Over the course of this Pentecost series, we’ve considered
how living a life of discipleship characterized by the action of the Holy
Spirit might change our expectations, our work focus, and even our interaction
with the societal norms around us. It’s all about growth in the season of
Pentecost and living into the Great Commandment to ‘love God, love neighbor,
love self’ to 'turn the world upside down'.
We’ve been borrowing from Laurie Brock’s last 50 Day
meditation as we go along. She notes, “Living Jesus' love requires commitment,
courage, and work.” What sort of commitment and courage might she be referring
to?
When we look at the lives of the disciples after that first
Pentecost we see men (and women) who were avidly sharing the Good News of
Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. What do we, too often, see now among the
followers of Christ? Divisions, hypocrisy, intolerance—all cited in a recent
study by LifeWay research.
"A full 72 percent of the people interviewed said they
think the church 'is full of hypocrites," said LifeWay Research director
Ed Stetzer…But the problem is compounded by a widespread notion of religious
tolerance that says religious and spiritual truth is a matter of personal
opinion…A majority of unchurched Americans (79 percent) think that Christianity
today is more about organized religion than about loving God and loving people;
86 percent believe they can have a good relationship with God without being
involved in church…There will always be the stumbling block of the cross. Yet
our study shows that many are tripping over the church before they hear the
message of the cross."
However, “64 percent of the respondents think ‘the Christian
religion is a relevant and viable religion for today,’…We think religion is a
topic that is off-limits in polite conversation, but unchurched people say they
would enjoy conversations about spiritual matters," Stetzer noted.
How has the commitment of Peter and John, Mary and Priscilla
turned into something that isn’t talked about in ‘polite company’? How did we
get so concerned about the church furnishings that we forget to speak love, sometimes
even to those within our doors, much less beyond them? Is there a way to
reclaim the Spirit-driven fire that stands up to councils and governors to
proclaim what we believe?
Perhaps we first need to reconnect with the God who is in
charge of the world. God who cares deeply about each one of us on the earth.
When we can believe ourselves loved and cared for by such a God, we can say
“Namaste” to each other. The word is a greeting often used in India that means
“I bow to the God within you” or “the Spirit within me salutes the Spirit in
you”. This acknowledgement that we are each and every one part of one Body means
we have to act differently.
In the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul notes, “Don't you know that you yourselves are God's
temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?... For God’s temple is holy,
and you are that temple.” (I Corinthians 3:16-17) A little earlier in the
chapter he notes, “we are God’s servants,
working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (I Corinthians 3:9)
Each of us is responsible for each other creation on the
planet. To live, and love, as if this is really true requires, as Brock says, commitment,
courage, and work. We need to be courageous enough to stand up to the
destruction of community. Whether that is within our churches, our communities,
at the border, or internationally, we have to offer love not hate and division.
We have to work to rebuild what is broken in relationships, and to be committed
to living a life that shows God’s love. Maybe that means listening to someone
you disagree with, or helping a stranger get a lunch, or standing with someone in need
.
Only in and with courageous love, by a commitment to doing
God’s work of reconciliation can we fulfill Jesus commandment, “love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also
should love one another.” Then perhaps others will see that there is 'meat' to living a Christian life-a life that by definition is at odds with the world.
The good news is God believes “you can do it” as we’ll see
next week.
