Category: Current Affairs

Defending

God must be relieved! Read ‘Legal case against God dismissed‘. The plaintiff – a state senator for thirty-eight years! – claimed that since God is omniscient, he knows of the case against him. The judge dismissed the case, because there was no address at which God could be served with the papers. That’s a question of (a) not being able to deliver papers to Heaven; or (b) recognising that although God is omnipresent, he’s hard to pin down!

They forget the problem of how God would defend himself in such a case. Who would be his appointed representatives? How would that work in the USA, with its clear separation of Church and State? In the UK, the Church of England would be at the front of the queue – if they were brave enough! Would any representatives be self-appointed, as some in the religious world are? 

Even that begs the question of whether God would want to defend himself. He felt no need to do so in the story of Job. Or, indeed, whether he already has defended himself.

Which brings me to the old story ‘The Long Silence’, which I first found in Bob Moffett’s book ‘Crowdmakers‘ from 1985. I could quote some theodicy arguments from theologians such as Moltmann, but try this instead:

At the end of time, billions of people were scattered on a great plain before God’s throne. Most shrank from the brilliant light before them. But some groups near the front talked heatedly – not with cringing shame but with belligerence.

‘Can God judge us? How can he know about suffering?’ snapped a pert young brunette. She ripped open a sleeve to reveal a tattooed number from a Nazi concentration camp. ‘We endured terror, beatings, torture, death.’

In another group a black boy lowered his collar. ‘What about this?’ he demanded, showing an ugly rope burn: ‘Lynched for no other crime than being black!’

In another crowd was a pregnant schoolgirl with sullen eyes. ‘Why should I suffer?’ she murmured. ‘It wasn’t my fault.’

Far out across the plain were hundreds of such groups. Each had a complaint against God for the eveil and suffering he had permitted in this world. ‘How lucky God was to live in heaven where all was sweetness and light, where there was no weeping or fear, no hunger or hatred! What did God know of all that we had been forced to endure in this world? For God leads a pretty sheltered life,’ they said.

So each of these groups sent forth their leader, chosen because he or she had suffered most. A Jew, a black, a person from Hiroshima, a horribly deformed arthritic an a thalidomide child. In the centre of the plain they consulted with each other. At last they were ready to present their case. It was rather clever.

Before God could be qualified t be their judge, he must endure what they had endured. Their decision was that God should be sentenced to live on earth – as a man.

Let him be born a Jew. Let the legitimacy of his birth be doubted. Give him work so difficult that even his family will think him out of his mind when he tries to do it. Let him be betrayed by his closest friends. Let him face false charges. Be tried by a prejudiced judge. Let him be tortured.

At last let him see what it means to be terribly alone. Then let him die. Let him die so that there can be no doubt that he died. Let there be a whole host of witnesses to verify it. As each leader announced his portion of the sentence loud murmurs of approval went up from the throng of people assembled.

When the last had finished pronouncing sentence there was a long silence.

No one uttered another word. No one moved.

For suddenly all knew that God had already served his sentence.

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Climate

You might like to see this from an email today sent by Avaaz

Dear friends around Europe,

Put your name to the urgent letter calling on Europe’s heads of state to support the European Parliament’s bold action plan to tackle climate change.

Tell Them Now!

Last week, we flooded the European Parliament with tens of thousands of emails and phone calls in the hours before the crucial vote on the EU climate and energy package — and it worked! Congratulations! We successfully beat back the industry lobbyists and won a package better than many had hoped for.[1]

But incredibly this victory could be short lived — sign off by the heads of Europe’s governments is required at this Wednesday’s EU summit. And with the financial crisis topping the agenda, there are worrying signs that Europe’s leaders will step back from both the Parliament’s vote and their own earlier commitments.[2]

Europe’s national leaders need to hear from us over the next 48 hours, before they make their final decision. So let’s send them a flood of emails and phone-calls. Click here to find your own leader’s email address — and phone numbers if you feel like ringing as well — and suggestions about what to say. We know it works:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/europe_climate_summit/

Far from being an excuse to water down our shift to a cleaner, greener economy, the financial crisis gives us good reason to accelerate this change. Massive investment in the transport, power infrastructure and industries of the future will help to revive our economies, cut our energy bills and prepare us better for the challenges ahead. Delays will cost us more down the track, whereas ambitious action now will fuel Europe’s economy.

