The Six Great Ends 2 Shelter, Nurture and Protection.

“THE SIX GREAT ENDS OF THE CHURCH.”

2. The Shelter, Nurture and Spiritual Fellowship of the Children of God

We continue our series that takes a look at 6 historic statements of the purpose of the church that were first proposed at the beginning of the last century and have been a part of the Presbyterian Book of order ever since.

The Six Great Ends of the Church (From the Book of Order F-1.0304)

• The proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind
• The shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God
• The maintenance of divine worship
• The preservation of the truth
• The promotion of social righteousness
• The exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world

Today we are taking a look at the second one on the list. As with our previous session I'll be referencing a book edited by Rev. Joseph D. Small “Proclaiming the Great Ends of the Church” that contains a number of essays on each of the statements.

The shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God 

 

The image for this second “Great End,” found on banners and in stained glass, celebrates the unity to which Christ calls us.

The Dove represents the Holy Spirit whose wings are tipped downward offering shelter for God's children.

The triangle of light (some suggest it is like a star... others like a communion cup with a crown) links the work of the Holy Spirit to the nurturing work of the people of God...who seek to build each other up in the faith.

The hands that reach up represent the multi-hued spiritual fellowship of children of God. Jesus commanded His disciples to go into all the world... and the church comprises people of all races who know find their identity in Him.

We saw last time that the only reason the church came into existence was because of the ministry of Jesus Christ. That the church has a unique purpose and responsibility to proclaim the message of God's amazing, saving, grace to the world, both through its words and its actions. That has always been the churches primary purpose. To lift up Jesus Christ to a needy and a lost world. To proclaim the redemption of the cross and the hope of the resurrection.

The world can be a harsh and a hard place. Gospel proclamation causes confrontation. The church needs to be a place where bruised hearts can be re-energized. The church is called to demonstrate in practical ways, through its ministries of care, that God can be trusted. The church has a call to model a new order in which ancient barriers are broken down and where diverse people can sit around a table together, knowing that they, and all who sit with them, are welcome.

Let us consider firstly those multi-hued hands and take a look at a reading from 2 Corinthians 5:14-20.

¹⁴ For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.

¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. ¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

The first time I ever explored the possibility of being a minister here in the United States was with a congregation in Monroe, Louisiana. It probably wasn't a good sign that the first time I'd ventured into the deep south, it snowed. For a guy just getting off a plane from Wales in January... it really didn't feel that cold... but for those used to warmth, I guess it was a shock to the system.

I noticed that in the area of the hotel there were a lot of African American folks. Being an ignorant Brit, I wandered over to a local store (that in itself quite a challenge – as they seemed to have an aversion to sidewalks in that area of town) and thought I'd ask about the neighborhood. I had not seen a single pub in that area, and I am culturally conditioned to needing a beer, the logical place to go was the liquor store.

I asked the guys behind the counter if they were church folk. One said their aunt was a big church goer. I explained that I was in town because I was meeting with some folks who were looking for a new pastor, but I explained that I was trying to understand how everybody I'd met in the church was white, whilst a lot of folk in the town seemed … well... to be not white. Were racial problems a big issue in their town?

They laughed and explained that most of the time folks got a long pretty darn well. But Sunday mornings were one of the times when the legacy of segregation became most clear. For a couple of hours every Sunday morning, black folks went to black churches, Latino folk to Latino churches and white folk to white churches. I remember thinking how ironic it was, that the one institution in town that was supposed to be all about love and reconciliation, the church of Jesus Christ, was most divided on a Sunday morning!

Of course here in the Presbytery of Baltimore we are not afraid to embrace our diversity. Our Presbytery is a mix of congregations that simply tend to reflect the racial mix of the geographic neighborhoods they are in. Right?

Wrong. At a Presbytery event held on Martin Luther King day, in our small group discussions, Yvonne and I learned that there were African American congregations in Baltimore who felt intimidated by the Presbytery. As people of color, whose churches were not generally in the best economic areas, whose people had not always attained the best educational levels, and whose worship traditions differed from those usually experienced in corporate gatherings of the churches, they felt their voices were not always heard, sometimes not welcomed, and they hesitated or simply stayed away and chose not to participate in the gatherings of the Presbytery.

It doesn't have to be that way. There's an essay in the book titled “The Ministry of Reconciliation” by a Korean pastor Jin S. Kim. Jin S. Kim is pastor of “The Church of All Nations” in Minneapolis. Back in 2004 they were a predominantly Korean congregation. They felt called to be something more. Today they are 30 % Asian, 37% white, 22% black, 10% Latino with folks from 25 nations among their membership.

Part of their history includes historic Shiloh Bethany Presbyterian Church, founded in 1884, (the same year Presbyterian missionaries began their work in Korea). Shiloh was a predominantly white congregation. In 2005 they were facing tough times, saddled with a large building they could not maintain, they prayed God would once more fill their pews. Their prayers coincided with those of Rev. Kim's congregation who were looking for a place to worship. The Church of all Nations at first rented space from them, but as they talked together, they decided to merge... and in the process... the pews were filled once more.

Rev Kim in his essay is keen to stress that their actions were intentional. This didn't just happen. They sought, deliberately to go against the tide, and move beyond cultural expectations to become a community that fulfilled the vision of those multi-hued hands that represent the spiritual fellowship of children of God.

As you may know the PC(USA) has a “Book of Confessions” among it's guiding documents. The most recent document added to the collection is the Confession of Belhar. The Belhar confession arose from the struggles of the church in South Africa to battle apartheid

The confession clearly states, “We believe that Christ's work of reconciliation is made manifest in the Church as the community of believers who have been reconciled with God and with one another;...that this unity can be established only in freedom and not under constraint; that the variety of spiritual gifts, opportunities, backgrounds, convictions, as well as the various languages and cultures are by virtue of the reconciliation in Christ, opportunities for mutual service and enrichment within the one visible people of God.”

