Deleivered by Rev Dr John Evans
On Sunday 16 May, 2010
Acts 16:16-34
Psalm 97
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
John 17:20-26
If you have not noticed, Britain has a new Prime Minister. It has taken a while, however, out of a strange marriage of convenience, the leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron is now the leader of that country. In one of the numerous reflections on all of these recent events I was taken by a blog on the ABC website: UK Election: Why politicians need theologians. (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/06/2892388.htm?site=thedrum) I was aware Gordon Brown, the former PM was a son of the manse – his father being a Church of Scotland, Presbyterian, minister. This article was however, about the Tory leader, now PM, David Cameron.
Cameron actually is a good Catholic. One of his chief advisors helping to formulate his policy has been one Phillip Blond. Blond had in fact been lecturer in theology at a provincial university in Britain. He then came to head up one of those ubiquitous think tanks; this one called Res Publica. Blond as it happened, has published a book with an intriguing title: Red Tory: How Left and Right Have Broken Britain and How we Can Fix It. The book, which I have not read, and I am here relying on my blogger, appeals strongly to Catholic social teaching. Now, I am attracted to Catholic social teaching. It has very strong collectivist and communitarian values, rather than the selfishness of individualism and the market; it is sceptical about capitalism and is concerned for the poor and the marginalised of our society. It places a strong emphasis on personal responsibility. The commentator makes the point, this is not very much like traditional Tory values, and perhaps illustrates why British politics has all of a sudden become very interesting. However, what struck me was this review which appeared in the London Review of Books on Philip Blond’s book, and was quoted in the blog. The reviewer, Jonathan Raban, wrote:
“Red Tory is like a 300 page Sunday sermon, preached by a self taught country parson whose shelves are stuffed with old blue and white Pelican books on subjects like modern psychology, literature, sociology, government and economics, which the parson (in civilian life, Blond used to be a lecture in theology) believes must hold the key to the alien and ugly civilisation he encounters on his parish rounds.”
What an interesting quote.
To begin with it describes my library – although I do not have any old Pelican Books. There is also a sneering tone within it, that the church, faith, should not be engaged, even try to be engaged, in questions of national direction and policy. However, the most telling inference from this review is that all we, the Church, are good at, all Phillip Blond was good at, is being able to harp on about “the alien and ugly civilisation” we encounter around us. The implication being that just carping and criticising is an inadequate response.
Now this is all a very pertinent issue – both for this congregation as it tries to engage our community, but for the Uniting Church, as it begins this coming week, its Synod where it has before it the usual range of proposals criticising our alien and ugly civilization.
Is the church just on about describing, complaining about, the social evils around us. The word wowser, which we understand as being a prudish do-gooder – is the acronymn for: We Only Want Social Evils Remedied. Are we still only wowsers - perhaps not about the old list of social evils like lack of Sunday observance, dancing or consumption of alcohol – but new one’s like the environment, or globalisation, or asylum seekers. How should we provide more than complaint? And what should that “more” be?
A huge question, and we are only going to skim the surface, however, our readings, particularly from Revelation and the Book of Acts provide us with two, quite contradictory approaches to the issue.
As we have observed over recent weeks, the book of Revelation is a puzzle and perhaps to be avoided at all costs. It however, among other things, addresses how Christians should address the domination of the Roman Empire. Rome is portrayed as Babylon – a terrifying and frightening beast. The seer, John, with profound imagination endeavours to offer a transcendent view of how Christians might cope with all their tribulations. Shortly stated – all will be well – because of the Lamb – the risen Crucified Christ. As we heard last week, there will be a new heaven and new earth. . . the old will pass away. John even describes this new Jerusalem - which is offered energy, light and power through the Lamb. The current harshness of life persists – however, here is the hope for a new future. And in our reading, we reach the climax of this vision: the return of Christ is envisioned.
“See I am coming soon . . . I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (22:12)
And so when he comes
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates” (14)
Here is the response to all the “alien and the ugly” the country parson finds on his rounds – the end of the age; the hope that God will be all in all; the second coming. All that is alien and ugly, can still be complained about, but it will disappear.
“Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (15)
Inside, inside the wondrous, beautiful, new Jerusalem however, will be very different – as all will partake of the water of life.