But we are also up against another mighty force — lobbyists are at work, demanding massive free permits to pollute and delays which will threaten the global deal to stop climate catastrophe. They are using the financial crisis to put fear into governments, predicting economic catastrophe if energy intensive industries are not protected and if governments proceed with plans to mandate investment in renewable energy.[3]

We have only a limited time before the heads of nations meet to determine Europe’s climate and energy package. If watered down now, our chances of success in securing a bold global deal next year will be severely undermined. We’ve shown we can change minds before, now’s time to strongly advocate for the positive impact a bold package will have on both our planet and our climate.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/europe_climate_summit/

With hope and determination,

Brett, Paul, Pascal, Veronique, Graziela, Ricken, Ben, Iain, Milena and the whole Avaaz team

Sources:
[1] Main points of the plan approved by Parliament: faster pricing of emissions allowances to encourage cleaner, greener industry — all power stations will have to buy their pollution allowances from 2013 instead of getting anything for free, and heavy industry permits will be phased out from 2013. Offsets were cut significantly, and bold new longer-term targets of 50% emissions reductions by 2035 and 60-80% by 2050 were set. For the first time, an emissions ceiling was set to stop dirty coal-fired power – though it will need to be strengthened — and significant funds were allocated for helping developing countries go green, as well as research into carbon capture. There’s much more to do, but this package is a real advance. See setback for industry on green “Super Tuesday”:
http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2008/10/setback-for-industry-on-green-super-tuesday-/62578.aspx

[2] On the concerns about Wednesday’s summit:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/oct/09/energy.climatechange

[3] E3G — Ten Reasons Why Giving Free ETS Allowances will Not Protect EU Jobs or Competitiveness:
http://avaazpress.s3.amazonaws.com/66_Ten%20Reasons%20Why%20Free%20Allowances%20Will%20Not%20Preserve%20EU%20Competitiveness%20and%20Jobs.pdf

1

Quote

It’s extraordinary to me that the United States can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can’t find $25 billion dollars to saved 25,000 children who die every day from preventable diseases.

– Bono, from yesterday’s Sojourners weekly email, via The American Prospect.

2

Poverty

Please sign this petition from Avaaz:

Dear friends,

Canada, France and Italy are threatening to break their poverty promises by slashing aid budgets. Sign the petition to stop them — and poverty expert Jeff Sachs will deliver our messages to world leaders gathered at the UN this week!

Click to Sign Now!

World leaders gather this Thursday at the United Nations to renew the fight against extreme poverty. But three countries — France, Canada, and Italy — are threatening to undermine the world’s anti poverty efforts, by slashing their development aid budgets and breaking their international promises.

Sarkozy, Harper, and Berlusconi promised to contribute 0.7% of their national income to fighting poverty — aid money that would save millions of lives, and still leave these donor countries with 99.3% of their money. But apparently, they think 99.3% is not enough.

Our best chance to keep these rich countries to their word on aid delivery is to raise the alarm in New York this week. Sign our petition now, spread it to friends and family — and our friend, world famous economist and top UN official on poverty, Jeffrey Sachs will deliver it in speeches to the assembled heads of state at the UN summit this Thursday. The more names on the petition, the stronger the message that promises on poverty must be kept. Click below to sign now:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/poverty_promise_breakers

We know that public outcries like this one can work — because massive people-powered movements have transformed the fight against poverty over the last decade. The Jubilee movement cancelled hundreds of billions in dictator debt in 2000, and pushed world leaders to adopt the Millennium Development Goals to cut world poverty in half by 2015. In 2005, poverty campaigners the world over won commitments from G8 leaders to double aid to Africa. Because of these efforts millions of poverty related deaths have been stopped and millions more children are attending school, sleeping under anti-Malaria bed nets, and drinking clean water. Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have all exceeded the 0.7% target and in this year aid rose in real terms in nine EU countries. If all countries stick to their promises, programmes fighting disease and alleviating extreme poverty could be scaled up across the world.

But this year, some rich-country leaders apparently think that the public no longer cares about poverty. In Canada, which kept 99.7% of its income last year, Stephen Harper seems more interested in winning his election than in upholding Canada’s tradition of moral leadership. France’s Sarkozy, for all of his diplomatic efforts, appears to think that his people don’t care about lives and deaths beyond his borders. And in Italy — already one of the stingiest donors in the world — Berlusconi appears happy to slash crucial funding, even though, as host of next year’s G8 summit, his actions set an example for the other richest countries.

French and Italian Avaaz members are already flooding their governments with thousands of messages about aid. But those of us in the rest of the world can play a crucial role as well–sending Harper, Sarkozy, and Berlusconi a clear signal that we expect them to keep to their word — so please help us raise an outcry that can’t be ignored at the UN summit:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/poverty_promise_breakers

In recent years, millions have been galvanized by a vision: that ours can be the generation that ends extreme poverty. With other crises vying for our attention, the strength of this vision is now being tested. Let’s join together and ensure that leaders keep their promises — so that the promise of human potential in even the poorest communities can be unleashed.