Kim's essay concludes “Reconciliation is a messy affair. Reconciliation is a costly affair. It is not a “technical rationality” but a “possible impossibility”. The ministry of reconciliation is God's mandate to the church so that the church may be a gift to the world.” The Church is called to be a shining light that model's the spiritual fellowship of ALL God's people. Hence the multi-hued hands. Another reading.... Mark 2:1-12.

Mark 2:1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ² They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven." ⁶ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷ "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" ⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? ⁹ Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? ¹⁰ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he said to the man, ¹¹ "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." ¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!" (NIV)

I'm associating this passage with the image of the Dove representing the Holy Spirit whose wings are tipped downward offering shelter for God's children.

Though our society is saturated with material things people are not happy and often suspect there is more to life than consuming. If you visit Barnes and Noble (or a similar store) and wander into the spirituality section you will discover a whole constellation of resources that attempt to satisfy our spiritual cravings. Everything from healing crystals to place under your pillow to complete life makeovers are on offer for our spiritual satisfaction.

How does the church fit into such a marketplace? In her essay “Starting at the Ends” Christine Chakoian presents the argument that the church is not meant to be a cafe or a venue for consumers, but a place of refuge and shelter. That “Am I getting what I want out of Church?” is the wrong question for us to ask. Not because our needs don't matter but because all of the programs and good causes in the world always fail to meet our deepest hunger. If we come to church like consumers in a store, we will often be disappointed. She writes (P35)...

“Instead, God invites us to come here expecting more... to come expecting a real relationship with God. To come, trusting that the Lord can and will feed our deepest hungers. To come expecting, as Isaiah declares, that “The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places.” To come and find within these walls nothing less than the 'shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of the children of God' ”

That seems to be what is happening in the story of the paralyzed man. Here is this poor guy, literally flattened by the physical toll on his body. Yet more than that, we discover that he needs to hear from Jesus the words “Your sins are forgiven.” Externally and internally he is desperate.

So are those who are trying to care for him. We don't know the relationship between the man and the stretcher bearers, but they are also desperate. One suspects this is not the first time they have sought help. So committed are they to the notion that Jesus is the One who could help that they find a way around the crowds and start vandalizing the roof of the house in order they can be in His presence.

Chakoian continues “ 'Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee' prayed St Augustine. When we are willing to let God's house become more than a cafe at which we come to graze – when we let it be -“our hearts true home” - then we will find rest for our souls.”

She talks of how much of our church life is mirrored in the story. Sometimes we are the carriers. Sometimes we are the one being carried. We reach out into our community. We have programs like “Our Daily Bread” and “Operation Christmas Child.” We try and carry others through when life has knocked them down. But we are also aware that we get knocked down and need each others help to get back up again. We both give and receive.

She concludes “We are hungry, all of us. And often we are lost. But God provides for us a place of healing, a place of belonging, a family of faith in which we discover who we really are, a shelter that welcomes us to find our way home. It is easy I suppose, to take this home, God's house, for granted. It is easy to find ourselves grazing on the programs of the church, to forget why we are here, to lose ourselves in committees and board meetings. It is easy to get distracted from building 'beloved community' where everyone who walks into our doors can feel the 'shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of the children of God'. “

There are two essays in the book in this section, “Treasure Seekers” by Jennifer Holz and “Treasure in our hearts” by Rodger Nishioka. In our visual the triangle of light links the work of the Holy Spirit to the nurturing work of the people of God...who seek to build each other up in the faith. I like the way the triangle is gold... like a treasure. That it resembles a golden cup with a golden crown. That it has the symbolism of light, from God, that nurtures and refreshes us.

A couple of Scripture passages are relevant here. Let's look at them both. Firstly Mathew 6:19-24 and Secondly Luke 2: 41-52

¹⁹ "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ²² "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! ²⁴ "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Mat 6:19-24 NIV)

⁴¹ Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. ⁴² When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. ⁴³ After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.

⁴⁴ Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.

⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸ When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." ⁴⁹ "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" ⁵⁰ But they did not understand what he was saying to them. ⁵¹ Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵² And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. (Luk 2:41-52 NIV)

The rich gifts that God bestows upon us through the Holy Spirit nurture our hearts. They truly are treasures from heaven.

Jennifer Holz speaks of how the biblical concept of the heart goes beyond the heart being the center of our affections or focus of our emotions, but is seen as the core of our spiritual life. The heart drives our life, forms our aspirations and moves us forward. So... to love God “with all our heart” is a huge commitment, way beyond just having warm fuzzy feelings about Jesus.

We are told that “We cannot serve both God and money.” Yet we live within in a culture of accumulation. We swallow the lie that we need the next thing or the latest thing or the new thing and when we get it we remain as spiritually hungry as we were before. One of the great gifts that can nurture us in church is being part of a tradition. The knowledge that there are ancient paths and tried ways of living that provide a deep foundation to a fulfilled life. Life is more than things. Life needs relationships and laughter and love!

The 'triangle of light' reminds us that this is the work of God upon our hearts. God works to change us. Our calling is to hear the Word and respond in faith. As we live out God's instruction, we begin to treasure the right things.

In Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis writes “Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you (the heart), the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature.”

Holz concludes her reflections by telling us that “Seeking relationship with God our Father is a quiet, gentle, relational pursuit that is done in the secret places of our hearts, and done today without worrying about tomorrow. It's a day by day, moment by moment, heart shaping movement towards a God who has created us, loves us, knows us and longs to breathe life unto us.” (P43)

Rodger Nishioka reflects on how in the passage about finding her son Jesus in the temple, though initially exasperated and confused by His reply that His parents should have expected Him to be in “His Father's house”, the passage concludes with the statement in verse 51 “His mother treasured all these things in her heart,” as she watched Him grow in wisdom and stature over the years.

