Standing Firm.
Exodus 16: 2–15; Philippians 1: 27–30; Matthew 10: 1–16.
Is gravity pu?
The threats facing the church loomed large in the first few centuries. The Philippian Christians were not exempt from threat living in this model Roman city many miles from Rome. Roman citizens had established Philippi. When some of the citizens of Philippi accepted Christ Jesus as their Lord and Saviour they faced threat and danger. Threats to one’s faith have always existed. Hostility to Christians comes in two forms: direct opposition accompanied by persecution; and, the Church losing its focus and becoming like the culture of the day.
When Moses, Aaron and Miriam led the slaves to freedom they soon faced a threat to their freedom. After a few weeks the freed slaves went deeper into the desert areas of the Sinai Peninsular. Their food supply was depleted. They became hungry. They began to complain to Moses. Back in Egypt, the breadbasket of the known world, there was plenty of food even for slaves. The slaves feared for their lives. They were angry. They wondered if they would survive. This was not the freedom they envisaged. They wanted to return to slavery. They faced a threat to their physical and spiritual existence. Physically they faced starvation and spiritually they might lose their freedom.
It is hard for us to imagine what it is like to be under threat because of one’s faith, beliefs and values. We would hardly see ourselves under threat. Today many Christians in the Middle East, Africa and Asia face threat and death while we in the Western world have enjoyed many centuries of freedom. In fact the Church has been the cornerstone of society. During the medieval period the Church formed the centre for worship, education, hospitality, justice and medical care. Many of us grew up in a period where the Church was the centre for the community. We organised so many activities for the groups of the church and especially the youngsters. Games and sports, entertainment and education were organised and run by the Church. You came to the church’s building to worship but also for your social engagement.
I want to focus the threats we face in our country and society today. I don’t want to focus on today’s persecuted Church. However we should make ourselves aware of our sisters and brothers in Christ who are being persecuted. It would be good for someone to take up a watchtower role so that we can be informed and pray accordingly. It would be good if someone in the membership took the responsibility to keep us posted as to what is happening to other Christians in the world.
These are the threats to our existence as Christians that I see. Our faith is under threat and I am not speaking about the alarmist anti same-sex marriage campaign that suggests our religious freedom is at risk. I conferenced with some of these anti lobbyists and their argument that religious freedom is at risk is very shallow. It is more coloured by their rejection of same-sex marriage than anything else. I can accept their decision to vote no, but I reject the rhetoric that the religious freedom will be lost. Looking again at the information I am at a loss to know what freedoms I will loose. When they cite examples they usually come out of the USA. I am yet to be convinced.
The threat to the Church in Australia comes largely from within the Church. The threat we face is our apathy, our insularity and our confusion about tolerance. The notion of tolerance that our culture espouses encourages us to be vague and imprecise about the faith. We talk about being tolerant of others. We want them to feel comfortable with us. It all sounds so right and Christian. But when tolerance leads to a lowering of our standards and a dismantling of our beliefs then tolerance is no longer tolerance. It is capitulation. Let me offer a simple illustration. You have friends come to your house. You know they are not Christian, but you are. You say grace at your table. So when they come what do you do? Do you decide to include them by not saying grace? I recall a minister who said in our ministers’ association that when they took a multicultural service they did not mention Christ Jesus. That is not tolerance. That is capitulation. We say grace always when we eat together. We say grace at our table regardless of whether our friends are Christian or not. They accept that and when we eat with them we don’t expect grace to be said. Our tolerance is respectful of the others, not capitulation of our beliefs and values for the sake of the other. Holding to our beliefs and values graciously and respectfully is integrity. Integrity is rewarded with respect – mutual respect. I came across the tragic action of a Swedish Lutheran Bishop, Eva Brunne, who called for the removal of Crosses on Church buildings so Muslims would not be offended. That is not inclusivity. That is not tolerance. That is capitulation to the prevailing secular climate that wants everything to be non-religious and religion to be practised behind closed doors.
One is not tolerant because you have a notion that we are all the same. One is tolerant precisely because one has a different set of beliefs and values and allows and respects others who are different. Likewise inclusivity is the same. I include others of other beliefs and values and offer respect precisely because of our difference. And I am happy to do so, but I do not jettison my beliefs and values. Tolerance exists where there is difference not where everything is seen as the same. If tolerance silences us about our faith it is not tolerance.
Apathy is another threat. Apathy is the lack of enthusiasm, interest or concern. Apathy comes from the Greek language and means ‘without feeling or suffering’. We do suffer from a lack of passion about our faith. There is a tendency to treat our faith as a good habit to have, a useful practice for well-being or we regard it as a spiritual insurance policy so we have life after death. Christianity is a convenience or a good habit for some. That convenience is easily set aside when other things come on the agenda. When we lack passion about our beliefs and values then our faith is at great risk. When we lack conviction we will more easily deny what we believe. We will make compromises. Other things like family or interests take priority. There is a balance between fitting in our other interests and values with Christianity and fitting Christianity into the rest of our lives when its convenient or necessary.
The next threat that I see facing us today is insularity or narrow-mindedness. The Church runs a great risk in insulating itself against other things. Building a wall around our faith is dangerous. Some churches do that so well and they begin to die. I don’t think this is a great threat to us, but we should work harder as a church at seeing the larger Church and the world and its concerns. Remember God’s way is that we gather to worship only to go back into the world and proclaim Christ in word and deed.
Paul writes to the Philippian church encouraging them to live a life worthy of the Gospel of Christ Jesus. Paul encourages the Philippian Christians to stand firm in one spirit.
In our reading he uses the metaphor of ‘good citizens’ of heaven on earth. Elsewhere Paul uses the metaphors of soldier and athlete. Part of standing firm is working together: their unity in faith and action is important. When Moses was confronted with the rebellion of the freed slaves he turned to God and God provided food for them. God provided the food under strict conditions. God provided just enough for one day. God’s provision also taught those freed slaves about a new discipline and relationship with God.
Finally our Gospel reading leaves us with an amazing picture of God’s Kingdom. It is like a farmer who employs workers and pays each worker a day’s wage regardless of the hours worked. The point is this. The worker needed a day’s wage to meet his and his family’s needs. The Kingdom is like that. The Church, the people of God’s Kingdom, must live like that. Everyone is entitled to have their daily needs met. God treats us like that. Regardless of what we have done we will have our needs met. So friends, stand firm in the faith. Face the threats to our spiritual existence and know that God will meet our daily needs as we stand together in unity and love. Know that God will provide enough for us as God provided for Moses and the people of God.
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Peter C Whitaker, Leighmoor UC: 24/09/2017
pgwhitaker@tpg.com.au
/ www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au
