Who Values Us?

Last week I was fascinated by the the juxtaposition of two highly unconnected news stories, which I found connected together in a wierd sort of way.

At the beginning of the week, we heard the word “junk” being used in relation to the nation of Portugal. Specifically, Moody’s Investors Services had slashed its evaluation of Portuguese Government Bonds to the value of “junk”, precipitating the country further into the economic crisis it’s been wading through.

Meanwhile, by the end of the week, way down in East Africa, the newest nation on earth, South Sudan, was celebrating it’s birth. And the foreign press either didn’t bother to report the joy and jubilation of the newly independent but insignificant little nation at all, or cynically commented on its slim chances of survival in the cut and thrust of the 21st century world.

What struck me about both these stories was the question of who it is who is entitled to pass judgment or evaluate a person or a people. Living here in Lisbon, even though not myself a Portuguese, I felt deep in my heart the emotive hurt that accompanied the use of the word “junk”. Okay, so that may be the economic reality of the moment, and it most certainly will result in a lowering of confidence of investors and a tough economic future, but is that the way to judge this nation, this people?

Similarly, those who missed the Independence Day celebrations of South Sudan missed a vision of a people with heads held high, celebrating with a joy that seems to come naturally from their spirits. The statistics may make depressing reading. Nine out of 10 people live below the poverty line; more than 10% do not make it past their fifth birthday. About three-quarters of adults are illiterate. The people of South Sudan are under few illusions about the challenges facing them, but they are justifiably optimistic. Their country, though ravaged by long years of war, is blessed with so much natural wealth.

And when you read the new National Anthem (apparently chose by a popular vote as a result of an “X factor” style competition) the South Sudanese would appear to place this optimism in God.

Oh God!

We praise and glorify you

For your grace upon Cush,

The land of great warriors

And origin of world's civilization.

Oh Cush!

Arise, shine, raise your flag with the guiding star

And sing songs of freedom with joy,

For peace, liberty and justice

Shall forever more reign.

So Lord bless South Sudan!

Makes me think about how wonderful it is that our own value as people rests in God and God alone. What is important above all is how He sees us and judges us, not how others might evaluate us, brush us aside or put us down. And he values us highly. As he spoke about His people so long ago in the Book of Deuteronomy. (7:7-9)

“It is not because you were more numerous than other peoples, that the LORD set His affection on you and chose you, for, indeed, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who follow Him”

The Olive Shoots and the Fruitful Vine

Colin was the first to go, leaving Friday evening so he could get to the wedding of a friend in Oxford. Next, Sharon, early morning Saturday, after a frantic night of shopping in the Outlet stores in Alcochete, packing and repacking, weighing and reweighing. Well, she’s got the furthest to go. Finally yesterday evening, Judith left for London. And so ended a wonderful week and a half with family again.

Makes me think about Psalm 128 again, which talks about being blessed within the context of family. The fruitful vine and the olive shoots around your table. “Blessed (and prosperous) is the man who fears the Lord”. And here’s Colin moving on from BEng to MEng in aeronautics, and more positive in every way about study and work and the prospects ahead, Judith settling in to life in London and establishing her social networks, and Sharon blossoming in her photographic creativity and getting more and more opportunities in Bangalore.

I cannot but thank God in his goodness in blessing us with these three, three whom I enjoy hanging out with, whose conversations are fascinating, stimulating and funny, and three whom I’ve grown to appreciate more and more with every year of their lives. So this was a summer week with visits to Belem and Alfama, to Troia and Caparica, jazz, blues and fado, watching the sun go down by the Rio Tejo. Great memories!

Lisbon Doing What Lisbon Does Best

Sharon is with us for the week and, so, looking for something to do on a Saturday night in June, I trawled through the weekend papers and the internet listings (“Guia do Lazer” hosted by the newspaper “Publico” at www.lazer.publico.pt I found most helpful) and I was not disappointed. We had a wonderful evening.

We headed out at 8pm, skirted round the city centre to avoid the thousands who were down at Praça de Comercio for the Tony Carriera concert. This was the conclusion of “Party in the Park”, which had been going on all day in the central Avenida Liberdade. Anyway, our first stop was in a far more out of the way corner of the city. Jardim de Amoreiras - a

little haven of a park tucked away just round the back of Amoreiras Shopping Centre where the cars on the A5 stream into the City. That’s what I love about this city - these little patches of green, with refreshing fountains and so on, and no-one knows they’re there.

It was one of four Lisbon parks that was billed as hosting free music concerts throughout the evening.

We were delighted to find an open air fado performance on one side of the park, and an excellent delta blues combo at the other side. Take your pick. We started with the fado, which was delightful as the sun went down, and then moved on to the Catacumbas Blues Band for the next hour so. From there we made our way down to Rua das Janelas Verdes where a festival of Latin American Dance was in full swing. Swaying to the sounds of salsa and samba with

the happy crowd for a while, before we moved on to Alfama, where, quite by chance, we discovered a troop of lads and girls all elaborately dressed up and dancing the traditional street marches associated with St Anthony’s Day. And so the night ended with sardines and farturas, and home to bed

What a crazy colourful, mixed up patchwork of culture, Lisbon is, and during June, it’s at its best and at its boldest. I’m quite sure that if we had had the energy, and the curiosity we would have found African Music, Irish music, jazz, dance and any number of other music genres of music filling the city’s bars and streets. It’s what the city does best - especially in June. And, by the way, what the city doesn’t do so well is marketing itself, and letting the general public know about these wonderful free events. I had to really struggle hard to find information about any of these, but maybe thats all part of the charm and the fun.