He points out that to shelter, nurture and provide spiritual fellowship for the children of God is “To Treasure.” That to treasure all the children of God is about engaging each other in conversation, sharing stories of faith, providing opportunities for spiritual growth and praying for and with each other.

He closes his essay be telling of how he asked his youth group to name adults in the congregation who had influenced their spiritual journey. He is rather surprised when one of them names a lady called Mrs. Shelton. A conversation ensues.

“You know, Ian, I was surprised that Mrs Shelton is one of your adults. Are you friends?” “Friends! Are you kidding?” he replied incredulously “Dude, she is a mean old lady!” I confessed that is exactly what I thought. But then Ian went on to explain that Mrs. Shelton taught his church school class when he was in third grade. She made them recite memory verses and scolded them when they messed up. But Ian explained that though she was mean, she always called him by name and stopped to talk to him. She also sent him a birthday card every year. I didn't know any of this. Ian said that while she seemed a little mean, he thought she really loved him (Plus he still remembers those bible verses).

That is what treasuring is all about. It is what sheltering and nurturing and spiritual fellowship is all bout. No doubt there are times when we are amazed, astounded and even overwhelmed by our children, our youth, our young adults, middle aged adults and older adults. The mother of our Lord teaches us that the best response is to treasure each other in our hearts so that all children of God know that the one who created them in God's own image, redeemed them through God's only Son, and sustains them through God's Holy Spirit, treasures them in God's own heart forever. May it be so!”

The Second Great End “The shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God”

We are called to reach out with multi hued hands that offer all people of all places the embrace of Christ's love.

We are called to seek to meet the spiritual hunger of our times, not with fast food, but through genuine encounter. To create an environment where we feel safe to ask questions that nurture our faith and bring us to wholeness. To be a community of healing and forgiveness.

We are called to embrace the notion that to shelter, nurture and provide spiritual fellowship for the children of God means “To Treasure” each other in our hearts.

Next Time... a third end... The maintenance of divine worship .

The Six Great Ends 3. The Maintenance of Divine Worship

“THE SIX GREAT ENDS OF THE CHURCH.”

3. The maintenance of divine worship.

We continue our series that takes a look at 6 historic statements of the purpose of the church that were first proposed at the beginning of the last century and have been a part of the Presbyterian Book of order ever since.

The Six Great Ends of the Church (From the Book of Order F-1.0304)

• The proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind
• The shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God
• The maintenance of divine worship
• The preservation of the truth
• The promotion of social righteousness
• The exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world

Today we are taking a look at the third one on the list. As with our previous session I'll be referencing a book edited by Rev. Joseph D. Small “Proclaiming the Great Ends of the Church” that contains a number of essays on each of the statements.

The maintenance of divine worship

Our first session, about the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of all humankind, focused on the preaching and teaching ministry of the church. Our second session focused on ways we nurture each other through teaching and service. The third great end draws our attention to another important aspect in our mission. The maintenance of divine worship. 

The dove reminds us that it is the same Holy Spirit that enlivens and interprets the Word, who is present in our worship. The Sacraments have been described as 'enacting' the gospel. They bring the Word to life in ways that we touch, handle, smell, taste and see.

The cup, also known as the chalice, is a reminder of the Trinity, and represents the Lord’s Supper. The three drops of water, represent Baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Within the Presbyterian Church, in common with other Reformed denominations we recognize two sacraments; Baptism and Holy Communion.

The raised arms signify our response to God's love, a response of praise and thanksgiving for the freedom we have in Jesus Christ. We gather together to worship and to open our hearts to God's influence and the empowering of God's Holy Spirit. We gather and hold out our hands to God in order that our hands may be used for the building of God's Kingdom in this world.

Let's begin with a reading.

Exodus 3: 7-12

⁷ The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. ⁸ So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey--the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. ⁹ And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. ¹⁰ So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." ¹¹ But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" ¹² And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." ( NIV)

When we were traveling though the Old Testament section of “The Story” we saw on numerous occasions how God intervened on behalf of God's people to set them free. One of the archetypal stories is that of their delivery from Egypt. Moses tells the Pharaoh, “Let my people Go!” But why? So they can become an independent people and establish their own state and develop their own form of government? Was it all a precursor to the “Declaration of Independence?” Freedom from the grasp of a restricting bureaucracy that taxed them beyond their ability to function as productive citizens?

We easily miss out on the commission to Moses at the end of Exodus 3:12. “ When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” In her essay “House Keeping” Veronica R. Goines writes “Between chapters and 10 of the Book of Exodus, God repeatedly says to Moses: “Tell Pharaoh to let my people go, so they may worship me.” Like a refrain “Let my people go, so they may worship me”. Again and again, “Let my people go, so they may worship me.”

At a later date in Solomon's time, worship is a much funded activity... which brought to the community the presence of God, sometimes in awesome ways. 2 Chronicles 5:12-14.“All the Levites who were musicians--Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives--stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: "He is good; his love endures forever." Then the temple of the LORD was filled with the cloud, 1and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God. (NIV)

A read through the Book of Psalms is a cursory remind that gathering together to worship is not considered an optional extra for the people of God, but at the heart of their experience of redemption. If you travel through to the final Book in Scripture, Revelation, it is a worship saturated book. God's people rejoice and bask in the presence of their God and their redemption by the Lamb of God. The maintenance of Divine worship is an eternal responsibility directly related to our experience of salvation. The raised arms on the banner signify our response of praise and thanksgiving, the worship of the living God.

