Sermons Studies Reviews

Harvest 2007.

FREE TRADE IS NOT FAIR TRADE

            As Jesus tells the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) the point of the parable is to be found in the character of the rich man, and in the reasons for his failure to use the two kinds of opportunity granted to him — the first by his wealth — and the second by his religion. The rich man (by popular tradition called Dives, although you will not find that name in the Bible) clearly had no belief in the afterlife, despite the fact that he and his brothers professed obedience to the teachings of Moses, and the prophets. He devoted himself to the enjoyment of pleasure and luxury. He was under the impression that this life was the only one he had to live, and that it could not be better spent than in self-indulgence. He used his wealth irresponsibly because he did not believe in a judgment at which he would have to answer for his conduct.

            And so, what has this parable to say to us, today? We have heard a lot in the last couple of years - about MAKING POVERTY HISTORY. We have heard a lot about Bob Geldorf and his LIVE 8 concerts (covered by the Media ad nausea - you might say!). But what has it all been about? Did the years 2005 and 2006 make poverty history? And now that we are into 2007, what should our part as Christians be? For, like it or not, we are cast in the role of The Rich Man - in this parable of Jesus. We are living in the lap of luxury whilst a third of the world starves to death. So where do we stand now?

            The worst features of the rich countries' attitudes to the poor are to be seen in the matter of FREE TRADE. Free Trade has long been the rallying cry for those who engage in buying and selling between nations. No trade barriers - No tariffs - No customs duties — No obstructions to unfettered opportunities to make   money - a real FREE-FOR-ALL!  Unfortunately free trade (as seen by the rich and powerful) often carries with it a complete abandonment of responsibility for the fate of those who are unable to look after themselves. Dives lives again, and feasts once more at his sumptuous table!

            For FREE TRADE is not FAIR TRADE - especially when the rules are bent by the rich countries in their own favour. Consider,for instance, the example of Suicide Seeds - or to give the process its proper title - Terminator Technology. Terminator Technology is the genetic modification of plants to make them produce sterile seeds. It is being developed by multinational seed producing companies in order to prevent farmers from saving seeds from one harvest to plant for the next. If farmers have no choice but to buy new seeds every year, the companies are guaranteed huge profits. That may be Free Trade - but is in no way Fair Trade.                                                                  

            Farmers in the world's poorest countries will not be able to compete. Already they have to cope with cheap imports being dumped into their market places by the rich countries. Under Free Trade agreements, they are being obliged to take even more of this heavily subsidized produce that is the unwanted surplus of the rich. Their income dries up. They have no Common Agricultural Policy to bail them out! They go out of business. Their families join the unemployment queues. They are forced to accept work at slave-labour wages in order to provide cheap goods for the rich nations - or they starve. Lazarus suffers once more. And the dogs come, once again, to lick his sores. So what can we do about it?

One thing we can do is pray. We can each of us pray, when we come together in church, and whilst we are alone in our own homes. Prayer can change hearts and minds. We can all pray, whatever our age or state of health. And we can try to understand what is actually happening. We need to realize that the opportunities which presented themselves in 2005 have produced very little in the way of progress. Politicians are trying to put poverty on the back burner. But poverty is still with us. We still need to pressurize politicians into taking action. Public opinion does not entirely depend - upon what the Sun says, or the News of the World, or the television commentators. Public opinion is formed by thousands, nay millions, of conversations between people in their daily lives. Politicians do (eventually) take some notice. They do need our votes from time to time!

And we can do something else, something that really matters; something akin to taking something from our own sumptuous feast, and giving it direct to Lazarus. We can buy FAIR TRADE goods. Tea; Coffee; Cocoa; Chocolate; Sugar; Bananas, Honey; and a growing number of other items are now sold in our supermarkets (most of them, anyway) under the Fair Trade label - a sort of colourful demented parrot logo. The producers of these goods get a fair price. Their communities get a contribution towards their greatest needs as a community. Those who bring the goods to our supermarket shelves get a fair profit margin. The buyer gets a quality product. The whole process - is properly supervised by Christians. As a church we can put pressure on those traders - who do not stock the whole range of Fair Trade products.

 We can make a difference.

To conclude his parable Jesus says: But Abraham said ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said ‘No, Father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead they will repent.’ He said to him ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ (Luke 16:29-31). Whenever Jesus told one of his Parables of the Kingdom there was always a message - for those who heard it at the time. But there is also a message for all eternity. Jesus was very much alive as he spoke - and the possibility of his death on the cross was something - only he could know about - at the time.

      Christ has risen from the dead - and that has convinced those who are open to his message. Dives had all the advantages of a religious upbringing. He should have been fully aware of his responsibilities - towards Lazarus. We, who believe in the RISEN CHRIST, have the self-same responsibilities in today's world. We have work to do.

LET'S GO FOR IT!

