I mopped the veranda today - veranda and steps and railings, actually. It could be called a porch, but here it is a veranda. This is an important part of the house. It is a shared space, a meeting place. Vivian often sits out to drink her coffee and feel the gentle breezes to greet the day. I usually at least look out to check the weather. But the veranda is much more than that. It is an extension of the house, of our living area. People we do not know will not even come up the stairs, let alone come onto the veranda; even parishioners are cautious until given permission to 'come up' onto the veranda. My sandals sit outside the door, as no one wears shoes in their or others' houses. But most visitors will not even come onto the veranda in their footwear, leaving them on the stairs. This is also a roosting place for birds overnight, and the sugar cane ash [they burn the cane fields before harvesting] collects here, hence the need for frequent mopping. . We frequently invite visitors to come up, but the number that have gone past the veranda are few indeed. No one expects to enter the house proper, and frankly, with any sort of breeze, the veranda is more pleasant.
The veranda does not have an equivalent in North America as far as I know -- a space shared by so many for such purposes, a space outside the house yet incorporated into it. I keep thinking there should be something theological that can be said about such a place. Is it like the church on earth - still part of the Kingdom, but also a gathering place for members, seekers and strangers alike? Holy ground for which we remove our shoes? [Interestingly, we don't take off our shoes when we enter the church.]
Or maybe it's just a handy place for people to be and feel welcome. Sorta like the church after all.
Recently, I have heard several mentions of the phrase 'brother's keeper' in one form or another. It is unfortunate that we so often get it wrong when it comes to the original story, and hence, give the wrong impression when we reuse it in another context. So, here goes:
Most people know the original story - In Genesis, Chapter 4, we have the story of Cain and Abel, the first two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain gets angry with God and by association his brother, Abel, because Abel's sacrifice is acceptable and Cain's isn't. There isn't much detail in the story, but Cain and Abel are walking in the field, and Cain kills Abel. Later, in verse 9 we read: Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother ?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper ?"
The work keeper here is important. The meaning of this word is the same as it is in modern English, that is, a keeper is someone who tends, as in 'gameskeeper, ' or anyone who has charge of or guardianship over something or someone. It is the same word that is used earlier in Chapter 2:15, where God puts Adam in the Garden to keep it.
The problem with the way this passage is generally used is that we accept Cain's definition of his relationship with his brother, Abel, that is, we accept the word used to define it: keeper.
Cain asks the cynical question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" to which we suspect his own answer is a resounding NO. The danger is that we often think that the correct answer is the negation of Cain's, namely YES. Yes, we are our brother's keeper. Yes, we should be concerned about our brothers' [and sisters'] welfare, and especially not murder them in a rage.
The issue is not with the sentiment, but rather the word. Are we to be our fellow's keeper? Are we to keep our neighbours as we do animals in a zoo? Are we to be their caretakers? Too often that was the understanding of colonial powers toward the indigenous people. They were seen as somewhat less than human, people who needed to be taken care of by their masters. We do a disservice to the intent of Scripture when we allow Cain to frame the question. We must answer with Cain: No, we are not our brother's keeper. But Cain has asked the wrong question.
Then what word should we use? Like the famous game show, what question do we ask to which the answer is YES? Fortunately, Jesus gives us the question in the Parable of the Good Samaritan [Luke 10:25-37]. In this passage the question is asked, 'Who is my neighbour?' But at the end of the parable, Jesus reframes the question: 'Who acted as neighbour to the man?' So, we can ask, 'Should I be neighbour to all?' to which we can finally answer, YES.
