Menikmati Humor Gus dur

sumber http://terisicyber75.blogspot.com/

Ada satu hal yang sangat ingat betul tentang Gus Dur yang terkait dengan pengalaman pelayanan saya sebagai seorang pendeta Gereja Kristen Pasundan. Ini terjadi di tahun 2001. Pada saat itu, sekitar akhir awal bulan Juni 2001 saya mendapatkan kesempatan untuk berkunjung di Timor Timur yang baru saja lepas dari Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia. Saat itu saya beberapa kawan bergabung dengan sebuah LSM asal Korea Selatan untuk sebuah misi pelayanan bagi anak-anak sekolah minggu. Saat saya berangkat menuju Timor Timor, Gus Dur adalah orang nomor satu di negeri yang kita cintai ini. Sebuah kenyataan yang membanggakan karena seorang sosok yang sangat pluralis dan berwawasan kebangsaan yang dalam menjadi seorang presiden di negeri ini. Dua bulan berada di satu desa di distrik Los Palos, hidup tanpa aliran listrik dan akses ke media membuat saya tidak tahu perkembangan yang terjadi di dunia luar, termasuk perkembangan di negeri sendiri. Selang dua bulan tertugas di Timor Timur saya kembali ke wilayah Indonesia, tepatnya di kota Atumbua barulah saya tahu ada perkembangan politik yang luar biasa mengejutkan. Seorang Gus Dur dilengserkan dari kedudukannya sebagai presiden dan digantikan oleh Megawati.

Ingatan saya tentang seorang Gus Dur bukanlah saja tentang peristiwa pelengserannya dari jabatan kepresidenan negeri ini. Ingatan saya tentang sosok seorang Gus Dur yang bagi sebagian orang dikenal sebagai seorang yang kadang controversial dengan berbagai pernyataannya, adalah humor-humornya. Humor khas Gus Dur yang cerdas, renyah, mengena karena kadang mengandung kritikan tetapi juga jenius karena mengajak kita untuk sesaat menertawakan diri sendiri. Misalnya saja  tentang humor fenomena ‘gila’ presiden Indonesia yang dilontarkan Gus Dur. Dikatakan bahwa presiden pertama Indonesia dikenal gila perempuan, presiden kedua dikenal gila harta, presiden ketiga gila teknologi dan presiden keempat, yaitu dirinya sendiri, yang “gila” adalah yang memilihnya. Humor ini ‘katanya’ pernah dilontarkan Gus Dur di depan Fidel Castro dan membuat Fidel Castro tertawa terpingkal-pingkal. Atau humor yang senada dengan itu, misalnya saat Gus Dur melontarkan pendapatnya bahwa seluruh presiden Indonesia itu KKN. Presiden pertama ‘Kanan Kiri Nyonya’, presiden kedua ‘Kanan Kiri Nyolong’, presiden ketiga, yaitu BJ Habibie ‘Keci-kecil Nekad’ dan dirinya sendiri sebagai presiden keempat, ‘Kanan Kiri Nuntun;. Ini pembelajaran yang luar biasa. Tentunya bukan bermaksud mengejek, tetapi membuat kita yang mendengarnya sedang diajar untuk bisa menertawakan diri sendiri. Banyak orang yang terlalu sering menertawakan orang lain, tetapi tidak bisa menertawakan dirinya sendiri. Buat saya yang mendengarnya, humor semacam ini sungguh jenius. Ya, orang yang sanggup menertawakan dirinya sendiri adalah orang jenius dan berhati besar untuk bisa menerima juga kehadiran orang lain apa adanya, karena ia melihat dirinya apa adanya.

Bible Study with Women Fellowship

Bible Study

Couple days ago my friends in SEST Class of Graduate School of Theology Hanshin University got invitation to visit Christian Women Fellowship at Yeong Deong Po Market area, in line 5 subway system.

Because I am interesting to have various experiences in Korean Church and Fellowship, I contacted Rev. Chatherine Christie and asked her about this program. I really want to visit and join with my friends in this bible study. So today I decide to go there and I am happy to do that because I have a good time with my friends there. Actually it is not a big group, only small group. Beside me, Lenta, Untari, Juliana from East Timor, Yen Ching from Taiwan and brother Byung Hee Yun come and join this bible study.

Rev. Chatherine Christie lead the worship and the bible study in English. It is about ecumenism and its challenges in present situation. We talk about ecumenism in our own experiences and context. So it is like a sharing, an ecumenical sharing. It is fun.

In our sharing, we share our opinion about ecumenism. One friend said that ecumenism is like one big house with many rooms. Every rooms have their own rules, customs, cultures, habits, and also traditions. Being ecumenical means willing to get out from our own rooms, meet others people but without try to interverne others. Other friend said that Paul gave a good example in ecumenism. A human body. There is only one body with many organs. While the other said that ecumenism is not only about relationship between churches with different denominations and traditions, but also between Christian and other people with different religions. So inter-faith or inter-religious movement is included in ecumanism talk. One friend reminds the bible study group to be able being ecumanical need effort to empty our selves and accept others, even they have so many differences. Still being ecumenical is not easy, but it is not impossible to do.

