Each year the Kennedy Centre in the US honours an artist for their contribution to American culture. Below is one of my favourite performances and artists from that series. John Williams and James Taylor honour the great Celloist Yo Yo Ma.
Whilst most of us live lives of anonymity and obscurity I am often struck by the intimacy with which God shares our life, in Jesus and through the Spirit. Whilst Psalm 139 was written long before the incarnation of Jesus I can’t help but be struck by the idea that God, who knows us so intimately, would want each of us on this earth to feel the sense of worth and honour that Yo Yo Ma must have felt at this moment.
And, in contemplating this, to contemplate that each person is of such worth to be applauded in God’s eyes and presence, surrounded by all the saints.
What would it mean for us to take this seriously to honour others as God might, honouring: children seeking asylum in detention; the people of Israel and Palestine in the Gaza strip; those who have died on flights; the people of Syria and Iraq; indigenous Australians; all peoples everywhere. How would it change our plicies, practices and attitudes?
Maybe, this performance gives us a glimpse of eschatological hope, “Here comes the Sun”… “Here comes the Son”, as we think about our inability to honour people’s lives, as so few are honoured, but to think God might just honour all our lives by being one of us.