With hope,

Ben, Alice, Ricken, Graziela, Paul, Milena, Iain, Veronique, Brett — the entire Avaaz team

PS: For a report on Avaaz’s campaigning so far, see: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/report_back_2

Sources:

Fact sheet on Official Development Assistance from rich countries:
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/27/55/40381862.pdf

More on the Millennium Development Goals:
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

Bono and Jeffrey Sachs’ blog on the poverty debate this week in New York:
http://blogs.ft.com/mdg/

To learn more about the international campaigning that has moved governments in recent years, see:
http://www.whiteband.org and http://www.inmyname.com/ and http://www.one.org/international/

More on concern about France’s meeting 0.7% targets see:
http://www.oecd.org/document/45/0,,en_2649_201185_40948205_1_1_1_1,00

More on Canada’s backtracking on 0.7% commitment:
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=9c489487-aab9-477c-babf-5d109566df2f&p=2

To see the 2008 report on governmental aid to Africa see:
http://www.one.org/report/en/press.html

To learn about Jeffrey Sachs’ work on UN Millennium Development Goals see:
htp://www.unmillenniumproject.org

To see examples of how aid is working see:
http://www.millenniumpromise.org and http://www.mdgmonitor.org/factsheets.cfm

——————————–

ABOUT AVAAZ
Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means “voice” in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Paris, Washington DC, and Geneva.

Click here to learn more about our largest campaigns.

Don’t forget to check out our Facebook and Myspace and Bebo pages!

 

1

Trafficking

If you care about the trafficking of girls and women into prostitution – surely a modern-day slavery – here is a letter you can sign to the Newspaper Society, asking for the removal of certain small ads from all papers.

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Tomorrow’s Sermon: Mission Is People

Matthew 10:40-42

Introduction
I’ve heard teachers say that schools would be much easier without the children. There’s a tendency among ministers to say that churches would be much easier without the members!

Both of these comments are unrealistic and unfair, but probably borne of frustration, especially when things don’t go smoothly or in a hoped-for direction. School is nothing without the students. And church is nothing without the members.

Which brings us to the climax of Jesus’ teaching on mission in Matthew 10 that the Lectionary has been tracking for the last three weeks. Two weeks ago, we heard Jesus encouraging us with a vision of ‘Mission Possible’; last week, we heard him encourage us to be neither surprised nor afraid in the face of opposition.

Now, this week, in the final instalment from Matthew 10, Jesus brings it all together with the importance of people. Strategies can wait. Tactics are not of primary importance. People come first in Jesus’ vision. These three verses are saturated with the centrality of people rather than programmes for the mission of God. As we explore the different people Jesus talks about here, we get more flavours of mission.

1. You
‘Let’s talk about you.’ It sounds like a chat-up line. But Jesus begins by talking about his hearers. ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me’ (verse 40) is where he begins. Now if Jesus said that to me – ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me’, I’d think, steady on a bit! That’s a huge statement to make. How can people receiving me, a mere messenger, be like receiving Jesus himself?

The reason I think that way is because I think of messengers in the modern way. I don’t expect our postie to represent any of the people who send me letters that he delivers. He’s just an intermediary, doing his job. That’s why we say, ‘Don’t shoot the messenger’ when someone brings bad news.

In Jesus’ day, however, it was different. People wrote letters, but had no postal service. To get their letters delivered, they had to choose people who were reliable not only to take the correspondence to its destination, but also to deliver its contents. Those who delivered letters were the personal representatives of the writers. You could say that those entrusted with delivering correspondence in the ancient world were ambassadors for the writers.

So when Jesus says, ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me’, he is saying, ‘You are my ambassadors. I trust you to go into the world in my name and speak my message.’ That is the sense in which people welcoming us is like welcoming Jesus. Not that we are his doubles, but that we are his ambassadors.

That itself may still be nerve-wracking! Who, me, acting as Christ’s representative? But yes, it is true, and it is the greatest honour open to a human being. No honour bestowed by society can compare with this. A Christian musician by the name of Abraham Laboriel was asked to be part of a band that played at Bill Clinton’s presidential inauguration, but he had an existing commitment on the date in question, and so he declined. ‘Don’t you know you’re going to be playing for the President of the United States?’ the organiser asked him. ‘Don’t you know I play for the King of Kings every time I play?’ replied Laboriel.

The world knows we are Christ’s representatives: let’s accept our commission.

2. Prophets
Next come the prophets:

‘Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward’ (verse 41a).

I think this expands the notion of the ambassador. The ambassador represents the king’s message; the prophet brings the king’s word. Prophets are those people who clearly bring God’s message to the current situation. They do so with such a vivid sense that we know we must decide in response to God.