Fanya dan pakaian dayak

Eco-Theology - Reflection on GETI class

 ECO-THEOLOGY:

A Reflection on Environmental Issues in Indonesia

Bukan lautan hanya kolam susu kail dan jalan cukup menghidupimu

Tiada badai tiada topan kau temui Ikan dan udang menghampiri dirimu

Bukan lautan hanya kolam susu kail dan jala cukup menghidupmu

Tiada badai tiada topan kau temui ikan dan udang menghampiri dirimu

Orang bilang tanah kita tanah surga; tongkat kayu dan batu jadi tanaman

Orang bilang tanah kita tanah surga; tongkat kayu dan batu jadi tanaman

(Koes Plus, “Kolam Susu”)[1]

I. Introduction

             Koes Plus’ description about Indonesia nature and ecosystem is so beautiful. But in the same time people in Indonesia start to face totally different situations. Now, people have to face mass destruction of nature in the name of economy growth and development.

For last 40 years, for instance, Papua’s ecosystem has been being destroyed by huge scale copper and gold mining by Freeport, a big mining corporation from USA.[2] Or mass scale of conversion of rain forest in Kalimantan to palm oil plantations.[3] Destruction of a lot of rain forests in Indonesia cause many disasters. Many people suffer because disasters like flood and landslides when there is a rainy season and, and droughts when there is dry season.

Actually there are others environmental issues that faced by people in Indonesia. There are a possibility of forest fire when dry season, sea water intrusion which cause lack of fresh water, industrial air pollutions, industrial waste pollutions, etc. Those situations should be alert people including churches to put more their attention to protect the ecology and preserve life by having good reactions to those situations, ethically and practically.

Report and Reflection on WCC 10th Assembly in Busan

God of Life: lead us to justice and peace

Report and Reflection on WCC 10th Assembly in Busan

For me it is really wonderful experience to have an opportunity, not only to come and visit but also being a part of one big event in churches life, the 10^th   World Council of Churches’ Assembly. So I am really happy and greatful to be in WCC 10^th  Assembly in Busan. It is a life time opportunity in my life.

             I thank Hanshin University for giving a chance for Studies in Ecumenism and Social Transformation class being a part of GETI and WCC 10^th Assembly in Busan. I believe with these chances we learn a lot of things, especially to learn about ecumenism, about struggle for justice and peace from many places in the world, about how churches involved strongly in social issues, and many other things.

            

Report : Daily Routine

             Day 1 November 4th, 2013. Indonesia Bible Study: the participants had discussion about the meaning of water in relationship with mission as main theme of that day. The participants agreed that from the story from Act 8:26-40 we can learn about inclusiveness. The Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians can not enter to the Jewish Christian community in Jerusalem. The action of baptizm was a sign of inclusiveness that shown by Philip ordered by God. This understanding became a lesson for churches, especially in Indonesia, to practice inclusiveness among pluralistic life in Indonesia. Also to have mission work with inclusive understanding and not with exclusive understanding, only such as converting people become member of church.

Reflection on Global Ecumenical Theological Institute 2013

WHO IS OUR NEIGHBOR? 

A Short Reflection On GETI 2013 Program 

First of all I am very happy being a student of GETI program though only for couple days. I have a felicitous experience. My group faculty also asked me to have one presentation on eco-theology issues, particularly in Indonesia context. So it is a very wonderful and great experience in GETI, also for opportunity meet with many people from many countries.

One of the inspiring lectures for me was lecture from Dr. Seong Won Park in the very first beginning of GETI seminar. There are two points that very interesting to me which about his statement that “the minjung of minjung today are still every oppressed people not only in Korea, off course but in every our context, our nature that already exploited and particularly in South Korea context, are every migrant workers.” And other interesting point from his lecture is his information about the Korean Oikos Theology Movement. It is kind of training for youth people who came from Korea and other countries. The program is about peace talk, understanding nature through many programs including making slow food etc.

In my reflection I would like to emphasize my interest to Dr. Seong Won Park’s statement that “the minjung of minjung today are every oppressed people, exploited nature and migrant workers” or for short I put it in my understanding that our neighbor as a Christian should be every human beings and also other God’s creations, like animals and plants. But more than that “the minjung of minjung” for us should be every human being that somehow neglected by other human beings, under other human beings’ oppression, poor people, sick people, seen by others as nothing even without any values in their life (perhaps because their life conditions, their works option, their sexual orientation etc) and I am sad to say this, people who are not taken into account in church life. They are our really neighbor. Beside that we can see that other God’s creation as our neighbor as well. So because of that we have to treat them all with respect because we are not the owner of nature (only God is the owner).

I integrate my understanding of Dr. Seong Won Park’s statement with Dr. Nam Soon Kang’s statement. She said that Christianity has a dualist form which are oppressing and liberating people. For me even that is a fact that Christianity in its history revealed this dualist form, but as Christian we should choose our Christianity to be liberating people as much as possible, not oppressing people with narrow and limited theological horizon of our own.