That doesn't mean things always go well! A second reading. John 2:13-17

¹³ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a market!" 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me." ( NIV)

Worship can easily mutate into something it was not meant to be, particularly in times of decline. When there are more pews empty than there are pews that are full, it is incredibly tempting to seek other means of propping up the way we maintain our activity of divine worship. Veronica Goines describes such compromises as being “Fraudulent Sales.”

“There are the Grand Opening Sales that entice folks to the newest trends, but peoples commitment wanes as the newness wears thin.

There are the 50 percent off sales, where the price of discipleship is slashed in exchange for warm bodies in the pews.

Of course the buy-one-get-one-free sale assures church goers that they will always receive more than they give.

Nearly everyone loves a swap meet sale, where the church expends its time haggling over items of little or no value.

There are silent auction sales, where nothing is asked of God's people, and as little as possible is given.

And if nothing else gets them through the door, there's always the going out of business sale, where anything and everything goes.” (p.69)

When Jesus cleansed the temple, it was a redemptive act. It was an act of restoring the temple back to what it was meant to be, a place of prayer for all nations. A place where God's presence could be known and people could be set free and empowered for service. The temple was, as Jesus explained when still a young one, “His Father's House.” His action of cleansing the temple reveals that maintaining divine worship is a cause closely aligned with God's intentions for our lives.

In his essay on “Justice and Worship” Mark Labberton uses the prophet Amos to illustrate how worship was not an end in and of itself, but something to empower us for service. That we can easily be consumed by the “How” of worship rather than the “Why” of worship.

Amos 5:18-24

⁸ Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day will be darkness, not light. ¹⁹ It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. ²⁰ Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light-- pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness? ²¹ "I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. ²² Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. ²³ Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. ²⁴ But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! ( NIV)

As a teenager my spiritual journey was informed a lot by the music of the bands I listened to. Their uncompromising sound was often linked to a stark message about searching for freedom and not finding it in a world full of injustice and corruption. As I became involved in a church, the message of Jesus worked it's way into my consciousness. Jesus took things further and I felt here was somebody who offered a liberation that was real. Being raised from the dead seemed to be the ultimate protest against all that cheapened and destroyed life! So I heard the call and became a disciple.

And one of the first things I did was pick up a guitar (plugged in and played louder than was needed) and started expressing my thoughts about how awesome Jesus was, about how people shouldn't be allowed to die of hunger while others had more than they needed, about how materialism was an empty and corrupting influence. I wasn't that surprised when some of my band mates, who didn't share my beliefs, told me to cool it and stop being so pushy about that Jesus stuff.

What did surprise me, was the church folk, who informed me, in no uncertain terms, that a service of worship was not a place where my sort of music was welcome. The message... about Jesus... sure. But that music? Forget it. As Amos said “Away with the noise of your songs!”

In his essay Mark writes “The American Church, for at least the last decade, if not longer, has been involved in what some have called “worship wars”. Worship wars have to do with ferocious topics like whether drums will be permitted in sanctuaries, whether drama will be allowed in a service, if video can be used, or if candles are appropriate.... Believers might think that debates about aesthetics matter with unquestioned ultimacy. If they do, they sit under the judgment of God's word in Amos 5.”

“Worship Wars” are about the “how” of worship, not the “Why” of worship. My early teenage experience's of “What music was acceptable in the house of God?” and “Who get's to decide that?” were certainly a prelude to an ongoing discussion that has continued and been expressed in different ways and to different degrees in every congregation I have ever served. But the “What” and “How” and “Who” questions I have discovered … are not the important question. The “Why?” of worship is the important question. Why do we consider the maintenance of divine worship a significant end to pursue? Or to simplify it, “Why do we worship?”

We worship God in order that our lives may be changed, in order that the values of God's Kingdom percolate into our personalities and we become agents for positive change in this world. That was Amos's problems with the Hebrews of his day. They turned up for worship. In their droves. And they sang just great and read the scriptures so beautifully and they were ever so generous with their offerings.

But none of it affected the way that they lived. There was such a disconnect between what they professed and what they did that Amos tells them they are being held accountable. That God was not pleased. That the “Day of the Lord” for them was not anything to look forward to, because it would be a day of severe judgment. In God's eyes their “aesthetic, refined” worship stank, their offerings were unacceptable filth, and their music was a cacophony in God's ears.

Mark writes, “What God longs for is the worship of our lives that shows up in righteousness and justice. So forget all the aesthetics; God wants an aesthetic of the heart, not an aesthetic of form.”

When we worship we are called to imagine how things could be and should be as God's Kingdom is established “on earth as it is in heaven.” That's why maintaining divine worship is so important. We need a place for God to root God's visions in our hearts. But having imagined it, and envisioned it, we then need to work towards towards it.

Mark talks about William Wilberforce, the late eighteenth century abolitionist, who over a period of fifty-eight years worked at eradicating the slave trade. It seemed impossible. But by imagining what could be done, he managed to do something, that although it reflected the values of God's Kingdom, seemed like it could never be done. “Could that one person who was enslaved, who has a name, who was created and is loved by God, be treated righteously and find life in a world of justice?” And so the movement moved forward.

He closes his essay with the thought that ... “True worship is going to call us to places of tears, not just places of comfort. True worship is going to engage us in something that transforms the world, not just something that resembles our inner psyches.” I recall a visiting preacher beginning his sermon with the words, “Are you sitting comfortably? Then that, fellow Christians, is the whole problem!”

Another reading: Exodus 25:1-2, 8-9. The LORD said to Moses, ² "Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give.⁸ "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. ⁹ Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. (NIV)

The idea of worship originates with God's Word. I recall reading an article, obviously not by somebody who thought much of religion, that wondered what God's problem was. What was with this almighty being who could only be satisfied by folk grovelling and bowing down to it? What kind of gross insecurity was being manifest? How is “Worship me and only me or you die!” an incentive to love?

