Monday, June 28, 2010

Visions From Our Story: the Church II

Last week we looked at a wide variety of images that have been used to describe the church; the body of Christ, The Way, the Church, a hospital for sinners or a community of the Promise. Each of these images carries with it a particular view of what the church should be and how it ought to operate. While these images are helpful to our vision quest to be the church of the Promise there is one more place we need to go if we want to see how these images might actually be lived out…to the book of The Acts of the Apostles. Acts is the story of the transition of the followers of Christ from rag tag disciples into a Promise proclaiming community that changed the world.

The story in Acts begins with Pentecost when the church was empowered by the Holy Spirit to tell the story of God's saving love as the fulfillment of the Promise. This transforming moment had two important consequences. The first is that it sent people of the Promise out across the Roman Empire telling the story of Jesus and the transforming love of God. The second is that it created a very different kind of community. We read about this community in the second chapter of Acts.


 

"Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. "


 

What we see in this passage is that this was not only a community in which lives were being changed by the power of God but a community in which people lived as if they were one large family. They shared all that they had with one another so that no one person would be in need. This was one of the great demonstrations that the Kingdom of God (the fulfillment of the Promise) was breaking into the world, since the Kingdom of God was the place and time when the needs of all would be met. This was a community living the Promise to the fullest.

    Unfortunately as we read the letters of the Apostle Paul we begin to realize that while some churches such as the one at Philippi lived out this sharing life in its fullest, there were others such as the one at Corinth where sharing was not at the heart of their life. In fact at Corinth wealthy believers would eat and drink to excess in the presence of hungry believers and feel no compunction to share.

    The challenge for us as the 21st Century church is to figure out how this call to sharing ought to be lived out in our midst. There are simple ways: our giving to the church that it might be shared with the wider church and its mission activities, our giving to the deacons fund which meets immediate needs of families (food, shelter, clothing), preparing meals for those in our community who find themselves in need of short term assistance, sharing our time and talents to teach Sunday school or serve in another way to make a difference in and through this church.

    Underlying each of those ways however is the firm belief that we are more than a volunteer organization but a true family bound together by the love and grace of God in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. For if we believe these things then sharing will become part of who we are not merely an occasional act of compassion "others."

Visions From Our Story: the Church

So what is the church? Is it the people who gather each week at 1669 W. Maple Drive? Is it the church building that exists at that location? Is the church all believers in Jesus Christ around the world? Is it just some of the followers of Jesus who believe certain things? Is it a human institution (rules, regulations, budgets, etc.)? Is it a holy institution (a locus of the presence of God in Christ)? Is it a hotel for saints or a hospital for sinners?

Over the centuries these and other descriptions have been used to define the thing that we call church. If we are to cast a vision for our church it might be worth taking some time to think about the church.

The place we need to begin is with the realization that the followers of Jesus were not always called either Christians or the Church. In the beginning those who followed Jesus were called The Way. In some ways (no pun intended) I think this would have been the most appropriate name for the Christ centered community. The Way reminded Christ's followers that they were on a journey to discover and live out the love and grace of God they learned from Jesus. It was a reminder that faith was about adventure and growth. It was a reminder that we never arrive but are always becoming those persons God wants us to be.

Relatively quickly the name The Way lost out to two other designations: Christians (to describe individual followers) and the Church (to describe collective followers). The word church in Greek is ecclesia. It was a term that referred to a group of people who are called out of a larger community to meet for a specific purpose. It was often used to describe a meeting of citizens who came together to make decisions. In a sense then the followers of Jesus took an existing term, redefined it and made it their own. While the church thus had a name (the church of God at Ephesus, meaning the people at Ephesus called out by God for the purpose of following Jesus) it still had to figure out what it was.

We are indebted to the Apostle (meaning a person sent for a specific purpose…and in the Christian sense, one sent to found churches) Paul for his work at defining the idea of church. Paul used a number of images to describe the church but the primary one was that of the Body of Christ. The image is a powerful one because it reminds us of two key things.