For the hearer of this vision of the seer, John, this would have been good news. To use the more accessible words of Paul, “the troubles of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us” (Rom 8: 18) So if you have been subject to all sorts of brutality and injustice at the hands of the Roman empire, this vision would offer hope. And down the ages – it has offered great hope for those who are persecuted or are oppressed. The Afro-American slaves in their music and lyrics - seized on these images of the return of Christ, of glory and of vindication to inspire and maintain their hope, and a sense of justice.
But let us imagine the boot is on the other foot. You are the empire, you are part of the dominant culture, and yet there is still the “ugly and alien” in that civilization. Not to do anything because the return of Christ is imminent, I would suggest, is not responsible or appropriate. The strong policy stance of the former US president in doing nothing on climate change, or the environment, even about peace in the middle east, was, why bother – Christ is returning soon.
This is why the experience of Paul and Silas may be helpful. It seems to suggest a different approach. Our reading from Acts is a very interesting story. It is a story of healing or casting out a demon from a slave girl. This in turned caused a ruckus, Paul and Silas were imprisoned. Then there is an earthquake and their non escape, and finally there is the conversion of the gaoler and his family.
First of all Christian faith meant something – it was about transformed lives, in the here and now. The life of the slave girl was changed, although funnily enough, it arose out of Paul being annoyed that she kept haranguing and abusing him and Silas. The unnamed slave girl is described as having an evil spirit which Paul casts out. A miracle of some sort takes place. The spirit of Christ is appealed to and made evident.
However, this action sets in train a series of remarkable events. In the name of truth, Paul and Silas have attacked the vested interest of the “owners” of this girl. Their livelihood was threatened . . . and even the crowd joined in condemning Paul and Silas. Perhaps it was their message of hope; perhaps it was siding with a slave girl; perhaps it was they were foreigners in this city of Philippi. However, in what seems a travesty of justice, they are flogged and thrown into prison. . . . indeed into the innermost cells and locked up in stocks, because they did want to condemn the “alien and the ugly”. Then an earthquake amazingly occurs - which I guess can occur around those parts – and significantly Paul - perhaps out of compassion for the gaoler who was about to do himself in, or because he respected the Roman system of law which put him into prison in the first place, he and Silas – and the other prisoners – do not escape. I am perhaps reading too much into this – but Paul allows the Roman legal and justice framework to run its course. You need some system, even if you don’t agree with it. Anarchy is not an alternative. By the end of the story he actually appeals to the fact that he is a Roman citizen. . . . which sees the Philippi officials scrambling to save face.
Within the story there is engagement with the wicked empire, while at various turns another reality, a spiritual reality, or a deeper dimension to living, is portrayed. So my point is that there is engagement; but Paul does not see that engagement strictly in the terms of “the empire” or the level of the officials. Indeed one of my commentaries on this passage, usefully says:
“Luke’s portrait of Rome in Acts, is of the inability of the secular authority to subvert the work of God’s salvation in the world.”
There is still a secular authority, and in a sense one should not give up on the secular authority. Paul, for example, appeals to his Roman citizenship, so that he may be justly treated. This is important, but it is provisional. It is only part of the story. This secular world is not all that there is. The poor treatment of this slave girl is significant – but there are other realities which are also important. In the language of this passage, he was concerned about salvation; about the fullness of life, and right relations with God. So in answer to the question of the bewildered gaoler, when they had not escaped, “what must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas replied
“Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.” (16:31)
The spiritual, the restored relationship with God, through the cross of Christ – this is what Paul and Silas are concerned about. There are alien and ugly things out there; and engagement is needed – however, in the midst of this ambiguity and messiness – there is the strong hope of the gospel, of salvation. In fact, Revelation and Acts are the same at this point – God is at all times present in our history. It may just depend on your circumstances as to whether you are focused on the here and now, and what that new life might look like, or it may be some future time. God’s presence in your life exists now.
Our Christian faith offers far more than just fuel, a frame of reference for our complaint about our “alien and ugly civilization”. There is a challenge to do something about it. Yes we must engage our community with imaginative courses of action – which I believe we do here at CAN. But we also must always bear witness to a deeper and reality of God’s presence within our world – a presence we can grasp in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, and a hope that all that is possible has not yet fully come to pass.
