Get it?
Try it!
Change it.
Choose it. 

What is “it”, you might well ask?  Is this “it” something that I want to get (i.e. to understand); and if so, is it something I want to try, change and choose?

The Fairtrade Foundation hopes we will as this is their campaign formula, which will be promoted next Spring.  We at St John’s have for some time promoted Fairtrade through the regular Traidcraft stall (thanks to Shanne and Sara) after main Sunday Services.  Through this, various ‘tasting events’ and occasional newsletter articles we have “tried it”.  Throughout October, we also conducted a ballot seeking opinion as to whether we should commit to becoming a “Fairtrade Church” (the results of which are promising, but have yet to be published, so watch this space).  But do we fully understand what Fairtrade is really all about?  (I don’t pretend to, but I’m trying to keep up with my learning.)

A fuller understanding could lead us to stop before we shop:  in our consumer society we can influence change by consciously choosing to make Fairtrade part of our daily life.  By looking for the Fairtrade mark on any product we buy - foodstuffs, wine, clothing - we can make a conscious choice to help those who have produced it.  The Fairtrade mark on a product means that it is independently certified to internationally agreed Fairtrade standards.  This means that producer organisations have received a fair and stable price, which includes a social premium to invest for the future and sustain their economy.

This will help us to understand as consumers how Fairtrade brings about tangible change for communities struggling against poverty and unfair trade.  With thousands of products available, Fairtrade already contributes to improving the lives of around five million people across the globe.  But there are always many more people who are exploited and need help to earn a dignified living.

Today, I invite you to consider we have a choice: we can choose to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.   To counter the western culture, “shop till we drop” with a “stop before we shop” culture. 

As I have said in this week’s newsletter pondering (sorry - “Curate’s Clippings” when I write it):  this is about us learning a different way of buying things, whether we’re choosing coffee or cards, tea or t-shirts.  Every time we buy something bearing a Traidcraft or Fairtrade mark, we make a conscious choice to help those in the production line to support themselves and their families.  And though charity is good, in the Christian sense, this is not charity.  Rather it is about giving people the dignity of working their way out of poverty, providing opportunity and hope for the future.  This is an issue of justice. 

We have only to look to scripture to realise unjust trade systems are not new:  Proverbs 13.23 reads, “A poor man’s field may produce abundant food but injustice sweeps it away”. 

We don’t often hear a reading from the Old Testament but we did today, for a purpose.  Today’s reading from the prophet Isaiah, Chapter 42, verses 1 to 9 (which we heard) begins, “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.”   Now our immediate temptation may be to assume that “my servant”, whom the writer is referring to, is Jesus - the suffering servant, as he is sometimes called.  But we need to remember that although this has strong Christian resonances, it was written long before the Christian tradition was established. 

“My servant”, here is best understood as a community (a suffering community at that), which is Israel itself.  So the Spirit of God is upon the servant - the community - and the servant’s task is to “bring forth justice to the nations”.  Worldwide justice is therefore the central issue here - justice is important to God, and God calls his people - the community - to be concerned about justice. 

The Isaiah message is prophetic:  “Thus says God”.  God is the source of the message.  He is the Creator of breath and Spirit which gives life to the community.  It is God who says, “I have called you in righteousness.  I have taken you by the hand and kept you.  I have given you as a covenant to the people.”  The obligation is upon the people covenanted to God to serve the community. 

God says to the community, “I have given you as a light to the nations”, which obligates His people to set an example to those who sit in darkness.  Again, this has strong Christian resonances but again, the meaning is different.  Here God is calling the community (in this case, Israel) to behave itself and obey God’s call to acts of righteousness and justice, that other nations will come to see the work that God has enabled through His own people.  Only then, will those other nations realise the contrast between their own ineffective gods (with a small “g”) and the capacity of the one and only true God (with a capital “G”). 

