This past year the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) of which we are a part changed its constitution. (There were three portions of our former constitution; Government, Worship and Discipline. The new constitution altered the Government section, maintained the Worship and Discipline sections and added a fourth section called, Foundations of Presbyterian Polity) One of the most interesting changes in the constitution was the alteration in the document's opening words. In our old constitution the opening words were as follows:
"All power in heaven and on earth is given to Jesus Christ by Almighty God, who raised Jesus from the dead and set him above all rule and authority, all power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. God has put all things under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and has made Christ the head of the Church, which is his body."
(G-1.0100 PCUSA Book of Order 2009-2011)
Our new constitution opens with the following paragraph:
"The Good news of the Gospel is that the Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – creates, redeems, sustain, rules and transforms all things and all people. This one living God, the Scriptures say, liberated the people of Israel from oppression and covenanted to be their God. By the power of the Spirit, this one living God is incarnate in Jesus Christ, who came to live in the world, die for the world, and be raised again to new life. The Gospel of Jesus Christ announces the nearness of God's kingdom, brining good news to all who are impoverished, sight to all who are blind, freedom to all who are oppressed, and proclaiming the Lord's favor upon all of creation."
(F-1.01 PCUSA Book of Order 2011-2013)
Each of these opening sections is both Biblically and theologically on target. However the difference between the two is obvious. Our old constitution began with a clear statement about the person of Jesus and by extension reminded us that the church is centered on Christ. Our new constitution sees the work of Jesus, and thus the church, as part of the ongoing work of the Triune God. While our new constitution immediately includes a paragraph and then several sections on Jesus and the church…which are very good…it seems that the framers wanted to center the church in God's ancient salvation story before expanding on Jesus' importance to the church and the world.
These two distinct opening statements offer us an opportunity to reflect on the significance of the relationship between Christ and the church. The original opening was an attempt to speak clearly to the belief that the church as the called out people of God exists only because of the work of God in and through Jesus of Nazareth. This makes a great deal of sense when we look at the Biblical record. The disciples, while following Jesus during his earthly ministry considered themselves to be part and parcel of the Jewish community. There was no sense of their being part of something new. After the resurrection however it was their relationship with the risen Jesus, and not ancient Judaism, that bound them together as a distinct community. They believed and proclaimed that in Jesus, God had done and was continuing to do something new and amazing in the world. Jesus was not simply the messiah, but he was in effect the saving event of God for which the world had been waiting.
This reminds us that without Jesus there would be no church. Without Jesus there would be no good news. Without Jesus there would be no in-breaking Kingdom of God. In other words the church and Jesus are so intimately tied together that beginning our constitution with a statement about Jesus made sense…which is why it was so for generations. None-the-less I will admit at this moment that as a big picture, salvation history, kind of guy I like the new opening…while still missing the old one. What matters then for us as the church is to never forget that Jesus is decisive for who we are, what we believe and what we do. That even though we are the church called by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are still the church of Jesus Christ.
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