Respect

RESPECT

Anti-social behaviour has become a big political issue. At last people are catching up with the reality so many have to live with daily with stairwells stinking of urine, abusive language and needle strewn playgrounds. Respect is the buzzword at the moment. It seems that hardly a month goes by without another ?gimmicky? solution being tried ? as if it?s a new problem, and as if it can simply be hosed away. What we seem to forget is that those who are anti-social have no reason to give respect. In the language of my rebellious years they want to ?stuff the system? ? the ?system ? that appears to have paid them no favours (or respect).

Those who know history realise that disrespect has been an issue going back as far as human nature can take us. What changes are the methods, language, gestures and perpetrators of disrespect. A recent reading in our churches focused on the problems Eli the priest at Shiloh had with his wayward sons who had a reputation for sleeping with the local women as well as for stealing the offerings. (This is the first chapters of 1 Samuel).

What doesn?t change is that it is always someone else?s fault. Our new Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, referred to the story of the effect of one man?s respectfulness on a nine year old boy. The person concerned was a white priest in apartheid South Africa called Trevor Huddleston. Walking along the street one morning he greeted a black domestic worker with the words: ?Good morning ma?am?. Obviously her nine year old boy was only used to hearing to disrespect from the whites because, as a consequence of that respect, the boy eventually turned to Christ in the search for a solution to the suffering of his people. The boy?s name was Desmond Tutu, who became Archbishop of Cape Town.

John Sentamu then commented about young people; ?If they are not treated lovingly and forgivingly, they will be unforgiving. If we do not trust them, they will not trust us.? I would also add: ?If we don?t respect them, they will not respect us.

For Christians respect begins in God, and then becomes a responsibility of being a disciple. Meeting for worship, we confess (in the language of the Book of Common Prayer) that we are ?miserable offenders?. Our offence is disrespect one for another. God on the other hand is respect-full and through his love makes us respect-able (able to respect). The same Sunday we heard about Eli?s sons we prayed to God, who ?in Christ makes all things new? and ?who transforms the poverty of our nature? by the riches of his love.

The artist Stephen Broadbent was asked to do something about a wall in Liverpool which was forever being daubed with graffiti. The Queen was coming! He took photos of members of the local community and used them for a mural on the wall. That wall has not been touched since ? a case of respect making others respect-able.

David Herbert