The Tree of Life

I took this photo on the way back from the Algarve a few months ago (Monchique, to be exact, which, by the way, makes a wonderful detour through rolling hills and forests if you want to drive on something different than motorway). The photo is simple - it’s some kind of random wildflower on the side of the road where we stopped for coffee. But it’s more than that. It’s a sun. it’s a cosmos. It’s a magnificent creation of a wonderful God. And it positively glows with His glory. God of the micro as well as the God of the macro.

I think that’s what I liked about “Tree of Life”, the film by Terence Malick which we watched in the cinema last weekend. The juxtaposition of Malick’s grand eloquent vision of the creation of the universe set beside images of the first days of a new born child. The exploration. The wonder of it all. This new world he finds himself in. Some will find “Tree of Life” long, tedious, pretentious. I found it wondrous, exalting, life affirming. And what narrative there is, (and there isn’t much) sought to establish early on in the movie the antithesis between nature and grace, which was developed through characters of the mother and the father and their approaches and responses to life. versus nature early on in the narrative

“There are two ways: the way of nature and the way of grace.

We must choose which way we will follow,”

“Nature tries to please itself, be noticed, etc.,

while grace is humble, doesn’t need recognition….”

The Bible says something similar, but in a different way

“The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit,

and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.

They are in conflict with each other

.... But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law....

... So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

(Galatians 5:17,18)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478304/

Peter Rabbit for Prime Minister

Well, it’s not exactly the English translation of the name Pedro Passos Coelho, who became prime Minister of Portugal overnight, but it’s close enough. Overturning the six years of the Socialist Party (PS) under José Sócrates (who, in spite of his name was not the greatest of thinkers that European has seen) Sr Coelho has a tough challenge ahead of him. Let’s hope his tenure as leader of the country will amount to more than a bedtime story.

Reading a little of his profile, he represents a significant part of Portuguese society that has a particular significance in recent history of the country. Growing up in Angola in the 70’s, he is one of the “Retornados” - European whites displaced through the colonial wars where were the backdrop to a Portugal’s Carnation Revolution of 1975. They came back to a Portugal that, to a large extent, they didn’t really own, and that didn’t really own them. There isn’t really an equivalent within the recent colonial history of other European countries. though perhaps the experience of white Zimababweans forced to find a different future outside of their adopted country, but then again perhaps not.

The “Retornados” have a unique story to tell and the stories vary from person to person. Some have found it easier than others, and have assimilated well into the fabric of Portuguese society, like our new Prime Minister. For others, it’s taken a huge toll and a generation on, families are still coming to terms with the trauma of being uprooted and landing in Lisbon with no possessions, no land, and no prospects. Well remember sitting in the modest home of one such family, radiant in their Christian faith, and sharing Sunday lunch with them, while listening to their story of leaving Mozambique, moving to South Africa, then to Portugal, losing a father and husband, and still struggling even now to makes end meet on a daily basis and make a life for themselves here.

Jacaranda Mist

A beautiful ethereal amazing sight. The jacaranda trees in blossom alongs the streets and in the parks of Lisbon. The come into flower in early May and continue more or less through till the end of the month. It’s a short season, like the cherry blossom. it begins with a kind of lavender coloured mist at the tops of the bare trees lining the Alameda dos Oceanos here in Parque das Nações. The leaves tend to come later. Then gradually the trees fill out into a fully body of colour as though the paint from the treetops was slowly dripping down through the branches. The avenue, for a few short weeks, turns into that distinctive shade of mauve or purple. Then the blossoms begin to fall and the canopy becomes a carpet beneath your feet.

Psalm 145 says that “all of God’s works shall praise Him, speaking of the glory of His kingdom, and talking of His power” and Psalm 19 speaks of ”day unto day uttereth forth speech” and that the heavens declare the God and show his handiwork. Nowhere better displayed than in the Jacaranda mist that is covering Lisbon at present

Part and Bliss

I’m continuing to rave about the contemporary Estonian composer. Arvo Pãrt. I am currently listening to an album of his music called “I am the True Vine” played by the Theatre of Voices led by Paul Hillier and am loving it. Am not quite sure of Part’s religious context, whether it is Lutheran, Catholic, or Orthodox (or indeed a mixture of all three) but in his musical treatments of Biblical topics I find he sticks closely to the scriptural text, in this case, of course John 15, and also Matthew 26 with “the Woman with the Alabastar Box” which is another stunning track. Wonderful, ethereal, uplifting heavenly music.

Other equally compelling music I am currently listening to is by Bliss, an outfit headed up by Danish musician Steffen Aaskoven. The contrast could not be more startling - instead of austere cathedrals of Tallinn, think sunsets over the beaches of Ibiza. “Quiet Letters” is an ultimate chillout album, just the thing to listen to with the last light of an evening twilight over the Rio Tejo. I guess I like it particularly as it combines European, Asian and African rhythms with the Portuguese lyrics of Tchando from Guinea-Bissau. Listen in to "Quiet Letters" if you can get find a copy.

Pãrt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP5s2BxM-L0

Bliss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emeVWAK1YZA&feature=related