by Rev. Dr John Evans
Rev. Jason Kioa, the Moderator of the Victorian and Tasmanian Synod, chose as his theme for the recently completed synod meeting, “Engaging Community”.
This theme was played out in the meeting – which concluded late Wednesday afternoon – in several ways. It was the theme of the opening worship at St Michael’s in the city – perhaps a little ironic, given what was happening between the Synod and St Michael’s itself. Certainly it was the theme of the sermon preached by Rev. Allan Thompson. It was the theme of the Bible study – very ably led by Gwen Ince and Peter Mallon from CTM. They took a range of vignettes from the book of Acts that involved the early church or individuals engaging the community of their time. There were three “interviews” with chaplains – from a variety of contexts – even the chaplain at the animal hospital – on how they were engaging their particular community. Even through the various items of business, we were reminded of the need to engage community. So the Synod endorsed a process, known as “On the Way Together”, which would assist the synod and all its various congregations, presbyteries, agencies and boards to envision and plan for the future . . . so that, among other things, the Uniting Church would engage the community more effectively.
It was a good theme and interesting theme, because I believe it is a theme or value for us here at the Church of All Nations.
It is a theme which gives us a direction – where we should be headed. We should be looking outward – engaging our community. Engaging our community with words of hope, or of challenge, of peace and of purpose. More than that – in its ambiguity of which community is it actually talking about: the one here we might call the church, or the one out there we might call Carlton – it indicates we also need to be “engaging”. Engaging in the sense of being attractive, drawing people in – being a community of which people want to be a part.
Rev. Dr Ji Zhang, whom we know very well here, also had a role within the synod meeting. He was a theological reflector – a person who was asked to give some theological reflection on the preceding day’s business. He challenged the synod: was it actually and really engaging the community? Was the Uniting Church an engaging community – say, with the First Peoples of this land, or those who have come recently? Were we clear as to why we were engaging with the community? Where we just engaging – for the sake of engaging – with no clear purpose or outcome envisaged? In endeavouring to be an engaging community – were we really just being more of the same, and as a church not open death and resurrection?
I think Ji was right – we might profess we are an engaging community; but we are often far from it. We know when we try, and we at least have a try here (and many of our congregations perhaps don’t even seem to want to try), we encounter opposition; or worse, indifference. It is a competitive marketplace of ideas and practice out there. Our priorities of the spirit are not the values and priorities of the world. There is a clash of worldviews – and the thus question arises – by what authority do we say we engage our community?
By what authority?
This was the very question asked of Jesus in our reading – it is still the question we face as this church, or as an individual Christian at the water cooler in our office – by what authority do we say or do something; by what authority do we engage community? By what authority?
Let us look a little more closely at our incident in our gospel reading today.
Jesus is now in Jerusalem – this was the beginning of the last week of his life. He had just been greeted while riding on a donkey into Jerusalem – a sort of religious Grand Final parade. Now on the next day he enters the temple and is confronted by the religious leaders and is challenged with the question by what authority does he preach, act, engage that community?
In a sense you can understand the dynamic here – Jesus was totally “in your face”. He has been railing against the Jewish religious leadership for years as he set out to show a new way of living and understanding of God – this kingdom of heaven. He told stories about this way of life, he healed people, he lived a life of love. However, he would have understandably got up the noses of those who usually controlled such matters. And here he was, right on their turf: the temple itself.
To their credit, these leaders don’t just throw him out of the temple – they politely, or perhaps cunningly, ask by what authority does he do all of this. In a vintage Jesus of Nazareth response, he tosses back to them a conundrum – not about himself, but about John the Baptist: Did John and his baptism come from heaven, or was it human in origin?
It was a classic riddle. If they said, “well, it was from heaven”, why did they not believe him? And if they said it was of human origin, again they were caught out, because John was generally regarded as a prophet, much loved by the people – and they should also have respected him. So they give the answer, “we do not know.”
In the circumstances, not a bad answer. “We do not know”. And for us, and our community – honestly to say, “I don’t know” also can be a good answer. We often can be confronted with a blunt question – as we endeavour to engage the community. For example the current controversy about abortion can depend on what are you actually asking. Wrong in absolutely all circumstances? If not, when, why? What is the context – it depends, … I don’t know or I am unsure. Grey can be fine line.
But sometimes our engagement with the community does require clarity of thought, and certainty as to why we do things, or why we are who we are. And so Jesus also recognised this with the religious leaders in the forecourt of the temple that day. Not knowing could be OK – but he then proceeds to tell three parables – of which we have one today – that pointedly get at an understanding of his authority and how the religious leaders had failed.
Jesus opens with, “what do you think?” – and then tells the story of the two sons who change their minds when they are asked by their father to work in the vineyard. One says no, and then does so – the second says yes, but doesn’t. Who does the will of his father? They answer – understandably, it is the first. And that is then a cue for a “blast” on the religious authorities.
There is a whole raft of people – who do not seem to understand the will of God, and say they will not work in the vineyard. You know – the usual suspects – tax collectors and prostitutes – but actually then “get” who John was; get who Jesus is and his message and actions. They initially could be said to have said no – but really do say yes. Meanwhile, those who say yes – the safe and predictable crew of the chief priests and elders – then in fact do not get it; they do not believe John, they do not believe Jesus. And with great flourish Jesus says, “even after you saw it” – you did not change your minds and believe John.
Authority is different in the kingdom of heaven!
Authority does not come from an appeal to tradition and structures – authority comes from operating in the community with the tax collectors (who are they - the middle class who has sold their soul to wealth and financial security – but are actually wanting something else) and those who are socially marginalised and cast out of respectable society – the prostitutes. Sounds a bit like Carlton really?
One commentator I read on this suggests that in order for us to live by the Word, we must believe that the Word is living. Instead we, now and not just the religious leaders of Jesus’ time, are wanting to close the canon on God’s mission in the world. We want all of our revelation in the past tense, behind us where we can look at it. May Anderson suggests:
We want a God who can be sent to the taxidermist and then proudly mounted on the wall. Yes, the eyes may seem to follow you across the room, but rest assured, the beast is truly dead.
To believe or even assume that God is living and active in our world is to believe God is not finished with any of us as we engage with our community. As we look to the various tribes of Carlton – the tourists, the professionals, the retirees, the folk from the estate, the international and local students, the people who work here in our huge institutions – we need to see in them, God’s spirit moving and working as we engage this community – as we endeavour to be an engaging church community for all of Carlton.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day did not see God at work in John the Baptist, so it was not surprising they also missed the incarnation. As a minister of a mainline denomination, I too feel under judgement – is this simple parable aimed at me, at the Church of All Nations, at the Uniting Church in Australia? What have we missed?
Engaging community – of course we need to go into the community believing something, but open to the possibility of being surprised, confronted and comforted by the living God as we meet that community.
By what authority – by the authority of the living God revealed in the crucified Christ; whom we worship here; but also meet within our wonderful community of Carlton.
