"Christians Are Perfect (In Love)"

            This Sunday, January 18th, I will continue a five-week proclamation series entitled, “What Makes the Christian Life Distinctive?”  Our focus this Sunday is the role that love plays within the Christian life.  In this series, we are exploring how being a Christian should make a real difference in the life each of us lives and the persons we become.  Consider love as an illustration.  Love is a key value within the Christian life of discipleship.  In John 15:12, Jesus says, “…love one another as I have loved you.”  So, Christians are called to love others.  Yet, loving others is not limited to just Christians.  Other persons from other religions—or, who have no religion at all—may adopt a philosophy of love for others.  So, what is it about Christian love that makes the Christian life distinctive?  That is our question this weekend.

            Our foundational scripture for this exploration is 1 John 4: 16-21.  In verses 19-20 of this passage, we learn the motivation for Christian love:  “We love because God first loved us.  Those who say, ‘I love  God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.” 

            For the “Elder,” who wrote 1 John, Christian love for others occurs in response to God’s deep and profound love for each of us.  Writing in The New Interpreter’s Bible, C. Clifton Black observes:  “Throughout 1 John the author has proved conspicuously reluctant to allow any concept of ‘vertical love’—God’s love for us or our love for God—to ride unbalanced without its ‘horizontal’ counterpart—our love for one another.”[i] 

For me, a helpful metaphor is a common water pitcher.  Imagine a water pitcher sitting in the kitchen sink, underneath the water tap.  When the water is turned on, it flows into the empty pitcher underneath the faucet.  As the water flows, the pitcher gradually fills with water until eventually the water reaches the brim and the pitcher is completely full.  As the water continues to pour from the faucet, the pitcher is now filled to overflowing.  Water begins spilling over the rim of the pitcher and cascades down its sides and into the sink. 

Similarly, for Christians, as we grow spiritually in our faith, we begin to appreciate how deep and wide and awesome God’s love for us really is.  Through spiritual growth, we begin to realize that God’s love is greater than we are.  God’s love literally fills us to overflowing, just as the water filling the pitcher in the metaphor.  As God’s love overflows, it spills out to our brothers and sisters.  God’s love pours down upon us vertically, overflowing, so that our love for others flows out horizontally.  We need to be clear that this love of others flows horizontally through spiritual maturity, as we gain a deeper and deeper appreciation for how much God loves us.

Of course, nonChristian persons of good will may also adopt and practice a philosophy of love for others.  But for these very admirable people, a philosophy to love one’s neighbor is a decision, generated from within, by conscious choice and lived out through a steely willpower.  I really admire such persons of good will because maintaining a life philosophy of love for others must require incredible determination and self-discipline.  By contrast, Christians’ commitment to a lifestyle of love is different—even though it, too, can be difficult.  As Christians mature spiritually and begin to comprehend the magnitude of God’s love for each of us, then our love for others becomes simply a gracious response to God’s love for us.  God’s love literally flows through us to those we touch.

In 1 John, the writer captures this point in verse 16, when he writes, simply:  “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.”  This is a profound distinction within Christian life.  But, there is more.

The “elder” continues in verses 17-18:  “Love has been perfected among us in this:  that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and who ever fears has not reached perfection in love.”  (my emphasis) 

What does it mean to become “perfect in love”? 

To be perfect in love does not mean that we become perfect individuals, without any flaws or shortcomings.  No.  Instead, to be perfect in love means that all of our words and actions are motivated out of a love for others.  That is, our intentions are always motivated by love for others.

Once again, nonChristians, may grow over time, so that all of their words and actions are motivated out of a love for others.  Yet, for the writer of 1 John, there was more to becoming “perfect in love” than simply acting out of a motivation of love.

1 John begins with these words:  “…the blood of Jesus, God’s Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1: 7b-10)  Sinfulness, judgment, and justice form the backdrop for the writer’s reflections on love. 

Although he recognizes that all persons sin and fall short, no matter how hard we strive to be good persons, the “elder” believes that our sinfulness is literally washed away by God’s flooding, overflowing love for each of us.  Just as a power-washer can be used to wash all of the dirt and grime off the outside wall of a house, so also God’s love powerfully washes us clean from our sinfulness and heals us. 

As we mature spiritually in our faith, and as we become filled to overflowing with God’s love, then we become “perfect in love.”  That is, as God’s love grows within us, then we no longer fear judgment or punishment for all of our wrongdoing and shortcomings because we are confident that God’s love will wash us clean and heal us.  Out of this confidence that we are healed and reconciled through Jesus’ overflowing love, then we become “perfect in love” and the way in which we treat others is solely motivated by love for them--as a result of Jesus' love for us.