So as Christian, we have to liberate our oppressed neighbor (the minjung of minjung) with our ministry and real actions. We have to help them find what we call “peace”. To do such things, Church should not be singing a same “song” with what our society sung, which are “songs” of injustice, oppressed, exploitation, violence etc. Church should sing different “song” even when Church does that will be crucified.

Listening to Creation Groaning

Joint World Alliance of Reformed Churches and World Council Of Churches Consultation, Listening to Creation Groaning: Reflection and Notes on Creation Theology, Geneva: John Knox International Reformed Centre, 2004 in Melisande Lorke and Dietrich Werner (eds.), Ecumenical Visions for the 21st Century: A Reader for Theological Education, Geneva: WCC Publication, 2013, 251-259

Creation in the Old and New Testament

Bible describes God as continuously creating (creation continua). God calls creation into life and renew it day by day. So creation is ongoing process. Old Testament does not offer a theory on the origin of the world but invited Israel to respond in faith to the creating power of God. Human beings are unique among other God’s creations. They have mandate to fulfill in creation but in the same time should be recognized as part of the whole creations. Human beings were created in the image and likeness of God. It makes human being as representative of divinity on earth. They became God’s vicarii and should exercise it responsibly. It is interesting to know that human beings were created in the same day with animals, so both share same living space and form a community. Human beings are the responsible stewards or locum tenentess of God on earth. In Genesis 1 there is an ideal picture. Human beings are vegetarians, but after flood story a new order is established. Human beings are allowed to eat meat though God at the same time established covenant with the whole earth. So we can understand that the mandate given to human beings must be exercised under this covenant.

Mixed Blessing for Animals

Olley, John. Mixed Blessing for Animals: The Contras of Genesis 9, in  Norman C. Habel and Shirley Wurst (eds.), The Earth Story in Genesis, England : Sheffield Academic Press, 2000, p. 130-139

Introduction

When we read flood story, we read about animals in their richness of their variety are included in the occupant of the ark. We can say that this plentiful diversity of animals is seen as good and is to be maintained. It was emphasized by the repeated “kol or all” in Genesis 8:17, 19 (seven times).Yet the first reference to animal in Genesis 9 is to “the fear and dread” of Noah and his descendants (9:2). So we can see there is difference between Genesis 8 and Genesis 9. In Genesis 8 we can see there is comprehensiveness between humans and animals, while in Genesis 9 the sole beneficiary is humankind. The question is does animals only simply become as human food supply and ruthlessly treated by humans? And also a question about does animals and humans seem to have accountability?

When we read Genesis 9 we get surprising information. The first covenant involves not only Noah but also every living creature. (9:10. 12, 15, 16, 17). It simply described as between God and “the earth” (Gen. 9:13). Next question is how can we understand this chapter - this juxtaposition between humankind and every living creature? Meanwhile, in the other hand, people still hard to except that animals can be recognized as “covenant partners with Yahwe”.

Psalm 104

Praising God as Creator with Psalm 104:

Reading Psalm 104 for Church Ecological Ministry [1]

Rev. T. Adama A. Sihite[2]

Introduction

The word ‘psalm’ and ‘psalter’ are from the Latin ‘psalmi’ and ‘psalterium’ which are derived from the Greek psalmoi and psaltẽrion. Apparently this translation translates the Hebrew word ‘mizmor’ which is usually taken to mean “a religious song accompanied by stringed instrument(s)’[3] In the Hebrew Bible the title of the Book of Psalms is sẽper t^ehilίm or the book of praise although not all psalms are praises. This term is a fitting name for the Psalter as whole because the theme of praise and thanksgiving recurs again and again.[4] The Hebrew Bible is divided into three parts: the Law, the Prophets and the Writings. The Book of Psalms belongs to the Writing.[5]

According to German scholar, H. Gunkel, there are five types of psalms: hymns (Heb. t^ehillά. Psalm 8, 19a, 29, 33, 46-48, 65, 66a, 76, 84, 87, 93, 95-100, 103-104, 11, 113-114, 117, 122, 134-136 and 145-150), communal laments (Psalms 60, 80, 126), royal psalms (Psalms 2, 18, 20, 45, 110, 110), individual laments (Psalms 3-7, 22, 25-28, 51, 54-57, 139-143) and individual thanksgiving (Psalms 30, 32, 34, 41, 116 and 138).[6]  And in addition to these five major types, Gunkel also recognized the existence of a number of other types. These include the communal thanksgiving (Psalm 124), the wisdom psalms (Psalms 1, 112), the pilgrimage psalms (Psalms 37, 49), and liturgies (Psalms 75, 85).[7]

We can divide all the psalms into five books (Psalm 1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, and 107-150) and each of those books concludes with a doxology, a liturgical formula of praise to God (Psalm 41:13, 72:18-19, 89:52, 106:48, and 150).[8]

Form / Structure / Setting

One of the types of psalm is hymns or the psalm of praise. Actually almost all the hymns are in the last third of the Psalter. They are post-exilic (but not Psalm 104), while many of other psalms (though not all) in the first two-thirds of the Psalter are pre-exilic.[9] These psalms are called as hymns or psalms of praise because they relate to Yahweh’s greatness and goodness as manifested on two main ideas: God’s creation of the