They are not merely wordsmiths, although the words are important. Like their biblical counterparts, they may enact the message in such a way that we gain a clear sense of God’s mind. They may be Desmond Tutu laughing in the face of apartheid. They may be John Sentamu cutting up his clerical collar on television as condemnation of Robert Mugabe. However, they may also be the person with the quiet word for another that came as they prayed.

Prophets, then, have a key rôle to play in calling people to repentance, commitment and steps along the road of discipleship. Thus, we can say they have a missionary function.

The questions for us are who are the prophets in our midst? And might we have a prophetic edge to our words and deeds? It requires people who in the first instance are more willing to listen than to speak, to pray rather than preach. True prophecy only comes from communion with God.

3. The Righteous
Next, Jesus says,

‘and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous’ (verse 41b).

Who is ‘a righteous person’? Shouldn’t that be all Christians? Yes, of course. However, there is also something specialist about this, too. And just as prophets extend the notion of ambassadors, righteous persons extend what we understand by prophets. Our mission isn’t merely to proclaim the word, like ambassadors, nor to declare and enact it, like prophets. Our mission also involves living the word of Christ, and that’s what makes for ‘righteous’ people in Jesus’ eyes.

We see it today in a movement that is taking the Gospel into impoverished areas. As it does so, it is impressing and challenging young people. It’s often called ‘the new monasticism’. In the UK, a good representative is The Eden Project: not the eco-friendly destination in Cornwall, but Christian outreach on the Wythenshawe estate in Manchester, living and serving the needy. In the USA, it’s most high profile project is The Simple Way, founded by Shane Claiborne and five other members of Eastern University who decided to move into an impoverished suburb of Philadelphia.

Why do these projects have an impact? Here is what a Christian youth worker and researcher called Jason Gardner says about them:

‘This ‘new’ type of church offers a clear and gospel-motivated alternative to consumer culture. It has also found, much like the church of the New Testament and the campaigns of Wesley and Whitefield, that where the gospel most appeals is amongst the marginalised.’[1]

As another researcher, Bob Mayo, puts it:

‘…having it all is seen as a right, not a luxury.’[2]

Our mission, then, involves a form of righteous living that not only reaches the poor and those on the margins, but also challenges the greed and selfishness of our culture. That might put us on a cross, but God tends to raise up his crucified ones.

4. The Little Ones
Here is a fourth group Jesus mentions at the end of the reading:

‘… and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’ (Verse 42)

Who are ‘these little ones’? The immediate context demands that they be disciples, too, who are engaged in mission. The phrase occurs elsewhere in Matthew’s Gospel and seems to refer to disciples, perhaps particularly vulnerable ones.

I believe Jesus is telling us there is a proper vulnerability about mission. Christian mission is not about going in, guns blazing, and forcing people into submission. The mission of Jesus means going to the world in love, and love of necessity means being vulnerable. We take risks when we love people in the name of Jesus. Sometimes it hurts.

I love talking about the witness Debbie and I share in among the communities at Rebekah’s school and Mark’s pre-school. However deeply rewarding it feels at times, there are other occasions when we know our efforts have failed or been rejected. One person we desperately wanted to help chose instead to listen to the dangerous counsel of a couple who were steeped in the occult. That hurt. We wondered about the consequences for her children. But nobody can force Jesus on people. In the pain of vulnerable love, the little ones of Jesus need their cups of cold water from others.

However, for all the disappointment, it’s important to go on being vulnerable, being ‘little ones’, not ‘big ones’, so to speak. That’s how Jesus engaged in his Father’s mission. That’s how we do, too.

You might think I’ve finished at that point – I’ve gone through the groups of people who are welcomed – the ambassadors, prophets, righteous ones and little ones. However, there is one other group to consider:

5. Whoever
Yes, we need to think of the ‘whoevers’ in this passage: ‘whoever’ welcomes the ambassadors, prophets and righteous ones, and who gives a cup of cold water to the little ones. These ‘whoevers’ are the hidden people in the reading.

Jesus makes room for the anonymous ‘whoevers’ in mission. He has a place for those who will not be in the public arena in the way that ambassadors, prophets and righteous people – and even, maybe the vulnerable ones – might be.

The thread running through Jesus’ thought here is that mission requires support. Any and every Christian can support mission by offering practical help and moral support to those who find themselves on the front line of witness in the world. We’ve done that to a small extent this last year in supporting our missionary charity for the year, the Mission Aviation Fellowship. We’ll continue that with a new missionary cause from September, which the Church Council decided last Monday would be Street Pastors. We’ll be providing our cups of cold water in prayer, finance and educating ourselves and others about these outreach projects.

It’s not something that has to be limited to a church’s official missionary causes. It’s something every Christian can do individually. It might mean looking out for particular Christians we know, who may be involved in some challenging witness and showing interest and offering support. Equally, we could contact a mission organisation that grabs our attention and begin receiving their literature, giving money and praying for them.

