students, faculty, administrators and others in the community to "take a day on" rather than "taking a day off" in recognition of Dr. King's legacy of working to bring all people together.  Once again this year well over 250 folks volunteered on Monday at a variety of places throughout the community, and I know that many of our local agencies are grateful for the help that they received. On Tuesday night I heard Dr. Samuel Dubois Cook, President Emeritus of Dillard University, give an impassioned speech on the values and philosophy that helped explain why events like the DOS are so important.  While many in the Clemson area were seeking to experience community in Littlejohn Coliseum as the Tigers played Wake Forest in basketball, Dr. Cook, a long-time friend and classmate of Dr. King's at Morehouse College, taught those of us gathered in the Brooks Center about the meaning of the "Beloved Community."  We all caught a glimpse of this Beloved Community that night, through the music provided by the Benedict College Gospel Choir and the testimony of a young high school senior who won the MLK Oratorical Contest.  The daughter of a Haitian mother and a caucausian father, this poised, articulate young woman captivated us all, and she challenged us to transcend the ignorance and bigotry that continues to prevent the Beloved Community from being fully realized.  "Out of the mouths of babes," I mumbled to myself as she concluded. On Wednesday morning, I joined my Bible Study group on the Gospel of Matthew.  As we studied the Sermon on the Mount, we read that "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" in Matthew 5.  "But what is the kingdom of heaven?" and "Isn't it true that the kingdom of heaven will not come until Jesus returns again?" were the questions that I heard.  I pointed the class to Matthew 4:17, where Jesus says the same words spoken by John the Baptist earlier in the Gospel: "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is near (or at hand)."  I tried to make the argument that the kingdom of heaven is both here now but also not yet here now.  If we have our eyes open, we see the kingdom of heaven every day, but yet we know that the kingdom of heaven in its fullness is still far from a reality on this earth. And finally last night, I watched a movie that a friend has been asking me to watch for over a year now, "Kingdom of Heaven" directed by Ridley Scott and starring Orlando Bloom.  Oddly enough, I didn't rent the movie because of the conversation on Wednesday or because of Dr. Cook's lecture on Tuesday.  No, I had actually rented the movie last weekend but I had never found the time to watch it.  I knew my clock with Blockbuster was ticking, so I sat down last night to watch this story about the Crusades. The setting for the story is the year 1184, over 800 years ago.  As with today, followers of Jesus, Muhammad, and Yahweh are struggling to lay claim to the power that they believe the city of Jerusalem possesses.  Pilgrims from throughout Europe, including the protagonist Balian (played by Bloom), travel to the Holy City seeking forgiveness, healing and the kingdom of heaven.  In large part the movie portrays a struggle that we all experience in life: to what lengths are we willing to go to accomplish what we believe is right, best, or, as some might say, God's (or Allah's) will.  The struggle is most intense for Balian, as he repeatedly resists the temptation to do what might be politically expedient instead of what he knows, in his heart, is right.  For Balian, the ends were worthless (if not damning) is he chose methods or means that betrayed his conscience.  Ironically in the end, Balian, about the only one who never claims to know God's will, actually seems more in tune with the heart of God than anyone else Is the kingdom of heaven at hand? Is it near?  Oh, I surely believe it is.  I believe I saw it on Monday during the DOS, as students and others served their neighbors expecting nothing in return.  I believe that I witnessed it again on Tuesday night in a speech delivered by a high school student of mixed race.  Yes, I believe the kingdom is always at hand when we choose selflessness over selfishness, when we choose to serve rather than to be served, when we seek to forgive rather than to retaliate.  And any and every time that we seek peace, harmony, and justice in our world through methods and means that correlate rather than conflict with our desired ends, I believe that we begin to live as the Beloved Community yearned for by Dr. King and so many others throughout the centuries. May God give us all the courage and the strength to give witness to God's kingdom using means that reflect the very nature of God...each and every day. With gratitude for faithful and courageous witnesses, lane Rev. C. Lane Glaze Director - Clemson Wesley Foundation Campus Minister - Clemson UMC PO Box 1703 Clemson SC 29633 864-207-9135 (c) or 864-654-5547 (o) www.clemsonwesley.com Feel free to forward this email to a friend. The Clemson Wesley Weekly Devotional is a ministry of the Clemson Wesley Foundation, the United Methodist Church’s ministry to students on the campus of Clemson University. The purpose of this email is to look at issues relevant to the life of Clemson students through the lens of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you would like your name added to this list, email Rev. Lane Glaze at glaze@clemson.edu.

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