Superimpose our community with Israel and God’s call is just the same.  We are called to acts of righteousness and justice, and to seek to be a light to other nations.  Particularly as the idols of our day - the gods with a small g - are a lot more subtle. 

Then contrast the two insights into Jesus’ character, given to us in today’s selection from Mark’s Gospel.  Jesus makes a blind man see, and overturns the money-changers’ tables in a dramatic display of anger in the Temple.  On the one hand, we may be used to and comforted by the idea that Jesus is a healer but the idea of him being an angry man is far less comfortable. 

The interesting thing is, in both incidents he turns the situation upside down - for the Blind Man and for those in the Temple.  Perhaps we should be concerned more upon the impact of his compassionate intervention in the case of the Blind Man and his challenge to the temple authorities, in the case of the money-changers.

We were told that many sternly ordered the Blind Man to be quiet, but that made him cry out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”  The energy in this scene bursts from the page when Jesus stands still and says, “Call him here”.  The Blind Man throws off his cloak and springs up.  With every fibre of his being he believes Jesus can help him, so in response to Jesus’ question, he said, “My teacher, let me see again”.  And immediately Jesus says, “Go; your faith has made you well”.  Immediately, his sight was restored, his life was turned upside down and he followed Jesus.

One question we might ask ourselves is, how does this compare with our response to people in need today?  If we are called to be God’s agents for justice, where would we be in the scene?  Even more significant in the light of today’s theme of Fairtrade is Mark’s Gospel account of Jesus overturning the tables of the money-changers.  Yes, part of his anger was to do with priorities and place.  But his point was, not that the money-changers were trading in the Temple precincts, but that they were exploiting the people to maximise their own financial gain, which effectively robbed God in the process. 

We might also ask ourselves, why is there is still so much evidence of such injustice, albeit more subtle, still today?   Why are many poor families trapped in poverty through unjust trade rules which mean they are controlled by rich countries and institutions?  Why are many countries still paying crippling interest on debts owed to international financial institutions that can never be repaid? 

These are complex issues but we must not allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by them.  We can stand up and be counted in numerous ways.  As a Christian community and as individuals, we do have a voice. 

If you’re an activist you can campaign!  (See the Christian Aid , “I will change a broken world” wallet card, which you were given this morning with your Order of Service.)  If you wish, you can sign and keep this as a reminder of your commitment to challenging unjust systems.  Like Jesus, there are times when we should be angry and look for radical change.  If you wish, you can also sign the poster to signify we’re a church community that takes seriously God’s call to be “a light to the nations”. 

If you are a prayer warrior or a contemplative and you want to petition God for justice, further in the newsletter you’ll find ideas and a prayer.

And above all, as I said earlier, particularly in view of Christmas fast approaching, if we get it, that is, understand the message, we can choose to change our habits.  If we can make a conscious effort to stop before we shop, to look for the Fairtrade or Traidcraft logo, we will be helping to redress the imbalance in our broken world.

As disciples of Christ we are called to live by example.  In the healing of the Blind Man we have been reminded that Jesus is compassionate and loving.  This is important and comforting, particularly in view of our Healing Service this evening. 

The healings of Jesus are part of our Christian inheritance.  When we speak of healing you have heard us speak of wholeness, that is healing of body, mind and spirit.  But one thing we need to remember is that Jesus did not equate wholeness with perfection: he was much less worried than his disciples about conformity to ‘our group’.  In effect, he said that the movement of the Holy Spirit has its own power, which, when called upon, will be stronger than any other.

When we put on a Healing Service, we act as God’s agents, in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of Jesus Christ.  In faith, all of us involved in this ministry - both lay and ordained - open and offer ourselves as channels for the healing of body, mind and spirit, which can only from God, to others. 

And justice - trade justice included - is part of that healing, too.  Particularly for those countless people born into poverty, whose human potential is stifled from the moment they are born.

In a display of righteous anger, Jesus overturned the money-changers’ tables in the Temple.  The final question then must be: in our response to the injustices of our day how would Jesus find us and treat us?