 

Come, join us this Sunday, as we explore what it means to be “perfect in love.”  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  Our classic worship service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings. 

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

---

[i] C. Clifton Black, The First, Second, and Third Letters of John:  Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections in The New Interpreter’s Bible, 12 volume series, 2003.

“Why Christians Are More Like Wolves, Than Tigers”

            This Sunday, January 11th, I will begin a new five-week proclamation series entitled, “What Makes the Christian Life Distinctive?”  In this series, we will be exploring why being a Christian should make a real difference in the life that each of us lives and in the persons that we become.  For example, there are many people in my community of Meriden, Kansas, who strongly desire to make good ethical choices, do the right thing, help their neighbors in need, and make a real difference in the world.  Yet, some of those persons are not practicing Christians and they may, indeed, have no faith at all.  What is it that sets Christians apart as being different from these others in our community, who also strive to be ethical and help their neighbors in need?   This is our focus for the next five weeks.

            This Sunday, I will begin this series by focusing on the communal dimension of the Christian life.  Early in my ministry, I had a farmer who was on the membership rolls as an official member of the church that I was pastoring.  However, this old farmer never came to church.  One day, when we ran into each other in a store, he told me, “I don’t believe that I need to attend church in order to be close to God.  Instead, I spend Sunday mornings just walking on my farm.  I believe that I can feel God’s Presence through nature, as I walk my land.”           

            I responded by affirming that we can certainly experience God’s presence and grow spiritually through the awesome beauty and wonder of nature.  “In fact,” I told him.  “I definitely feel closer to God when I am walking in the woods, over sitting in a beautiful chapel, singing hymns.” 

            “But,” I continued, “If you only focus on yourself and never attend—or invest—in your community of faith, then you are missing out on an important spiritual dimension in your life:  the love and support of your community of faith.”

            We humans are social creatures.  We are much more similar to wolves, than we are to tigers.  As a species, tigers are loners, except for when they are mating.    Tigers are solitary.  They hunt, eat, sleep, and prowl by themselves.  By contrast, wolves are pack—or, social—animals.  They live out their lives as members of this social group, called a pack.  Wolves are fierce, assertive animals that take care of their families and community.  They hunt, eat, sleep, and prowl together as a pack.

            Since humans are also social creatures, we are much more akin to wolves than we are to tigers.  The social quality of our nature also extends to and includes our spiritual dimension as Christians.  Jesus never intended for his disciples to live out their faith alone and in solitude.  Instead, he intended for us to band together in groups, or communities, of faith.

            “The Book of Acts” in the Bible, describes the first Christian churches.  These house churches provide a model of what Jesus envisioned for all of his disciples, including us Twenty-first Century followers. Acts 4: 32-37 provides my foundational scripture for the first sermon on what makes the Christian life distinctive.  In this chapter, Luke writes:  “Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions.”  In the first churches, newcomers were welcomed into the community of faith with open arms and open hearts. 

The people in the church loved and supported one another.  In the early church, individual members took care of one another, so that no one suffered or was alone.  Luke writes, “There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or hoses sold them and  … the proceeds of what was sold…was distributed to each as any had need.”  Just as the wolfpack protects and takes care of its own, so also Christians should be engaged in taking care of one another.

Not only did the first Christians take care of one another’s physical and financial needs, they also cared for one another spiritually.  Luke tells us that spiritual care and growth was the first priority of the Apostles, who had been eyewitnesses to the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  He writes, “With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.”  An authentic community of faith should facilitate and enable spiritual growth, for individual members as well as for the community as a whole. 

A true community of faith should also provide loving, supportive role-models, whose lives demonstrate what it means to live as a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.  This privilege and responsibility is nicely illustrated in the Sacrament of Baptism.  Immediately after the baptism, members of the community of faith are challenged to help the newly baptized initiates by doing all in their power “to increase their faith, confirm their hope, and perfect them in love.”

So, to summarize, the first distinctive aspect of the Christian life is that each person of faith does not journey through life alone, as a tiger on the prowl.  Rather, we have the support and strength and love and role-models of a community of persons who are there for us, to assist and support us as we live lives of faith and flourishing.  Just like the wolf, we are not alone but rather we are part of a pack, which loves and protects and cares for us.