Our thanks to David Sheldon for abstracting the above from a sermon he preached at Christchurch, Abbeydale on Sunday 11^th February 2007.   Ed.

Reflections

Choose a Fair-trade product, and think about all the people in the supply chain from the people growing, to the people buying that product. Think about some of the ways in which farmers and workers are investing their social premiums (see pgs 2-3 for examples). In turn, pray for each person in the chain, and the community that will hope to bring change by selling their produce with the FAIRTRADE Mark.

"Individual actions may seem insignificant but together the small steps of many people can have an astonishing impact. Each person's joyful choices can be a visible example to others and give them courage to follow. Public pressure becomes powerful when it reflects a mature moral vision that respects the rights of others to a decent life now and in the future."

The Call of Creation, Catholic Bishops' Conference of England & Wales, 2002

"To live is to choose. It's through the making of successive and resolute   choices that man traces out his life." Paul Toumier

"At the end of the twentieth century most of us will not have to repent of the great evils we have done, but of the apathy that has prevented us from doing anything at all."

Martin Luther King

"I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself."

Aldous Huxley

By choosing products with the FAIRTRADE Mark we can be sure that they have been independently certified to ensure producers have been paid a fair and stable price for their products, as well as a social premium to invest in developing their businesses and improving their communities. By choosing Fair-trade products, we play our part in enabling farmers and workers to bring about change today in their own lives and communities, as well as sending out a signal for justice in wider international trade.

Fairtrade Churches

Becoming a Fairtrade Church is a way of demonstrating a long-term commitment to supporting Fairtrade. More than 3000 churches across the UK had already made this commitment by the end of 2006.

To become a Fairtrade Church, communities must commit to:

• using Fairtrade tea and coffee for all meetings and after services

• moving forward on using other Fairtrade products (such as sugar, chocolate and fruit)

• promoting Fairtrade during Fairtrade Fortnight and during the year through events, worship and community group activity.

THE BIBLE SAYS IT IS OK TO BE DIFFERENT

A very brief Bible study: St Paul,

as interpreted and paraphrased by  Peter Muff.

The Christians in Corinth had a problem: they thought that as       Christians they should all be alike, but obviously they were different, so they wrote to St Paul about it. We do not have their side of the    correspondence, but we do have his answer, in 1 Cor 12. He said, in effect. You should be different, because God through his Holy Spirit has made you different. If you are looking for unity, it will not be found in personal uniformity, but in the one Spirit who has made you what you are. Then to make it clearer Paul made the analogy with a human body. It has lots of parts, each with its own function and each with its own value. They are different, but they all matter, they are all of value. The organs find their unity through the one body of which each is a part, not by all being alike and all doing the same thing.

Now jump forward 2000 years to Christchurch. There seems to be a growing feeling that the way to show we are united is to have only one way of worshipping; that we should all worship in exactly the same way every time, although many do not agree. If we could write to Paul to ask him about this I think he would write back much as he did to the Corinthians: You are different because God has made you different, and you are here together because God has brought you here. If he had wanted you to think and behave identically, that is how he would have made you, but he has not. So value each other; recognise the   importance of what each brings to the whole, and use in his service all the gifts he has spread among you. If we are able to do this no one will get squeezed out, no one will be ignored, and everyone will be able to contribute to the common good. And, though each of us is different,  we shall still be united in love and service to God through Jesus.

(Limitation of space means my argument here has to be very concise. I will be happy to discuss it at greater length with anyone interested.)

A Book Review

“He's Got The Whole World....."

            Our thoughts have been very much concentrated in the direction of Albania during the past week as our son-in-law has been there working. It is a country of which we knew very little but were able to learn a lot about by referring to a book which we recently obtained   having seen it advertised in the URC magazine "Reform”. This book is entitled “In God’s Hands - Common Prayer For The World” published by the World Council of Churches.

            The book contains photographs, maps, information and prayers from countries and churches around the world. From this book we were able to discover details of the population, languages, religion and history of Albania. No religion was allowed from 1967 - 1990, a constitution guaranteeing religious freedom only being made as recently as 1998. We learnt of the help given by the churches for the Albanian Kosovo refugees and that the church has been a voice for peace in the region, we found prayers of intercession for the area and the people whose lives are being rebuilt after years of war and oppression and also for the beauty of the country.

            A wide selection of prayers is given each week for countries throughout the world reflecting the ecumenical diversity of our         different religious traditions. Prayers of thanks for fish, oysters, deep blue waters of Oceania and those who know how to live in harmony with the sea, Khoomi singing in Mongolia, stilt dancers in Guinea. Prayers for refugees, rebuilding of countries devastated by civil war, those         suffering poverty and unemployment, the list is endless. We would     recommend this book to the church to enable us in our homes or in    Sunday intercessions to pray for God's people around the world and not just those counties that are in the news at the time.                          

                                                                        Kath & David Barber