First it reminds us that the church is not simply a human institution (though it often operates like one). The church instead is a living, breathing entity drawing its life from its head, Jesus Christ. This realization ought to help us avoid the temptation to become so immersed in the "business" of running the church that we forget that our purpose is to exist as the arms, hands and heart of Christ in the world.

Second it the term reminds us that just as a body has many parts so does the church. The Apostle Paul spends a great deal of time talking about being a member of the church…by which he does not mean a member of an organization, but a physical member such as a hand or a foot. The idea is that each of us is given certain natural and spiritual abilities which we are to use to make the Body of Christ function properly. Thus membership becomes not about privilege but about service.

Our vision then ought to take into consideration the unique nature of the church; that we are called by God to live out the way of Jesus in the world. This is a task to which no other organization in the world is called nor empowered to do. This is our task, and one which I hope we as people of the Promise are proud to undertake.

Visions From Our Story: the Promise is Shared

So who ought to be invited? Anyone who has every gotten married, had a birthday party or graduated from high school or college knows the dilemma. Who are we going to invite? Do we just invite immediate family? Do we invite our extended family? Do we invite close friends, business associates or the entire world? The answers are always different depending on the event, seating availability and the cost involved. So unless we are simply going to invite the entire world, a choice has to be made as to who is welcome.

This question of who is invited was one of the first issues face by the early church. It was an issue because Jesus and all of his followers were Jewish. It was an issue because the messiah was someone expected by the Jews and not by anyone else. It was an issue because Judaism was a faith that had protected its identity by being separate from the society around it. It was an issue because Jews understood Gentiles to be ritually unclean and unworthy to receive the grace of God. Therefore following Pentecost the answer to "who is invited" was very simple. Jews alone were invited.

The issue of who is invited however soon became more complicated. It became more complicated because the disciples remembered that Jesus had told them to go into all of the world, proclaiming the Good News, making disciples of all nations (meaning Gentiles as well as Jews) and then teaching them all that Jesus had commanded. The issue because more complicated when Peter was given a vision by God essentially declaring that Gentiles were no longer ritually unclean and should hear the Good news about salvation in Jesus. It became even more complicated when the Saul of Tarsus (whom we know as Paul the Apostle) was converted and believed his mission was to Jews and Gentiles alike.

This transition from a message for Jews only to a message for the world was never smooth. There were great debates in the first 50 years of the life of the Christian community over the inclusion of Gentiles into the People of the Promise. How was it to be done? Did men have to be circumcised (the mark of entry for men into the Jewish community)? Did men and women have to follow all of the Jewish dietary laws? Did people essentially have to become Jewish in every way in order to be part of the Promised people?

The final answer arrived at by the Apostles, elders and other church leaders was that Gentiles did not have to become Jewish in order to be part of God's people of the Promise. As the Apostle Paul taught, we gain entry into the People of Promise by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Granted, the leaders of the community desired that members still obey some of the Jewish rules, but the leaders were willing to open the doors of the church to the wider world and allow Paul to preach to anyone who would listen.

In terms of our visioning process I believe this is a powerful reminder that there are still those around us who feel as if the Good News is not for them. They see themselves as outsiders looking in at the church. If we are to be the church that reaches out to the entire world then we need to continually examine how we reach out to those who are marginalized in our society, that they too might discover their place as People of the Promise.

Visions From Our Story: the Disciples Empowered

    So what now? While it may appear to be a simple question the history of empires and the world often turn on how it is answered. This past week I watched a bit of Ken Burns' documentary on the Civil War. The episode I saw was on the battle at Gettysburg. The battle finally turned on what is called Picket's Charge. The Southern commander, Robert E. Lee, ordered one of his subordinates, Picket to send his entire brigade into the heart of the Union lines. The Union soldiers were hidden behind fences and trees while Picket's soldiers would have to cross more than 300 yards of open fields before they reached the enemy. The results were as horrendous as many of the southern commanders feared…the destruction of Picket's forces, the loss of the battle and essentially the loss of the war. As the battle ended both sides had to ask themselves…what now? The south answered with an organized, yet life-saving withdrawal to Virginia. The northern troops answered by staying where they were, refusing to capitalize on their advantage, a mistake which led to almost two more years of warfare.