 

The New Year is a great time to get back into church. If you already have a church, we urge you to attend and support your church this year. However, if you don't already have a church home, check us out at Meriden United Methodist Church, at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas. Our classic worship service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings.  We would love to have you become a member of our “pack” of caring persons who seek to love and serve God.  Join us this Sunday as we explore the communal dimension of Christian discipleship further.

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

 

"A Clash of Two Worlds"

             This Sunday, January 4th, many churches throughout the world will celebrate the Christian holy day, of Epiphany.  In their celebrations of Epiphany, Christians commemorate the Wise Men coming to Bethlehem to worship and pay homage to the newborn baby, Jesus. 

The story of the Wise Men appears in Matthew 2: 1-12.  The Greek word that Matthew uses in his Gospel to refer to the “Wise Men” may also be translated as “astrologers,” “magicians,” or “sorcerers.”  Biblical scholars believe that the Wise Men were priests in the pagan religions of either Persia (present day Iran) or Babylonia (present day Iraq).  They would have been experts in astrology and dream interpretation.  The Wise Men arrive in Jerusalem, announcing that they have seen a new star in their study of the night skies.  They interpret this new star as the herald of a new king of the Jews.  They have travelled from their homes in the East to simply worship and pay homage to this new king.

In Jerusalem, the Wise Men seek out King Herod, who had been placed in charge of governing Israel by the Roman Emperor.  King Herod was religiously a Jew, but he had gained his power through a military conquest of the Jewish people and he colluded with the Emperor in continuing the subjugation and occupation of Judea by the Roman Empire.  Clearly, King Herod felt vulnerable and insecure in his position of power because the arrival of astrologers from the East left him greatly “frightened,” along with all the other official Jewish leaders of Jerusalem. 

When the Wise Men inquire about the location of the newborn king, King Herod seeks the expertise of the “chief priests and scribes of the people” –in other words, King Herod asks the Jewish religious leaders along with scholars and lawyers.  Drawing from a prophecy in the Hebrew scripture of Micah, these experts inform Herod that the prophets had claimed that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. 

The Wise Men then travel to Bethlehem, where they find the baby Jesus and kneel down to “pay him homage.”  Then, they present gifts to the baby Jesus:  gold, along with frankincense and myrrh—two very expensive aromatic resins—which were all gifts suitable for royalty.  Then, being warned by God in a dream, they return to their home, using a different route that allows them to avoid King Herod.

In Matthew’s account of the Wise Men, we have the clash of two different worlds.  First, there is the world of the Wise Men.  The Wise Men were the scientists of their day.  They studied the stars and were very wealthy.  The Wise Men were also the priestly leaders in the pagan religions of their culture.  Yet, even though they were pagans, the Wise Men still discerned the birth of God’s Son many miles away in a distant country.   Not only did the Wise Men discern the birth of the Messiah, they responded immediately by starting a journey that would ultimately take them to Bethlehem, where they would worship the baby Jesus and give him the best of what they owned.  The pagan Wise Men were looking forward to the ways that God would redeem the world through God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

By contrast, King Herod, along with the chief priests, “scribes of the people,” and other Jewish leaders lived in a second world, which was dramatically different from the world of the Wise Men.  Just as the Wise Men, King Herod and the other Jerusalem officials were rich and very powerful leaders within the Jewish faith.  Yet, they were not looking expectedly forward to the time when God would redeem the world through Jesus Christ.  Instead, King Herod and the other officials were very comfortable with the status quo and they were afraid of change.  For Matthew, King Herod and the other officials were religious hypocrites, who proclaimed religious devotion but failed to live out those religious commitments.

The Wise Men were “seekers” and “doers.”  They were still seeking to learn more about the Divine and to deepen their spirituality.  When they found Jesus in Bethlehem, they were “overwhelmed with joy.”  By contrast, King Herod and his officials were neither “seekers” nor “doers.”  Even though they knew exactly where to find the prophesied location of the Messiah’s birth in their sacred texts, they were not interested in seeking out the promised Messiah in Bethlehem.  They didn’t even bother to journey with the Wise Men to find and worship the new Messiah.  Rather than being “overwhelmed with joy” that the Messiah had finally been born, they were frightened that the Messiah might require changes in their lives. 

            In the proclamation this weekend, I will suggest that contemporary Christians can learn a great deal from the Wise Men, as we begin a New Year.  Just like the Wise Men, we must become “seekers,” continually striving to learn more about the Divine and to deepen our spirituality.  That is, we must strive to grow deeper spiritually.  Just as the Wise Men, we must also be “doers,” ready to follow wherever God leads us.  In my message, I will give some examples of what I think it means for twenty-first century Christians to be “seekers” and “doers” in 2015.