Such thoughts really do grab the wrong end of the stick. God cannot be impoverished either by our worship or lack of worship. Worship does not change God. It changes us. God has no problem being God. We have a problem being God's people. That's why worship has to be a corporate experience. We are invited to love each other. Which means communicating with each other and opening up to one other and sharing experiences together. We are invited to love God. Which requires communicating with God and opening up to God and sharing experiences together with God.

In his essay “A Rendezvous with God” K.C. Ptomey Jr. speaks of how chapter after chapter in the Old Testament talks about the construction and details of the tabernacle and the temple. Why was this meeting place so important? Because that was how God dwelt among the people. God is not far away. God is with us. God has entered into history to interact with God's people who are spiritual, emotional and physical beings. So in worship we touch and taste and listen and sing. We see and we smell and we hear. In some traditions we may even dance and laugh or we may fall down and weep.

Ptomey talks of an idea culled from the Eastern Orthodox church that speaks of how when the church truly worships, heaven comes crashing down to earth. He writes of how the Celtic church had a description of certain holy places, as being “thin places” where eternity seemed to touch daily life and the reality of God's presence became tangible.

At the top of the banner is the Dove, the image of the Holy Spirit, hovering over outstretched hands and bringing light to shine upon the cup that represents the sacraments and life of our church. I think of the words of a hymn written way back in 1434 “Come down O love divine, Seek out this soul of mine, and visit it with thine own ardor glowing; O Comforter draw near, within my heart appear, and kindle it, Your holy flame bestowing”

We gather together in the presence of God in order that we may be empowered to do God's work in the world. We need each other because part of that work is demonstrating to the world what loving relationships look like. We need each other because we cannot do this work alone. It's meant to be hard work. “Take up your cross and follow me” is not an invitation to a stroll in the park. We need to be empowered because it is not a work we can do in our own strength but only through the power given to us through the Holy Spirit and with each others mutual support.

Ptomey concludes his essay with this thought “Worship is not a seminar about God; it is an opportunity for a rendezvous with God.”

Our final reading focuses us on the cup. Mark 14: 17-26

¹⁷ When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. ¹⁸ While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me--one who is eating with me." ¹⁹ They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, "Surely you don't mean me?" ²⁰ "It is one of the Twelve," he replied, "one who dips bread into the bowl with me. ²¹ The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."

²² While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." ²³ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. ²⁴ "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them. ²⁵ "Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." ²⁶ When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. (NIV)

In her essay “At this table” Deborah Block speaks of how life happens around tables. “As children we eat at tables where we are corrected in our table manners, coached to say grace, told to eat with our mouth closed, taught to say 'Please' and 'Thank you.” As children we play at tables; we learn at tables. As adults we work at tables, we meet at tables; we communicate and negotiate and commit at tables. At tables we break bread and share it and pour out our hearts. We make deals and decisions, sign contracts, lift a glass to commiserate or celebrate our fortune, all at tables. Faith happens around tables... as children of God we eat at the Lord's table.”

Taking a glance at our visual aid:- the cup, also known as the chalice, is a reminder of the Trinity, and represents the Lord’s Supper. The three drops of water, represent Baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Within the Presbyterian Church, in common with other Reformed denominations we recognize two sacraments; Baptism and Holy Communion. We meet for worship around the table and around the font.

Jesus invites us to the table, together. Jesus invites us to baptize people, all people, in His name and to teach them all He has been teaching us. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Mat 28:19-20 NIV).

If there were no other incentive as to why the church should be committed to the maintenance of divine worship, the invitation of our Savior, that we remember Him around a table, and baptize others in His name would be reason enough. But as we've seen there is more to it than that.

We gather together in worship to celebrate that we are set free by the love of Jesus Christ. When something awesome happens the right response is to celebrate! The focal point of our sanctuary is a Cross. We gather to celebrate Christ's death and resurrection as life changing events

We saw how Moses was commanded to let God's people go in order that they could worship. The Westminster confession, a foundation confession of the Presbyterian Church declares humankind's chief end is to “Glorify God, and to enjoy God for ever.”

The tabernacle and temple came into being as a sign that God dwelt with God's people. Our places of worship and times of worship perform a similar function. Worship does not change God. It changes us. We argue about “How” to worship while God invites us to consider “Why” we worship.

Worship can become something it was never meant to be. Jesus cast out the money-changers. Amos reminded that people that worship was designed to move them towards justice. When it failed to do that... it was unacceptable to God.

Worship is designed to be a needed rendezvous with God. A time where heaven is allowed to crash down on earth. A “thin place” where eternity impacts daily life. A place where we are changed by the presence of God's Holy Spirit. A place where in the company of angels and the companionship of saints, we can learn to walk together in the presence of God and bring glory to our Lord Jesus Christ.

All this is encompassed in this third great end of the church “The maintenance of divine worship.”

The Six Great Ends 4 The Preservation of the Truth

“THE SIX GREAT ENDS OF THE CHURCH.”

4. The Preservation of The Truth

We continue our series that takes a look at 6 historic statements of the purpose of the church that were first proposed at the beginning of the last century and have been a part of the Presbyterian Book of order ever since.

The Six Great Ends of the Church (From the Book of Order F-1.0304)

• The proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind
• The shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God
• The maintenance of divine worship
• The preservation of the truth
• The promotion of social righteousness
• The exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world

Today we are taking a look at number four. As with our previous session I'll be referencing a book edited by Rev. Joseph D. Small “Proclaiming the Great Ends of the Church” that contains a number of essays on each of the statements.

