Reflection on garbage

Hi friends,

By now, you have all probably heard about yet another vulgar, profanity-laced, racist-drenched Donald Trump rally. This one at Madison Square Garden. The outrage following these rallies is now commonplace, if not predictable. Many of the comments from Puerto Ricans, who are US residents, were poignant expressions of their offense, and how that offense would influence their voting.  The Archbishop of Puerto Rico formally rebuked Donald Trump, demanding that he personally apologize: “It is not sufficient for your campaign to apologize. It is important that you, personally, apologize for these comments.” At this point, I’ve not heard an apology from Donald Trump or from the other speakers at the rally. This, too, is predictable.

What I didn’t predict was a brilliant piece of theological reflection on garbage, from a friend and pastor colleague serving a congregation in New Orleans. I offer it to you as an example of theological reflection on contemporary life that maintains its center in the gospel. That’s encouraging. As always, I welcome your comments. 

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“The early church theologian Irenaeus and later Athanasius both spoke of the Incarnation in this way: 'God became what we are in order that we might become what God is.' 

It is always an interesting theological experiment to play with that phrase and not claiming to be on level with those two, I have humbly adjusted it my own thought about the incarnation to say that 'God becomes what we are, so that we might become freely and fully human ourselves, all for the glory of God.' 

Today I might adjust it again to say: 'God is willing to become what the world regards as garbage (Jesus was crucified outside the city gates in a garbage heap after all), in order that no human life may be regarded as such in the eyes of God. 

Writing to his parents from prison at Christmas, Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes: 'Misery, pain, poverty, loneliness, helplessness, and guilt have an altogether different meaning in God's eyes than in the judgment of men. God turns toward the very places from which humans tend to turn away.' 

Or contextually: God takes what the world regards as garbage and redeems the world with it.” 

Chris Currie
Pastor • Theologian
St. Charles Ave Presbyterian Church
New Orleans, Louisiana 

Reflecting on Trump inspired comments that Puerto Rico is a garbage island.