 

The New Year is a great time to get back into church. If you already have a church, we urge you to make a New Year's Resolution to attend and support your church. However, if you don't already have a church home, check us out at Meriden United Methodist Church, located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas. Our classic worship service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings. 

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

“What Do You Hope to Accomplish by Fasting?”

            It is late afternoon on Friday and my day-long fast is almost completed.  I haven’t eaten since breakfast and I can tell it.  For the last several hours, my stomach has growled and turned and growled some more.  I feel slightly light headed.  I am really hungry.  Just a few more minutes and I can end my fast, with dinner.

            Earlier today I told someone that I was fasting all day.  The response was incredulous:  “Why on earth are you doing that?”  “What do you hope to accomplish?” 

            This all began last Sunday on the “First Sunday of Advent.”  In my sermon, I described the season of Advent as a time of preparation for the celebration of the Messiah’s birth at Christmas. I explained that historically in the Church this Advent preparation included fasting, confession of our sins, and penance. 

Then, at the end of my message, I committed to fasting during the day on the three Friday’s of Advent, December 5th, 12th, and 19th.  Then, I challenged my congregation to join me in fasting—or, if they didn’t feel as though they could fast, to give up something else which they really enjoy or depend on for Advent.  Of those who have shared with me, most are giving up something instead of actually fasting—and, that’s ok.  I’ve been interested to hear what people are giving up.  The things sacrificed vary from that Southern delight “Moon pies” and RC colas to staying up really late.

But, the question remains: Why fast or give up something?  What do we hope to accomplish? 

As I explained last week, “I like to think about our time of preparation during Advent as a journey that ultimately leads to the manger and baby Jesus on Christmas Eve.”  It is a journey of preparation—spiritual preparation—before celebrating Christmas and the birth of the Messiah.  For Christians, Christmas marks that tipping point in the history of humanity and, indeed, the history of the cosmos.  It is the tipping point when absolutely everything changed.  It was that moment of transformation, when God became incarnated in a particular person, the baby Jesus.  Nothing has been the same, ever since.  The entire world has been transformed by the awesome, incomprehensible love of God.

Traditionally, this spiritual journey of preparation for Christmas has been characterized by three words:  confession, lamentation, and penance. 

Of course, there is a second preparation for Christmas going on all around us in secular culture.  We live in a popular culture that takes the Christmas season very seriously.  For retailers, the Christmas season is the single most important time of the year.  So, all around us, popular culture is preparing for and celebrating a different type of Christmas.  This secular Christmas can also be characterized by three words:  partying, feasting, and shopping.

There’s quite a dramatic difference between the two preparations and observations of Christmas. 

As a Christian, I perceive a fatal danger with the way popular society observes Christmas.  The danger is that we can become so caught up partying, feasting, and shopping that we lose all perspective on why there is a Christmas in the first place.  We can forget or overlook or fail to appreciate this radical transformation of humanity and the world by the awesome, incredible love of God for each of us. 

The example I used last week went like this:

“Think about it this way:  Have you ever been in a thunderstorm or a snow storm that knocked out the electricity in your house.  If you are like me, there comes a point where you start to realize just how much you take electricity for granted.  The power goes out and it’s dark, so you stand up and walk over to switch on the light, only to remember the power is out.  So, frustrated, you turn on the television to get a report on how long you will be without power, only to realize the television won’t work because the power is out.  Then, you decide to make a cup of coffee, only to realize that the coffee maker won’t work because there’s no electricity.  Perhaps, you decide to find someplace that still has electricity.  So, you go out to the garage, only to realize the garage opener is powered by electricity.” 

If we only follow the path of popular culture, then we will, indeed, forget or overlook or fail to appreciate the significance of that first Christmas.

Now, we cannot escape the popular culture which dominates and defines contemporary life.  To switch metaphors, American popular culture is the ocean and we are all mere fishes swimming and living in that ocean.  We have no better chance of living independently of American popular culture than the chances of a fish living out of the ocean. 

In reality, each Christian takes two journeys of preparation during the four-week Advent period.  On the one hand, we must participate in the Christmas of popular culture.  On the other hand, as persons of faith, we must participate in the historical spiritual preparation of Advent.  As Americans living in contemporary society, we take these two journeys simultaneously.  On the one hand, we cannot escape joining in the partying, feasting, and shopping of popular culture.  On the other hand, we must also engage the spiritual preparation of confession, lamentation, and penance.  It is a both/and.  This is good.