None of this excuses us from our own involvement in witness as we live in the world. All Christians are still just as much called to speak, enact and live God’s word in a loving and vulnerable way. Support for other missionaries is vital, but it cannot be a cop-out from our own responsibilities. We have a twin rôle: we engage in our own witness, and we seek to meet the needs of others as they bring the love of Christ into the world.

Conclusion
Does it still seem incongruous that Jesus chooses us to be his ambassadors, prophets and righteous ones? Does it seem strange that he calls us in our vulnerability and anonymity to be his representatives and missionaries? Consider this story:

After Jesus ascended, the angels gathered round to ask him what his plans were now, after his death for the sins of the world and his mighty resurrection. ‘Wow, Jesus,’ they said, ‘what are you going to do now?’

‘I have entrusted the next stage of the mission to eleven men,’ replied Jesus.

‘Men?’ gasped the angels. ‘But what if they fail, or make mistakes, or sin? What’s your backup plan, Lord?’

‘I have no other plan,’ said Jesus.

And he hasn’t. We are his plan. We’ve heard about the possibilities and the difficulties. Now is the time to step into our destinies.

[1] Jason Gardner, Mend The Gap, p 133.

[2] Bob Mayo et al, Ambiguous Evangelism, p 144, quoted in Gardner, p 142.

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0

Tomorrow’s Sermon: Mission Is People

Matthew 10:40-42

Introduction
I’ve heard teachers say that schools would be much easier without the children. There’s a tendency among ministers to say that churches would be much easier without the members!

Both of these comments are unrealistic and unfair, but probably borne of frustration, especially when things don’t go smoothly or in a hoped-for direction. School is nothing without the students. And church is nothing without the members.

Which brings us to the climax of Jesus’ teaching on mission in Matthew 10 that the Lectionary has been tracking for the last three weeks. Two weeks ago, we heard Jesus encouraging us with a vision of ‘Mission Possible’; last week, we heard him encourage us to be neither surprised nor afraid in the face of opposition.

Now, this week, in the final instalment from Matthew 10, Jesus brings it all together with the importance of people. Strategies can wait. Tactics are not of primary importance. People come first in Jesus’ vision. These three verses are saturated with the centrality of people rather than programmes for the mission of God. As we explore the different people Jesus talks about here, we get more flavours of mission.

1. You
‘Let’s talk about you.’ It sounds like a chat-up line. But Jesus begins by talking about his hearers. ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me’ (verse 40) is where he begins. Now if Jesus said that to me – ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me’, I’d think, steady on a bit! That’s a huge statement to make. How can people receiving me, a mere messenger, be like receiving Jesus himself?

The reason I think that way is because I think of messengers in the modern way. I don’t expect our postie to represent any of the people who send me letters that he delivers. He’s just an intermediary, doing his job. That’s why we say, ‘Don’t shoot the messenger’ when someone brings bad news.

In Jesus’ day, however, it was different. People wrote letters, but had no postal service. To get their letters delivered, they had to choose people who were reliable not only to take the correspondence to its destination, but also to deliver its contents. Those who delivered letters were the personal representatives of the writers. You could say that those entrusted with delivering correspondence in the ancient world were ambassadors for the writers.

So when Jesus says, ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me’, he is saying, ‘You are my ambassadors. I trust you to go into the world in my name and speak my message.’ That is the sense in which people welcoming us is like welcoming Jesus. Not that we are his doubles, but that we are his ambassadors.

That itself may still be nerve-wracking! Who, me, acting as Christ’s representative? But yes, it is true, and it is the greatest honour open to a human being. No honour bestowed by society can compare with this. A Christian musician by the name of Abraham Laboriel was asked to be part of a band that played at Bill Clinton’s presidential inauguration, but he had an existing commitment on the date in question, and so he declined. ‘Don’t you know you’re going to be playing for the President of the United States?’ the organiser asked him. ‘Don’t you know I play for the King of Kings every time I play?’ replied Laboriel.

The world knows we are Christ’s representatives: let’s accept our commission.

2. Prophets
Next come the prophets:

‘Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward’ (verse 41a).

I think this expands the notion of the ambassador. The ambassador represents the king’s message; the prophet brings the king’s word. Prophets are those people who clearly bring God’s message to the current situation. They do so with such a vivid sense that we know we must decide in response to God.

They are not merely wordsmiths, although the words are important. Like their biblical counterparts, they may enact the message in such a way that we gain a clear sense of God’s mind. They may be Desmond Tutu laughing in the face of apartheid. They may be John Sentamu cutting up his clerical collar on television as condemnation of Robert Mugabe. However, they may also be the person with the quiet word for another that came as they prayed.

