Dangerous Liaisons (A sermon by Kim Thoday)

One of the great problems for Western Christianity is that our Churches are not dangerous places to be.

Our churches are not dangerous enough.

1. Serving the Kingdom

Perhaps one thing most Christians are agreed upon is that worship is the engine room of the community of faith. We need more than ever to present worship experiences that communicate in culturally relevant ways the great song-lines and narratives of the Christian tradition. Large, well-resourced Churches have a special obligation to the whole body of Christ’s Church to present a well-packaged, theologically literate performance of the Gospel. My emphasis is upon “obligation to the whole body of Christ.” The problem is that there are few examples of mega Churches whose core values are about serving the whole Church and all of God’s Kingdom. But there are many examples of those who are really about building their own empires. If only, at the very least they would be up-front about this, then I for one would have a modicum of respect for that.

Our churches are not dangerous enough.

2. Inclusive, Inspiring, Holistic Worship

It seems that the Church is often, tragically, fragmented over many important issues such as the question of worship. It seems to me that the Church of Jesus Christ would be far better served if there was a recognition that we need both lively, vital, joyful worship experience as well as more reflective, contemplative and prophetically challenging worship. Some are quick to answer always with solutions drawn not from biblical spirituality but from our consumer culture. They will say that it is ok to be able to pick your own worship style from the smorgasbord on offer. And what then are we left with? As with our fragmented, competitive culture of constantly multiplying anti-dialogical subcultures, so the Church multi-polarises.

Why is it that we have to have a great ground swell of contemporary Christian music that is culturally savvy but biblically and theologically one dimensional at best and illiterate at worst? Why is it that we have many “preachers” who would make good motivational speakers for Amway and yet have almost nothing counter-cultural and theologically challenging to say, in the tradition of the great preachers of old; such as, Amos, Hosea, Jeremiah, Isaiah, John the Baptist or Jesus of Nazareth? Why is it that one of the few prophetic voices of biblical proportions we have in Australia, namely Tim Costello, has more street cred and influence in “pagan” society than in the Church? On the other hand, why is it that many other churches with an historically aware perspective and/or an informed biblical literacy and/or a social justice emphasis are often deeply suspicious of the charismatic emphasis upon the gifts of the spirit, the experience of signs and wonders and lively and inspiring worship? The reasons are complex and have as much to do with personality types as they do with theological differences. Perhaps another main reason is that the excesses of both the Pentecostal wing of the Church and the traditional mainstream Church breed an antagonism and suspicion. We need to explore that dangerous landscape in between and recognise the biblical and religious validity of both tradition and spirit.

Our Churches are not dangerous enough

3. Seeking a Faith that Understands

We’ve taught people not to question, not to think about their faith. Church culture seems suspicious of the development of one’s intellect as an important part of the spiritual life. All you have to do is just believe and accept what you are told by the latest mega-church super star. Or perhaps more poignantly these days, all you have to do is just “feel.” What feels right must be right, because that is what our society preaches.

Our churches are not dangerous enough.

4. Becoming Prophetic

Many Churches have become comfortable enclaves. Holy mega-huddles of people who all think the same, live the same, look the same; or at least are persuasively encouraged to do so. Being taught, trim and terrifically wealthy is now next to godliness, according to some of the high-profile marketeers of “Christianity.” Try preaching a sermon these days that is prophetically critical of government policy on: Asylum seekers, or the recent war on Iraq, or tax benefits for the rich, or deregulation, or privatisation, or the virtual worship of the today’s Baal, the Almighty Free-Market god and you will soon be labelled a trouble maker or a cynic. Try preaching and performing these issues, as did the prophets of the Old Testament, and see how long you last in the Church or whether you will be appointed to the corridors of ecclesial power.

Our churches are not dangerous enough.

5. Re-membering Jesus

We speak a lot about remembering Jesus? But do we, remember him? And which Jesus do we remember anyway? Do we remember Jesus of Nazareth? Do we remember his inclusiveness of all people. Do we remember that all are welcome to come to his table of grace. And that it is Grace that will convict and convert. Recently, we had a trans-sexual person attend our Church. Whilst some offered love and acceptance I still received a number of calls later about how disgusting it was for such a person to be at Church. I had a vision of Jesus dying on the Cross of Calvary for that person. Is our Christian ethic informed by our memory of Jesus of Nazareth? Bishop Trevor Huddleston once remarked: since the advent of Jesus Christ, “there is only one Chosen Race, it is the Human Race.”

Our churches are not dangerous enough.

6. The danger of silence

Our Churches are not counter-cultural. Do we ask the question: Lord, how can we be distinctively Christian in our time? How do you want us to be Salt and Light? We are so often chatter-boxes and gossips. Silence …. The practise of silence is one counter-cultural measure. Do we spend time listening to what God is saying? Our Churches are starved of silence. E M Forster said: “poor little TALKATIVE Christianity.” Graeme Green said of the Christian faith: “it is performing the present tense of living each minute the last time.”

Cultivate silence, like Jesus often did by going “walkabout.” It has taken us whities along time to value the sacred practise of the “walkabout.” Walkabout teaches us to value what is worth paying attention to and who is worth paying attention to. We swallow a lot of rubbish because we are not silent enough before God. Silence is a fertile valley, a crucifying emptiness … but we are afraid of silence in our time. We don’t understand silence … its awkward, because we are a restless people; because we are seduced by the gods of glitter and their seductions of self-interest. Cultivate the practise of silence. It is one of the most counter-cultural ways we can live as Christians. Then God gets a chance. Our silence gives God a fair go to have a say. Because of that silence is dangerous. Silence with God is a dangerous liaison.

The danger of silence is embodied in Jesus’ ministry. There are many instances of Jesus seeking silence and solitude in desert walkabout with his Father. Jesus cultivates a spirituality of silence amidst the intensities of his mission-oriented life. Jesus walkabouts meant that sometimes his disciples had to track him down. Mark 1:35ff remembers Jesus venture out into a desert place before dawn. Here he prays and as a consequence he finds his direction from God. It is out of the silence of the desert that Jesus recovers his mission of preaching and prophetic critique. The cultivation of silent retreats in the context of active mission is a hallmark of Jesus life-style. It is this life-style that remains the Christian archetype for distinctively Christian discipleship. This is dangerous discipleship, although, that is a tautology. Christian discipleship inherently carries with it the dangers of rejection and crucifixion, as well as the moments of joy and resurrection.

Our Churches are not dangerous enough

Blessings in Jesus’ name

Kim Thoday, Hewett Community Church of Christ, South Australia

http://www.hewett.org.au