So, what do I hope to accomplish by fasting?  I hope to be spiritually prepared to celebrate the birth of the Messiah and to appreciate it as the tipping point it really was, when everything about the cosmos changed, including my puny little life.

The pain from the emptiness of my stomach is miniscule when compared to the sharp hunger pains of children and their families around the world.

The faint headache and light-headedness brought on by my fasting is miniscule when compared to the suffering of my Savior on the Cross, or the suffering that occurs in the world, including the damage that we wreak upon Creation.

Yet, even though the suffering and inconvenience of fasting for a few hours is miniscule, I believe that it will help me spiritually prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the transformation of the world. 

What do I hope to accomplish by fasting?  I hope to gain perspective and appreciation.

If you live in our area and do not have a church that is your home, come and join us at Meriden United Methodist Church.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  Our classic worship service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings. 

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

"The Journey Begins In Lamentation--and Hope"

            This coming Sunday, November 30th, marks the beginning of the season of Advent on the Christian Calendar.  Advent is that four-week period of preparation, leading up to Christmas and the celebration of the Messiah’s birth.  But, how should we “prepare” during Advent?  Historically in the Church, Advent was a time for fasting, confession of our sins, and penance.  Of course, sacrificial and penitential acts seem diametrically opposed to the “preparation” for Christmas that goes on in the secular, popular culture all around Christians.  In the popular culture “preparation” for Christmas seems characterized by feasting, partying, and shopping.

            As Christians, how do we prepare for Christmas?

            From a Christian perspective, our preparation for Christmas should center on internal, spiritual preparation, even though I acknowledge that there is much physical preparation that we might do, such as baking cookies and decorating our homes.  Although I do not think we are required to strictly follow the old Church tradition of sacrificial preparation, we might begin by looking at how those Christians prepared, spiritually, and why they chose those methods.

Each year during Advent, there are traditional scripture readings, which are suggested as the foundational texts for preaching.  One of these suggested texts for this Sunday is Isaiah 64: 1-12.  The form of literature which this scripture passage takes is that of Lamentation.

            Most contemporary persons don’t spend much time reflecting on, or doing, lamentation.  From a Christian theological perspective, Lamentation is passionate and usually vocal expression of regret and sorrow and grief brought on by the recognition—and confession—of our sins and failings.  Although it is not an important component of our contemporary life, lamentation is a prevalent theme in many sections of the Bible and it was an important component of Christian spirituality down through the ages, until the modern and post-modern periods. 

What can we learn about spiritual preparation for Christmas through a passage of the Bible devoted to Lamentation? 

Isaiah 64 can be divided into three sections.  The first section (verses 1-5a) is basically a recollection and reminder of how in the past God was powerfully active and present in the lives of the faithful.  This section is addressed directly to God.  Remembering how God revealed God’s Self to the Israelites wandering in the wilderness after their escape from Egypt, the prophet writes, “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence…” (v. 1) 

Implicit in this section is the admission by the prophet that, for the people of his day, God has become “hidden,” or absent.  The people of God are separated from God.  If we are completely honest, couldn’t the same claim be made about many people around us?  Isn’t it true that there are many people around us, who do not experience God’s presence in their lives?  Many of us in the church could push even deeper and admit that sometimes it feels as though God has hidden from us and we do not feel God’s presence within our lives.

In the second section of this chapter  (verses 5b-7), the focus shifts to a collective confession of how far the people have strayed and how greatly they have sinned.  In an extremely graphic metaphor, the prophet confesses, “We have become like one who is unclean and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth” (verse 6).  Literally, the prophet says that our actions have become as unclean and reprehensive as a used menstrual cloth.

While most of us would not use such a graphic image, isn’t it true that all of us today have sins and shortcomings and failures that we are ashamed of?  Like a dark hood that terrorists use to cover the head of a captive, so also our sin and our shame blot out the brilliant light of God’s Presence and Love in our lives.  Our sins and shortcomings create a barrier that separates us from God.  At this point, this lamentation is complete.  All is darkness and despair.

Yet, there is always hope with God.  And so, the third section (verses 8-12) form an appeal to God for mercy and rescue.  The third section begins by reminding God of the special relationship that God has established with us; a special relationship that was established at the very beginning.  The prophet writes, “Yet, O Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay and you are our potter; we are the work of your hand.” (verse 8; my emphasis)  Despite all of the bad that we have done; despite how hidden God is from us; despite how angry God is, the Prophet reminds God of God’s love and special relationship with us. 