    So what now? That was the same question which faced the followers of Jesus after the resurrection. Though they were not as scared as they had been following Jesus' death and burial, they were not willing yet to follow-up on the advantage that the resurrection offered. The advantage that the resurrection offered was that the powers of Rome, and I suppose hell itself, were not mighty enough to destroy Jesus and the Promise he proclaimed. Though crucified he was now alive and was calling his followers to action. Yet he had told them that they would have to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit before they could launch their world transforming mission. This must have seemed an odd thing to ask because while the Spirit was not an unknown entity to first century Jews, it was not at the heart of their faith. First century Judaism was focused on the Torah (the Law of Moses) and the Temple (the place where God was thought to reside). Yet wait they did.

    On Pentecost (a long standing Jewish holy day) the Holy Spirit arrived. Like an overwhelming flood of power it flowed over and into the disciples. The Holy Spirit transformed the disciples from a bunch of fishermen, tax collectors and ruffians to a faith focused "army" whose mission was to transform God's people into a spirit empowered Promise proclaiming community of faith. The question of "so what now" was answered with a resounding call to a new way of living based on the life and work of Jesus. Immediately upon the arrival of the Spirit the disciples (including women) emerged from their hiding place and engaged the world in a way that altered history forever. Peter took the lead and by proclaiming the good news about Jesus led more than 3,000 people in a single day to become part of this new Christ centered community.

    So what now for us? I believe that as we search for our vision we need to remember that it has to be Spirit inspired and Spirit led. As with any organization it is easy for the church to fall into the trap of visioning for ourselves as if we are merely another human institution. In other words we organize, market and vision for the church as we are a business. What we have to remember however is that we are a spiritual enterprise. This means that not only are we to act differently than much of the world, we are to draw our strength and power not from profits or customer service, but from the Spirit itself. We are to be a supernaturally inspired and directed community. Any vision worth having then needs to be founded upon prayer, passion and the presence of God's Spirit.

Visions From Our Story: The Promise Lives

It happens every year. Spring training arrives and baseball fans are filled with hopes and dreams of glory. This will be the year for their team. This will be the year that the impossible happens and their team plays David to the leagues' Goliaths. Unfortunately following spring training there is the regular season where reality sets in. And the reality is that only two teams will go to the World Series and only one will win. The fans of the other teams will end their seasons in great disappointment and frustration. They will go back to their off season lives hoping that one day a miracle will occur and the world will be set right with their side winning.

In a sense that is the way the people of Israel looked at the messiah business. There had been dozens of wannabe messiahs who had come and gone. They had raised armies. They had raised hopes. They had encouraged the people. They had faced the Romans. They had died. But like good baseball fans the people if Israel did not give up. They believed that one day their David would arise again and lead their team, their nation, to victory.

This was their hope in Jesus. While Jesus did not appear to the usual messianic suspect people rallied around him. His teachings focused on a radical obedience to the living God. His healings showed the presence and power of God. His ability to out fox his opponents showed promise. People flocked to him and wanted to make him their king. But as the story often goes, so went Jesus. He was betrayed, arrested, tried, convicted and crucified. Hope faded. People look to next season and the next messiah.

What would be different this time though, was that there would be extra innings. According to Matthew, Mark and Luke, as soon as the Sabbath was over (Jesus having been buried immediately before the Sabbath) some women went to Jesus' tomb to complete the rituals required for an appropriate burial. When they arrived at the tomb, the stone covering the entrance (the tomb was a small cave dug in the side of a hill) was rolled away, the body was not there and a messenger or messengers (the stories vary at this point) from God informed them that Jesus was not dead but alive.