The Preservation of the Truth.

Our first session, about the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of all humankind, focused on the preaching and teaching ministry of the church. Our second session focused on ways we nurture each other through teaching and service. The third great end drew our attention to the maintenance of divine worship. So we move to number 4 "The Preservation of the Truth."

 

The banner represents the light of truth shining in the darkness.

The dove reminds us that the truth we proclaim to the world is the gospel of Jesus Christ, God with us and for us.

We are reminded of a scripture verse: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5)

Against the background of a world where many hold to a philosophy that declares all truth is relative, we suggest that there are absolutes.

The particular truth that we seek to uphold is the truth of Jesus Christ, as revealed in the scriptures of the Old and New Testament.

In the midst of a changing theological landscape we declare ourselves to be both “Reformed” and “Reforming.” We recognize that the present work of the Holy Spirit enlightens our understanding of the mission and purpose of Jesus Christ and how we see the work of God.

To a multi-faith world we declare that there are unique aspects to the gospel that need to be upheld, while acknowledging that God is God and free to reveal truth in ways that are unfamiliar to us .

Let's begin with a reading in which Pilate asks Jesus a searching question; “What is truth?”

²⁸ Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. ²⁹ So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?" ³⁰ "If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you." ³¹ Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." "But we have no right to execute anyone," they objected.

³² This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die. ³³ Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" ³⁴ "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?" ³⁵ "Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?" ³⁶ Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place." ³⁷ "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." ³⁸ "What is truth?" retorted Pilate.”

Pilate seems a little confused as to why Jesus was even on trial. He seems perplexed by the Jewish customs and squabbles that have led to His arrest. He asks Jesus “What is it that you have done?” (verse 35).

We don't seem to be any better at answering that question for people. We talk a lot about the compassion and love and the healing presence of Jesus, but at the same time share this narrative of how hated He was, and how religious folk in particular saw Him as an incredible threat to their beliefs and how, even though He was the greatest, most wonderful, beautiful person that ever walked on the earth, God allowed Him to be betrayed, persecuted and crucified by people who truly believed He deserved to die.

And those abstract answers Jesus gives to Pilate... “My kingdom is not of this world. … my kingdom is from another place” “The reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” These are not statements that sound like they could be used in a courtroom defense trial. They are deeply philosophical and theological... and they produced a reaction of scorn from Pilate... “Huh! What is truth!”

In his essay on “Learning to tell the Truth” Chris Currie writes “In John's gospel, Jesus talks about truth a lot. Truth becomes flesh in the first chapter of John; the truth sets us free in chapter 8; Jesus declares Himself to be the way, truth and life in chapter 14, and here in John 18, just before His crucifixion and death, Jesus confesses that His major purpose on earth is to testify to the truth. Could it be that John is not simply leading us to the Cross as a tragic end to an otherwise noble life, or as a mysterious accident that came upon an unsuspecting religious leader, but that he is leading us to the Cross because it is precisely there, in the Cross, that truth is fully revealed?”

The Cross speaks to us as an uncomfortable truth. This was Pilates problem. He didn't want to deal with the truth about Jesus. He recognizes that Jesus may well be innocent, but … heck... there were just other things that needed dealing with. It was just not convenient to do the right thing!

At the Cross God is revealing truth in the most uncomfortable way imaginable. God is revealing that at the core of God's being is a refusal to turn away from us, even if it costs a completely innocent and beautiful human life. That God's solidarity is of such a depth, that God would rather accept betrayal than be divorced from being part of our lives.

As Chris Currie again writes “The truth about us is not rooted in our own deepest desires and longings, and even our own plans, but in Jesus Christ and His Cross. That can be hard to swallow.”

The Cross is an uncomfortable truth, because we are Pilate. We would rather not have to deal with taking the side of justice and righteousness. The Cross is uncomfortable because the truth is that had we been living in the days of Jesus we would have sided with those who shouted “Crucify”. The Cross is uncomfortable because we are frail disciples like Peter who would have denied Him, like those who ran away, maybe even like Judas who would have betrayed Him for thirty pieces of silver, if we thought we could get away with it!

Remember that song? “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?... oh oh oh oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble!” The truth of the cross... and our complicity in the same sins that nailed the Savior to the wood, should indeed cause us to tremble at our shallowness and sinfulness.

We fool nobody but ourselves if we believe we would be the only person in Jerusalem that dark night who saw what was really happening and would have spoken in Christ's favor! The Cross is the place where God says, “To hell with your sophistication and enlightened views and good intentions. You are no different than anybody else. You are human and You cannot save yourself” That can be hard to swallow. That is the uncomfortable truth of the Cross.

But it's also a glorious truth. For it means God, in Christ, has done for us what we can never do for ourselves. Offer hope. Open a doorway to righteousness. Clear away whatever it is about us, that stops us pursuing God's kingdom with vitality and passion. That is the truth that we need to preserve, for it grants us a way to serve God with strength and courage. Which just happens to be part of our next reading about Joshua (1:1-9)

Joshua 1:1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: ² "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them--to the Israelite's. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates--all the Hittite country--to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

⁶ Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. ⁷ "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

If God commands Joshua to be strong, courageous, fearless and confident, we can assume it was because God knew that, in his heart of hearts, Joshua felt fearful, weak, discouraged and not up to the task. Joshua's source of confidence is in one thing alone. God promises to be with him. It is God who will make a way. It is God who will protect him, v9: “The LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

This is strength and courage, not in self-sufficiency but in God's ability. Just as our salvation is rooted in what God has done for us, so our ability to do the things God calls us to do, is linked to God's ability to empower us, through the Holy Spirit, for the tasks God wishes us to accomplish. In his sermon on “Leading in God's Way” Jerry Cannon writes “Real success is not a matter of strength and courage alone, but strength and courage that comes from the knowledge that God is walking with us”. (p.99)

It is this knowledge that God “has our back” that offers to us the guts, the grit and the backbone to live for God. Cannon continues; “I think we need to apply this principle not only to our personal lives but also to the life of this congregation. It would be easy for or us to look at the life of this congregation with only our human eyes and human understanding and say, “We're to small and insignificant to have any influence …. Let's just do what little we can and be satisfied with that”. You know what that kind of statement says? It's a weak excuse for a weak faith. If we are going to lead God's way, the first thing we must do is be strong and courageous, for the Lord our God is with us wherever we go.”