So, the lamentation ends on a note of hope:  “After all this, will you restrain yourself, O Lord?  Will you keep silent and punish us so severely?” (verse 12)  There is hope that God’s love is so deep and so powerful that all evil will be overcome and we will be reconciled with our Creator.

            For Christians, the source and focus of that hope is Jesus Christ. 

            I would suggest that there is great insight in the old Christian traditions of making confession and penance—and, lamentation—central for their spiritual preparation for Christmas. 

Think about it this way:  Have you ever been in a thunderstorm or a snow storm that knocked out the electricity in your house.  If you are like me, there comes a point where you start to realize just how much you take electricity for granted.  The power goes out and it’s dark, so you stand up and walk over to switch on the light, only to remember the power is out.  So, frustrated, you turn on the television to get a report on how long you will be without power, only to realize the television won’t work because the power is out.  Then, you decide to make a cup of coffee, only to realize that the coffee maker won’t work because there’s no electricity.  Perhaps, you decide to find someplace that still has electricity.  So, you go out to the garage, only to realize the garage opener is powered by electricity. 

As Christians we can slip into the habit of taking Christ for granted, just as we do electricity in our homes.  This is the great liability of allowing popular culture, with its emphasis on feasting, partying, and shopping, to solely dictate how we experience Christmas.  In order to truly appreciate how lucky we are to have Christ in our lives, we need to spend some time in confession and lamentation and penance.

I like to think about our time of preparation during Advent as a journey that ultimately leads to the manger and baby Jesus on Christmas Eve.  The prophet Isaiah tells us that this spiritual journey should begin with lamentation—and hope.

 

Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  Our classic worship service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings.  Come, join us this Sunday, November 30th, as we begin a spiritual journey that ultimately ends at the manger in Bethlehem. 

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

"Does the Apostle Paul Really Condone Slavery?"

             Just as it is now, the American Church was deeply divided 160 years ago.  Whereas the contemporary American Church continues to struggle with questions of human sexuality, 160 years ago the divisive question was the moral legitimacy of slavery.  That is, well-meaning Christians were deeply divided over whether a faithful Christian could legitimately own other human persons and support the institution of slavery.

            On the one side, there were many well-intentioned Christians who believed that slavery was a moral abomination and serious sin, which could lead to God’s wrathful judgment and damnation.  These Christians drew heavily from the Bible to support their opposition to slavery.  For instance, they argued that Genesis 1:27 clearly establishes that all human persons possess the divine image because each of us is “created in God’s image.”  Further, they noted that in his “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus taught that we should “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44).  Later, in 1 John 4:20b-21, we read:  “…those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.  The commandment we have from him is this:  those who love God must also love their brothers and sisters.”

            On the basis of these scriptures and others, many Christians in the mid-nineteenth century concluded that if all persons are created in God’s divine image and if we are to love all persons, then slavery must be inherently evil from a Christian perspective.  Today, this understanding appears obvious and beyond doubt.  However, in the mid-1800s, it was far from less obvious.

            There was a second Christian perspective which held that the institution of slavery was compatible with Christian teachings and that faithful Christians could own slaves.  Christians who held this perspective also drew heavily from the Bible to support their acceptance of slavery.  For instance, they cited Colossians 3:22, which says, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.”  This verse seems to justify and legitimate slavery.  Similarly, Paul’s Letter to Philemon, a slave owner, seems to condone slavery as acceptable for faithful disciples of Christ.  In this letter, Paul never condemns slavery as wrong.  Instead, he urges Philemon to welcome back Onesimus, a runaway slave, without harsh punishment. 

            This Sunday, November 23rd, I will be preaching on the Epistle to Philemon.  This message will be the first in an occasional series of sermons entitled, “Struggling with Difficult Passages in the Bible.”  The question that I am bringing to Philemon is this, “Does the Apostle Paul Really Condone Slavery?”

            In approaching this question, we must begin by recognizing that slavery in the Roman Empire was very different from the slavery that existed within our own country before the Civil War.  Roman slavery was not based upon race or nationality, as in the antebellum South.  In Rome, slaves were primarily prisoners taken during a war.  So, slaves could be Celts, Germans, Greeks, or any other nationality that lost a war with the Roman Empire.  Some Roman slaves were highly educated, performing important jobs, such as that of teacher, bookkeeper, or physician.  Slaves could be set free by their owners, and frequently this happened out of respect or friendship that developed between owner and slave.  At the same time, slaves who ran away or rebelled could be severely punished by whippings or other forms of physical torture.  Re-captured slaves might even be executed by means of crucifixion. 