Prophets, then, have a key rôle to play in calling people to repentance, commitment and steps along the road of discipleship. Thus, we can say they have a missionary function.

The questions for us are who are the prophets in our midst? And might we have a prophetic edge to our words and deeds? It requires people who in the first instance are more willing to listen than to speak, to pray rather than preach. True prophecy only comes from communion with God.

3. The Righteous
Next, Jesus says,

‘and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous’ (verse 41b).

Who is ‘a righteous person’? Shouldn’t that be all Christians? Yes, of course. However, there is also something specialist about this, too. And just as prophets extend the notion of ambassadors, righteous persons extend what we understand by prophets. Our mission isn’t merely to proclaim the word, like ambassadors, nor to declare and enact it, like prophets. Our mission also involves living the word of Christ, and that’s what makes for ‘righteous’ people in Jesus’ eyes.

We see it today in a movement that is taking the Gospel into impoverished areas. As it does so, it is impressing and challenging young people. It’s often called ‘the new monasticism’. In the UK, a good representative is The Eden Project: not the eco-friendly destination in Cornwall, but Christian outreach on the Wythenshawe estate in Manchester, living and serving the needy. In the USA, it’s most high profile project is The Simple Way, founded by Shane Claiborne and five other members of Eastern University who decided to move into an impoverished suburb of Philadelphia.

Why do these projects have an impact? Here is what a Christian youth worker and researcher called Jason Gardner says about them:

‘This ‘new’ type of church offers a clear and gospel-motivated alternative to consumer culture. It has also found, much like the church of the New Testament and the campaigns of Wesley and Whitefield, that where the gospel most appeals is amongst the marginalised.’[1]

As another researcher, Bob Mayo, puts it:

‘…having it all is seen as a right, not a luxury.’[2]

Our mission, then, involves a form of righteous living that not only reaches the poor and those on the margins, but also challenges the greed and selfishness of our culture. That might put us on a cross, but God tends to raise up his crucified ones.

4. The Little Ones
Here is a fourth group Jesus mentions at the end of the reading:

‘… and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’ (Verse 42)

Who are ‘these little ones’? The immediate context demands that they be disciples, too, who are engaged in mission. The phrase occurs elsewhere in Matthew’s Gospel and seems to refer to disciples, perhaps particularly vulnerable ones.

I believe Jesus is telling us there is a proper vulnerability about mission. Christian mission is not about going in, guns blazing, and forcing people into submission. The mission of Jesus means going to the world in love, and love of necessity means being vulnerable. We take risks when we love people in the name of Jesus. Sometimes it hurts.

I love talking about the witness Debbie and I share in among the communities at Rebekah’s school and Mark’s pre-school. However deeply rewarding it feels at times, there are other occasions when we know our efforts have failed or been rejected. One person we desperately wanted to help chose instead to listen to the dangerous counsel of a couple who were steeped in the occult. That hurt. We wondered about the consequences for her children. But nobody can force Jesus on people. In the pain of vulnerable love, the little ones of Jesus need their cups of cold water from others.

However, for all the disappointment, it’s important to go on being vulnerable, being ‘little ones’, not ‘big ones’, so to speak. That’s how Jesus engaged in his Father’s mission. That’s how we do, too.

You might think I’ve finished at that point – I’ve gone through the groups of people who are welcomed – the ambassadors, prophets, righteous ones and little ones. However, there is one other group to consider:

5. Whoever
Yes, we need to think of the ‘whoevers’ in this passage: ‘whoever’ welcomes the ambassadors, prophets and righteous ones, and who gives a cup of cold water to the little ones. These ‘whoevers’ are the hidden people in the reading.

Jesus makes room for the anonymous ‘whoevers’ in mission. He has a place for those who will not be in the public arena in the way that ambassadors, prophets and righteous people – and even, maybe the vulnerable ones – might be.

The thread running through Jesus’ thought here is that mission requires support. Any and every Christian can support mission by offering practical help and moral support to those who find themselves on the front line of witness in the world. We’ve done that to a small extent this last year in supporting our missionary charity for the year, the Mission Aviation Fellowship. We’ll continue that with a new missionary cause from September, which the Church Council decided last Monday would be Street Pastors. We’ll be providing our cups of cold water in prayer, finance and educating ourselves and others about these outreach projects.

It’s not something that has to be limited to a church’s official missionary causes. It’s something every Christian can do individually. It might mean looking out for particular Christians we know, who may be involved in some challenging witness and showing interest and offering support. Equally, we could contact a mission organisation that grabs our attention and begin receiving their literature, giving money and praying for them.

None of this excuses us from our own involvement in witness as we live in the world. All Christians are still just as much called to speak, enact and live God’s word in a loving and vulnerable way. Support for other missionaries is vital, but it cannot be a cop-out from our own responsibilities. We have a twin rôle: we engage in our own witness, and we seek to meet the needs of others as they bring the love of Christ into the world.