Another uncomfortable truth. We can be self satisfied and allow our fear to guide our ventures, rather than allow God to lead us into unknown adventures! The solution to such a dilemma, in Joshua's case, is found by applying the truth of the Book of the Law to his life. “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (verse 8).

Cannon, again writes; “The sure way of connecting the law to the heart is the saturation method.... Saturation? Think of the head football coach winning the championship football game and being bathed in a bucket of Gatorade. And think of that bath being repeated day after day. Saturation in the truth of God's Word connects law to heart, truth to life.”

He suggests that when we try to live without consulting God's Word, it is deliberate, voluntary ignorance. Such ignorance will not stop us from suffering the consequences of acting stupid. He concludes; “The wisdom we need is available. In the Christian life, it's not just about reading God's Word occasionally; it's about meditating on its truth and letting God's Word saturate our spirit and shape our lives.”

Again, we are back with that idea that as a Christian church we are called to preserve the truth, a very particular truth, namely the truth that is found within the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Another reading... 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:5

¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵ and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ² Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. ³ For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. ⁵ But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

When I was a pastor in Beckley, WV, just a block away from the church was Mountain State University. The local Methodist minister worked part time there as an adjunct professor teaching the ethics course. A couple of times, when he needed to be away, he asked me to stand in for him. One of the sessions I took had to do with the sources of authority upon which we make our decisions.

We listed a number of topics on the board. Killing. Cheating on a spouse. Abortion. The theft of food by a hungry person... and then talked not only about the rightness or wrongness of the actions, but also “Why” they were right or wrong. How did they effect others? How did they effect the society in which the action took place? How did they effect the individuals involved?

It lead into such questions as; “Do right and wrong depend upon the culture we live in, or are there such things as absolute right and wrong? And who decides how right and wrong should be either punished or rewarded? Is morality subjective or objective?”

In his essay “A Passion for Truth” Peter B. Barnes talks about four sources of authority.

The first is science. Science offers us observable realities. The earth goes around the sun. Of course it does. But simple facts and statements are not always helpful in making ethical decisions. Just because the earth goes around the sun does not mean I should not punch you in the nose if you trespass on my property. Facts can be interpreted. Statements like “Studies have shown” or “Polls indicate” are taken as indicating something important. In the current political climate, they are also questioned. The phrase “Alternative Fact” springs to mind!

Second there are cultural norms. Whatever becomes normative for society, as reflected in popular culture, becomes the accepted authority. The phrase “Everybody is doing it” becomes “So it must be the right thing to do!”

Thirdly, there are subjective feelings. “I have to do what's right for me”. “How can it be wrong if it feels so right.” So called 'situation ethics' base the rightness or wrongness of an action, upon past or present experience and emotional feelings. “If it feels good and it doesn't hurt anyone, then just do it.”

Fourthly, there is revelation. Barnes comments: “For Christians the Bible serves as the revelation of objective truth from the One who is beyond scientific verification and who is not bound by cultural norms or subjective feelings. Revelation is God's truth freely given to us.”

It is this concept of revealed truth that the church has historically sought to defend and preserve. It comes from the concept that there is a God, that this God has spoken to us over the centuries though flesh and blood people, who recorded what was revealed to them in Scripture. Most of all God has revealed God's truth in a person, Jesus Christ, who, in John's gospels terms, was the “Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.”

Paul talks to Timothy about Scripture as being “God-breathed” and essential for equipping the disciple in the ways of the kingdom. That we should teach sound doctrine because there was a tendency for folk to prefer hearing whatever suited their “need of the moment” rather than embracing God's revelation.

When, on the first Sunday of Lent we were thinking in our service about the temptation of Jesus, in Matthew's gospel, we saw how He counteracted the devil's lies with the phrase, “People do not live on bread alone, but upon every Word that come from the mouth of God”

Bill Robinson (quoted by Barnes) writes; “As Christians we believe in absolutes. Early church councils affirmed the anchors of our faith. Jesus made absolute claims. He said that He is the only way to God – a rather incendiary remark in today's pluralistic world. But as Christian leaders our stout defenses against attacks on moral and spiritual absolutes often omit the way in which we embrace those absolutes – by faith. As finite creatures, we cannot know absolutes absolutely. When Jesus claims to be the only way to the Father, by faith we believe Him. It is not an absolute claim we mortals can prove empirically. But evidence supporting the reliability of Scripture, along with witnessing the profound impact of Christ's transforming love, allows us to hold a reason based faith that Jesus was telling the truth.”

Having said that Jesus is “The Truth”... we know we are not the only show in town. Not only do other philosophies offer differing ways of discerning truth, other religions contain truths at variance with those contained in the Christian Scriptures. How do we deal with that? That's the subject of Michael Lindvall's chapter titled; “My Way or the Highway or Many Roads to Heaven” But first... another reading.

John 14:1-14

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?