            Paul writes his letter to Philemon on behalf of a runaway slave named Onesimus.  In the beginning salutation of the letter, Paul identifies Philemon as a devout Christian who hosts one of the early “house-churches” in his home.  Paul informs Philemon that Onesimus has converted to Christianity, since he ran away.  Onesimus has really helped Paul during a time when Paul had been arrested and thrown into jail.  Despite his assistance, Paul is sending Onesimus back to Philemon, who remains his legal owner. 

            At the same time, Paul pleads with Philemon, asking him to accept the return of Onesimus kindly.  Rather than beating or executing Onesimus—which is his legal right—Paul  asks Philemon to forgive Onesimus and to treat him as a “beloved brother” in the faith.  Paul also implies that Philemon may want to set Onesimus free. 

            So, the question remains:  “Does the Apostle Paul condone slavery?”  It is true that in his letter to Philemon, Paul never condemns slavery as an immoral institution.  It is also true that he never says owning slaves is incompatible with Christian discipleship.  So, by implication, it would appear that Paul condones the institution of slavery and faithful Christians owning slaves.  Yet, this conclusion is actually very superficial and we should dig deeper.

            We tend to read our Bibles from within our own historical, socio-economic context.  As twenty-first century, American Christians we live in a context where there is an accepted policy of religious tolerance.  But, further, we live in a society where Christianity remains the largest, most influential, and most dominant religion.  In this country, contemporary Christians’ legacy includes historical moments, such as Prohibition and the Civil Rights movement, when Christians profoundly shaped public policy, according to their faith. As result, we are perplexed and disturbed because Paul does not just come out and condemn slavery in his letter to Philemon.

            It is easy to forget that Paul was writing in a dramatically different historical, socio-economic context.  In Paul’s context, Christians were a small, marginalized sect without any political clout at all.  Scholars date the writing of Philemon as occurring between 55-61 CE, which was just 3-9 years prior the first great persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire under Emperor Nero in 64 CE.  Paul, Philemon, and Onesimus all lived under threat of persecution for their faith, and Paul had been imprisoned for his Christian faith at the time he wrote to Philemon.  So, in a way, it was pointless for Paul to condemn slavery, given his context.

            Yet, that does not mean Paul condones slavery, either.  Rather, than protesting the public policy of slavery, Paul does something else which was very interesting and extraordinarily powerful.  Recognizing and acknowledging Philemon’s legal right to own and discipline Onesimus the slave, Paul asks Philemon to acknowledge and embrace a higher standard of behavior—the standard of Christ.  Paul asks Philemon to recognize Onesimus, not as his slave, but rather as his brother through their mutual faith in Christ. 

            Rather than making an ethical argument against the institution of slavery, Paul proposes a transformation in relationships because of Philemon’s Christian faith.  As the highly regarded Biblical scholar Raymond Brown observes, Paul challenges Philemon, “a Christian slave owner to defy conventions:  To forgive and receive back into the household a runaway slave … to go farther in generosity by freeing the servant; and most important of all from a theological viewpoint to recognize in Onesimus a beloved brother and thus acknowledge his Christian transformation.”[1]

            Wow!

            I think there are several lessons for twenty-first century Christians, living in a post-modern world, to learn from Paul’s Letter to Philemon: 

(1) We cannot read our Bibles, assuming the same historical, socio-politico-economic context.  The Bible must speak to literally millions of Christians who live across the centuries in very different time periods and vastly different contexts.  We must dig deeper to understand the context that existed for the person writing and for the first audience of the text. 

(2)  We contemporary, American Christians have an obligation and a duty to be good stewards of our American citizenship and the privileges which we have received.  Our society faces many critical public policy issues, including accessible healthcare, environment, immigration, and poverty.  God calls us to speak to these issues from our hearts of Christian faith—even if we cannot speak with a unified Christian voice.  This is prophetic witness and we must embrace it.

(3)  In addition to prophetic witness, Christ calls us—just as Christ called Philemon—to an even more radical transformation of our personal relationships.  To live out our relationships as though God's Reign has already been established throughout the world.

 

Come, join us this Sunday, November 23rd, as we struggle with this very difficult passage.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  Our classic worship service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings. 

