Be Excellent to Each Other

25 years ago - imagine the scene - Jesus, in jeans, hoodie and baseball cap, sitting on the steps outside parliament house (or whatever legislative body you care to mention, they all have steps) with a large crowd of homeless people, drug addicts, a few prostitutes, tattooed lay a-bouts, the unemployed, various young people and the rest of the dregs of society looking for something to do. The crowd quietens as Jesus looks at them, opens his mouth and begins to speak. In loud, ringing tones, heard over the rush of traffic and the busy life of the city he says....

BE EXCELLENT TO EACH OTHER

How cool would that have been?

"Be excellent to each other" was the catchphrase of Bill & Ted as they went on their excellent adventure. Do you know it's been 25 years since the first Bill and Ted movie? If you are under 25 or have never seen the movie go and watch it right now then come back and read the rest of this blog!!!

Wyld Stallyns got it - they simplified a lot of the work of the church into 5 words - be excellent to each other.

So how hard can it be to be? What is it about "do to others as you would have them do to you" that is so difficult to understand? Why is "love your neighbour" not our everyday mantra? Why aren't we being excellent to each other?

In a city (and a world) where profit seems to be more important than people the simple act of being excellent to each other can go a long way to making the city (and world) a better place. Yesterday, at church, Bubba reminded us that we need to actually 'see' people, acknowledge them and remind them that they are important and meaningful.

Across South East Asia there is a ritual greeting that started in Hinduism - it is "Namaste" and it literally means, so I'm told by Profs. Google and Wikipedia, "I see the divine in you" or to put that in a way churchy folk won't freak about, "You are a child of God".

How beautiful is that?

What a difference it would make if we all could see other people as children of God and not just strangers on different paths to us.

That guy who stands next to you on the tram - think Namaste - you are a child of God.;The nosy neighbour down the street who wants to know everything - she is a child of God; that annoying person who stares back at you in the mirror - guess what? Yep a child of God. I'm sure you get the picture, so

Be excellent to each other and namaste on dudes!