Conclusion
Does it still seem incongruous that Jesus chooses us to be his ambassadors, prophets and righteous ones? Does it seem strange that he calls us in our vulnerability and anonymity to be his representatives and missionaries? Consider this story:

After Jesus ascended, the angels gathered round to ask him what his plans were now, after his death for the sins of the world and his mighty resurrection. ‘Wow, Jesus,’ they said, ‘what are you going to do now?’

‘I have entrusted the next stage of the mission to eleven men,’ replied Jesus.

‘Men?’ gasped the angels. ‘But what if they fail, or make mistakes, or sin? What’s your backup plan, Lord?’

‘I have no other plan,’ said Jesus.

And he hasn’t. We are his plan. We’ve heard about the possibilities and the difficulties. Now is the time to step into our destinies.

[1] Jason Gardner, Mend The Gap, p 133.

[2] Bob Mayo et al, Ambiguous Evangelism, p 144, quoted in Gardner, p 142.

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Tomorrow’s Sermon: Mission Is People

Matthew 10:40-42

Introduction
I’ve heard teachers say that schools would be much easier without the children. There’s a tendency among ministers to say that churches would be much easier without the members!

Both of these comments are unrealistic and unfair, but probably borne of frustration, especially when things don’t go smoothly or in a hoped-for direction. School is nothing without the students. And church is nothing without the members.

Which brings us to the climax of Jesus’ teaching on mission in Matthew 10 that the Lectionary has been tracking for the last three weeks. Two weeks ago, we heard Jesus encouraging us with a vision of ‘Mission Possible’; last week, we heard him encourage us to be neither surprised nor afraid in the face of opposition.

Now, this week, in the final instalment from Matthew 10, Jesus brings it all together with the importance of people. Strategies can wait. Tactics are not of primary importance. People come first in Jesus’ vision. These three verses are saturated with the centrality of people rather than programmes for the mission of God. As we explore the different people Jesus talks about here, we get more flavours of mission.

1. You
‘Let’s talk about you.’ It sounds like a chat-up line. But Jesus begins by talking about his hearers. ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me’ (verse 40) is where he begins. Now if Jesus said that to me – ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me’, I’d think, steady on a bit! That’s a huge statement to make. How can people receiving me, a mere messenger, be like receiving Jesus himself?

The reason I think that way is because I think of messengers in the modern way. I don’t expect our postie to represent any of the people who send me letters that he delivers. He’s just an intermediary, doing his job. That’s why we say, ‘Don’t shoot the messenger’ when someone brings bad news.

In Jesus’ day, however, it was different. People wrote letters, but had no postal service. To get their letters delivered, they had to choose people who were reliable not only to take the correspondence to its destination, but also to deliver its contents. Those who delivered letters were the personal representatives of the writers. You could say that those entrusted with delivering correspondence in the ancient world were ambassadors for the writers.

So when Jesus says, ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me’, he is saying, ‘You are my ambassadors. I trust you to go into the world in my name and speak my message.’ That is the sense in which people welcoming us is like welcoming Jesus. Not that we are his doubles, but that we are his ambassadors.

That itself may still be nerve-wracking! Who, me, acting as Christ’s representative? But yes, it is true, and it is the greatest honour open to a human being. No honour bestowed by society can compare with this. A Christian musician by the name of Abraham Laboriel was asked to be part of a band that played at Bill Clinton’s presidential inauguration, but he had an existing commitment on the date in question, and so he declined. ‘Don’t you know you’re going to be playing for the President of the United States?’ the organiser asked him. ‘Don’t you know I play for the King of Kings every time I play?’ replied Laboriel.

The world knows we are Christ’s representatives: let’s accept our commission.

2. Prophets
Next come the prophets:

‘Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward’ (verse 41a).

I think this expands the notion of the ambassador. The ambassador represents the king’s message; the prophet brings the king’s word. Prophets are those people who clearly bring God’s message to the current situation. They do so with such a vivid sense that we know we must decide in response to God.

They are not merely wordsmiths, although the words are important. Like their biblical counterparts, they may enact the message in such a way that we gain a clear sense of God’s mind. They may be Desmond Tutu laughing in the face of apartheid. They may be John Sentamu cutting up his clerical collar on television as condemnation of Robert Mugabe. However, they may also be the person with the quiet word for another that came as they prayed.

Prophets, then, have a key rôle to play in calling people to repentance, commitment and steps along the road of discipleship. Thus, we can say they have a missionary function.

The questions for us are who are the prophets in our midst? And might we have a prophetic edge to our words and deeds? It requires people who in the first instance are more willing to listen than to speak, to pray rather than preach. True prophecy only comes from communion with God.