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

 

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[1] Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament (New York:  Doubleday, 1997), 506.

"A Harvest of Righteousness"

            Recently I have been studying the various manifestations of “being a church” within the broader umbrella of “Emergence Theology”.  There are some pastors and Christians thinkers today, who believe that we need to re-think what a church is.  For these Christians, the “traditional model” of being a church is no longer viable.  In their assessment, the “traditional model” does not effectively reach unchurched persons for Christ and it no longer empowers its constituents to faithfully serve God.  As a result of their assessments, emergence theologians and pastors are actively seeking new models of being a church, with revolutionary structures of organization and new, more meaningful forms of worship.

            By contrast, my pastoral setting is solidly in the “traditional model” of church.  Yet, I have never believed that there was just one single way of “being a church.”  I believe, instead,  that the organizational structure, forms of worship, missional approach and methods of inviting others to Christ should be tailored to the needs and particularities of a specific context. So, I have been interested in learning more about the emergence church movement, hoping that there were some idea and insights that we might adopt and adapt in our solidly traditional model.

            Some of this reading and reflecting on emergence theology has raised an important question for me:  “What are the essential characteristics of any faithful church, regardless of whether it is “traditional” or “emergent”?

            In my message last Sunday (November 9th), I identified four characteristics that are essential for every Christian congregation:

1.      A viable Christian congregation must provide a safe and secure sanctuary where individual persons are free to be themselves without shame or pretense.  Further, a Christian community of faith must provide opportunities for everyone to find a place and meaning.

2.      A viable Christian congregation must provide spiritual nurture to all of its members.  This spiritual nurture should enable everyone to grow spiritually and to mature in their faith.

3.      A viable Christian congregation must create missional opportunities so that its constituents can move out and make a real difference in their neighborhoods, communities, and even in the global context.

4.      A viable Christian congregation must be willing to take risks for Christ, in order to advance the first three characteristics.  Instead of saying, “We’ve never done it that way before,” the operative question should simply ask, “What is God calling us to do next?”

In my sermon this Sunday (November 16th), I want to continue this exploration of what it means to be a faithful Christian disciple in our contemporary, American context.  My scripture this Sunday is one of my favorites:  Philippians 1:  3-11.

            In reality this passage of scripture is a love letter from the Apostle Paul to the churches of Philippi.  Paul begins this passage with gratitude and joy, “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you…”  (Philippians 1: 3-4). 

            Paul’s joy and thanksgiving for the Philippian Christians is grounded in their history together because the Philippians  have shared “in the gospel from the first day until now.”  Incidentally, some biblical scholars believe that at least part of this “sharing in the gospel,” refers to the Philippians willingness to provide financial assistance to the Apostle Paul, especially during his time in prison.

            At the same time, Paul is well aware that the Philippian Christians are still very much “a work in progress.”  God is not done with the Philippian church just yet.  As Paul writes, “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” (v. 6)  God is still working within the Philippian church, helping them to grow spiritually and mature in their understanding of faith.

            Paul is supremely confident that the Philippian Christians will continue to grow spiritually and mature in their faith because he sees the Philippian Christians as forming a special, spiritual, Christian partnership with him.  This spiritual partnership includes not just Paul and the Philippians, but it also includes God.  In this partnership, Paul and the Philippians experience both joy and tribulations, as they work with God to establish God’s Reign on Earth.  Paul describes their partnership with these words, “For all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.” (v. 7b)

            At the same time, there is a hint of bittersweetness in this love letter to the Philippian Christians.  This letter is written at a time when Paul is in prison, awaiting trial for his preaching.  Paul suspects that they must continue in the partnership of the Gospel without his presence.  So, Paul concludes this love letter to the Philippians with a prayer and a blessing:

“And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” (vv. 9-11)

I think that when he uses the term, “harvest of righteousness,” Paul is referring to the totality of the life of discipleship and faith.  For each individual disciple, it includes growing spiritually, as well as reaching out in ministry to heal a broken, conflicted, hurting world.  For individual churches, it also includes providing a safe and secure place where everyone can be themselves and find place and meaning.  For both individual disciples as well as congregations, this harvest of righteousness can only be produced when we are willing to reach out beyond our comfort zones and take risks in order to live faithfully as disciples of Jesus Christ.

 

Come, join us this Sunday, November 16th, as we explore the implications within our own specific context for sharing in the gospel and producing this “harvest of righteousness.”  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  Our classic worship service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings. 

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.