Friday, September 01, 2006

Jesus is my Goalie


No commentary, just a really cool photo.

"The Walled Garden"


No this is not a post about the infamous Walled Garden of AOL, rather, I found this picture online and found it both fascinating and heartbreaking. A brief description, what you are looking at is Sao Paulo, with around 20 million people, it is the largest city in Brazil, South America, and I think, the Southern Hemisphere.
On one side of the photo, you have the manicured lawns, gorgeous pools, and breathtaking architecture of the extremely expensive high rise condos. On the other side, the trash filled dirt streets of the “favelas” or slum towns of Brazil.
Looking at this photo, I can’t help but wonder what the people on the right side of the photo think every time they look out of the balcony? Have they ever witnessed some being robbed or killed? Do they long to help their fellow countrymen? Have they grown numb to the images and sounds that must rise up from the shacks below?
What about the people who literary live below those ivory towers. Do they look up and long for a better life? Do they dream of better days? A day where they no longer need fear for their safety and that of their children? Are they resentful and bitter?
This picture sort of reminds me of the parable of the banquet in Luke 14. Not that heaven is like a high rise condo, but that the doors for the greatest party ever have been thrown open to the cripples, poor, and homeless. In other words, to people like you and me.