³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going." ⁵ Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" ⁶ Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." ⁸ Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." ⁹ Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? ¹⁰ Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. ¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Lindvall points out that when Jesus made the statement about being “Way, Truth and Life” there existed no such religion as Christianity. He was talking to a small group of followers who were about to witness His betrayal, crucifixion and resurrection “These words are part of Jesus' struggle to make His disciples understand why there is no way around the cross. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life - and that way that truth- and that life are about to be made visible in the towering tragedy of the cross and the towering miracle of the resurrection. In context, Jesus's point is there is no way to the Father except by self-denial, obedience and trust such as this.”

He notes that there have been two polarizing views of Jesus words. The first, often adopted by those of a conservative persuasion, he characterizes as “My way or the highway.” According to this perspective, all other religious and philosophical perspectives – be they Humanistic, Buddhist, Hindu or Islamic – with the exception of Jewish texts in the Old Testament – are at the best wrong and at their worst demonic. This is the way of Christian exclusiveness. There is no way but the Christian way, no truth but the conservative interpretation of Christian truth and the only outcome for life for those who don't accept the conservative presentation of Jesus as the way is to burn in hell. My way or the highway.

The liberal alternative is to suggest that “Many roads lead to heaven.” There is one God. So aren't all religions simply different pathways to the same destination? The moral relativism of the 1960's decided for us that there are no such things as absolutes. He writes “Life is like going through a cafeteria line; some folks like the meat loaf; others like the chicken tetrazzini. Some folks like Jesus, others like Buddha. Take your pick. It's all the same. As long as you are tolerant, it's just a matter of personal spiritual preference.”

The problem with this view is maybe illustrated by Steve Turners poem “Creed” in which he writes “We believe all religions are basically the same. At least the one that we read was. They all believe in love and goodness. They only differ on matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, God and salvation.” Anybody who has actually studied comparative religion will be clear that all religions are not the same and most disagree on the two basic principles of what God is like and why we are on the planet!

The problem with “My Way or the Highway and Many Roads to Heaven” is their over-simplification of the issues involved. Reformed theology has wrestled with the question of how to relate to our religious and non-religious neighbors for centuries and the answer that they have reached is simply that - it is not simple.

However, there are two insights reformed theology offers that need to be held together.

The first is this. As followers of Jesus Christ we are invited to believe, implicitly and courageously that the way of life He offers to us is truly the way to live and a true reflection of what life is all about. That if we throw the weight of our life upon His revelation, then we will truly experience the abundant life that God desires for us, life that is not lived within the boundaries of womb to tomb, but within an eternal expanse that goes from before the womb to beyond the tomb.

As we study the way of Jesus we will observe His acceptance of people... religious and far from godly, Jew and Samaritan, Gentile and Roman, Greek and heathen, outsider and insider. The only ones Jesus seems to reject are those who claimed to know religion so well that they created regulations that made themselves the only true people of God.

Lindvall writes about not seeing people who do not share our perspective as 'scalps' to be collected for the Kingdom, yet always being prepared to talk about the love and acceptance we have found in Jesus Christ and be prepared to affirm the way, truth and life we have found in Him, with out suggesting that other folks perspective, experience and understanding did not have an equally validity.

The second principle he suggests we need to hold on to is the sovereignty of God. To quote “The sovereignty of God says that if God wants to speak through secular art or pagan philosophy, even other religions, God can perfectly well do so, simply because God is God and God's freedom, God's sovereignty, cannot be bound. The sovereignty of God reminds us that the divine mystery cannot be fully contained in any system of thinking.... the church doesn't contain God, God contains the church.”

This is not a new idea. The second century theologian Justin Martyr spoke of how pre-Christian philosophers such as Plato, when he wrote about the “Logos”, the eternal word of God, were giving expression to truths about Christ before Jesus had even been born. Likewise, the whole Old Testament pointed to His coming in ways the writers could never truly understand from their historical perspective.

Lindvall concludes “If we keep our eyes on these two towering truths, in tension with each other as they may be, we find this dynamic place towards the center. And here we can be clear about our Christian conviction, on the one hand, and be open to those with other convictions on the other. Yes, Jesus Christ is my savior, and none other. But the God this very Jesus mediates to me is a vast God.”

I would also want to add that we can read the words of Jesus about being “Way, truth and Life” in either an exclusive or an inclusive fashion.

If we read them in an exclusive way, we would seem to be in denial of the way Jesus actually ministered to people. If we say that only those who hold to a certain form of theological expression that holds out no hope beyond it's narrow terms, then we seem to be in denial of the very person who made the statement, that He Himself is the Way and, Truth and life.

If we hold to an inclusive way of understanding His words about being Way, Truth and Life, then we will suggest that wherever a person is finding a way to be the person God is calling them to be, wherever a person is discovering a truth that is setting them free and wherever a person is discovering a way to truly to live, then knowingly, or unknowingly, they are discovering something about Jesus Himself. Such would appear to be totally in syn with the gospel accounts of Jesus ministry, who excluded nobody except those who denied the broad scope of God's love towards them.

The Fourth great end of the church: The Preservation of the Truth.

The light of truth shines in the darkness. The dove on the banner reminds us that the truth we proclaim to the world is the gospel of Jesus Christ, God with us and for us. We are reminded of a scripture verse: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5). Against the background of a world where many hold to a philosophy that declares all truth is relative, we suggest that there are absolutes. The particular truth that we seek to uphold is the truth of Jesus Christ, as revealed in the scriptures of the Old and New Testament.

In the midst of a changing theological landscape we declare ourselves to be both “Reformed” and “Reforming.” We recognize that the present work of the Holy Spirit enlightens our understanding of the mission and purpose of Jesus Christ and how we see the work of God. To a multi-faith world we declare that there are unique aspects to the gospel that need to be upheld, while acknowledging that God is God and free to reveal truth in ways that are unfamiliar to us .

The preservation of the truth. And next time... number five. “The promotion of social righteousness.”