This story seems too fanciful to believe. Yet the women or woman (again the stories vary) encounter the living Christ and are overcome by both fear and joy. The women raced back to tell the rest of Jesus' followers that he was alive. The followers didn't believe them, not simply because the bearers of this news are women, but because God would not resurrect individuals before the end of time. God would not raise Jesus without raising all the other righteous while at the same time establishing God's kingdom on earth. Needless to say the followers of Jesus were a bit surprised and afraid when Jesus appeared in their midst as well. The realization of the resurrection forced them to rethink their understanding of God's Promise and how that Promise was being fulfilled in Jesus. The powers of this world, sin and death, had been defeated and God's reign had begun in a new and powerful way. This event would change the world forever.

This portion of the story is critical for any vision we offer. The story of Jesus resurrection reminds us that the powers of this world that cripple creation (humans and the natural world) are no match for the love and grace of God in Jesus Christ as lived in the church. Our visions then need not be restricted in their scope and in their hope. We need not be afraid to offer up audacious visions of what God would have us to do…not because we are great, because there is nothing God cannot do.

Visions From Our Story: The Promise Appears to be Finished

The coming of the Promise in Jesus' work (the blind were given sight, the lame walked, the hungry were fed and the poor had good news preached to them…in other words God's kingdom was breaking into the world) was celebrated. Everywhere that Jesus went he gathered crowds. The people were hungry for someone who taught with power and authority. They wanted to believe that there was someone who cared enough about them to bring the love, grace and power of God into their lives. In a highly stratified society (stratified by wealth, citizenship and occupation) few religious teachers (rabbis) would pay attention to women, the poor and the outcast. Jesus while not focusing exclusively on those groups made sure that they were included in the heart of his ministry. And so people celebrated.

This way of Jesus, while being celebrated by much of the populous, was not appreciated by the existing religious or secular power structures. It was not appreciated because it undermined the teachings of the religious traditionalists. It undermined their teachings because people began to believe in Jesus' theology of inclusion (all are welcome in God's kingdom) over against the traditionalists theology of exclusion (only the best Jews were welcome in the Kingdom). Jesus' Promise proclamation undermined the secular powers because Jesus taught a radical allegiance to the Kingdom of God over against all other allegiances (whether to Jerusalem or Rome).

It was these challenges to authority that ultimately led to Jesus' death and crucifixion. Neither the religious nor political authorities could allow Jesus to live. His teachings of a radical allegiance to the God of Israel and to God's Kingdom (over against religious traditions, Jewish nationalism or Roman rule) meant that he was a threat to everyone. The easiest way in which to be rid of Jesus was claim that he was a political revolutionary. While there was little evidence to back this claim it was sufficient for the Romans to act. The Romans ultimately viewed Jesus as one more revolutionary, wanna-be king who needed to be executed as a warning to others who would try and bring about some sort of Kingdom which rivaled Rome's.

Jesus' crucifixion as a failed revolutionary stunned his followers. If Jesus was indeed the one true bringer of the Promise then he ought to have brought the authorities in Jerusalem and Rome to their knees. Even though he had predicted his death on numerous occasions the disciples were still caught by surprise. His death scattered them and most of his followers made the decision to melt back into society and resume their former lives. The Promise seemed dead.

As we seek our own vision what we can take from this portion of the story is that we are called to a radical allegiance to God's Kingdom. This means that our relationship with Jesus Christ is to inform the choices we make in every area of our lives, from home, to school, to work, to our checkbooks and to how we engage the world around us. While we can pledge allegiance to country, company and kin, those allegiances are always secondary to our allegiance to Christ. The love and grace of Jesus Christ is to ultimately guide all that we are and all that we do both as individuals and as communities of faith.