3. The Righteous
Next, Jesus says,

‘and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous’ (verse 41b).

Who is ‘a righteous person’? Shouldn’t that be all Christians? Yes, of course. However, there is also something specialist about this, too. And just as prophets extend the notion of ambassadors, righteous persons extend what we understand by prophets. Our mission isn’t merely to proclaim the word, like ambassadors, nor to declare and enact it, like prophets. Our mission also involves living the word of Christ, and that’s what makes for ‘righteous’ people in Jesus’ eyes.

We see it today in a movement that is taking the Gospel into impoverished areas. As it does so, it is impressing and challenging young people. It’s often called ‘the new monasticism’. In the UK, a good representative is The Eden Project: not the eco-friendly destination in Cornwall, but Christian outreach on the Wythenshawe estate in Manchester, living and serving the needy. In the USA, it’s most high profile project is The Simple Way, founded by Shane Claiborne and five other members of Eastern University who decided to move into an impoverished suburb of Philadelphia.

Why do these projects have an impact? Here is what a Christian youth worker and researcher called Jason Gardner says about them:

‘This ‘new’ type of church offers a clear and gospel-motivated alternative to consumer culture. It has also found, much like the church of the New Testament and the campaigns of Wesley and Whitefield, that where the gospel most appeals is amongst the marginalised.’[1]

As another researcher, Bob Mayo, puts it:

‘…having it all is seen as a right, not a luxury.’[2]

Our mission, then, involves a form of righteous living that not only reaches the poor and those on the margins, but also challenges the greed and selfishness of our culture. That might put us on a cross, but God tends to raise up his crucified ones.

4. The Little Ones
Here is a fourth group Jesus mentions at the end of the reading:

‘… and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’ (Verse 42)

Who are ‘these little ones’? The immediate context demands that they be disciples, too, who are engaged in mission. The phrase occurs elsewhere in Matthew’s Gospel and seems to refer to disciples, perhaps particularly vulnerable ones.

I believe Jesus is telling us there is a proper vulnerability about mission. Christian mission is not about going in, guns blazing, and forcing people into submission. The mission of Jesus means going to the world in love, and love of necessity means being vulnerable. We take risks when we love people in the name of Jesus. Sometimes it hurts.

I love talking about the witness Debbie and I share in among the communities at Rebekah’s school and Mark’s pre-school. However deeply rewarding it feels at times, there are other occasions when we know our efforts have failed or been rejected. One person we desperately wanted to help chose instead to listen to the dangerous counsel of a couple who were steeped in the occult. That hurt. We wondered about the consequences for her children. But nobody can force Jesus on people. In the pain of vulnerable love, the little ones of Jesus need their cups of cold water from others.

However, for all the disappointment, it’s important to go on being vulnerable, being ‘little ones’, not ‘big ones’, so to speak. That’s how Jesus engaged in his Father’s mission. That’s how we do, too.

You might think I’ve finished at that point – I’ve gone through the groups of people who are welcomed – the ambassadors, prophets, righteous ones and little ones. However, there is one other group to consider:

5. Whoever
Yes, we need to think of the ‘whoevers’ in this passage: ‘whoever’ welcomes the ambassadors, prophets and righteous ones, and who gives a cup of cold water to the little ones. These ‘whoevers’ are the hidden people in the reading.

Jesus makes room for the anonymous ‘whoevers’ in mission. He has a place for those who will not be in the public arena in the way that ambassadors, prophets and righteous people – and even, maybe the vulnerable ones – might be.

The thread running through Jesus’ thought here is that mission requires support. Any and every Christian can support mission by offering practical help and moral support to those who find themselves on the front line of witness in the world. We’ve done that to a small extent this last year in supporting our missionary charity for the year, the Mission Aviation Fellowship. We’ll continue that with a new missionary cause from September, which the Church Council decided last Monday would be Street Pastors. We’ll be providing our cups of cold water in prayer, finance and educating ourselves and others about these outreach projects.

It’s not something that has to be limited to a church’s official missionary causes. It’s something every Christian can do individually. It might mean looking out for particular Christians we know, who may be involved in some challenging witness and showing interest and offering support. Equally, we could contact a mission organisation that grabs our attention and begin receiving their literature, giving money and praying for them.

None of this excuses us from our own involvement in witness as we live in the world. All Christians are still just as much called to speak, enact and live God’s word in a loving and vulnerable way. Support for other missionaries is vital, but it cannot be a cop-out from our own responsibilities. We have a twin rôle: we engage in our own witness, and we seek to meet the needs of others as they bring the love of Christ into the world.

Conclusion
Does it still seem incongruous that Jesus chooses us to be his ambassadors, prophets and righteous ones? Does it seem strange that he calls us in our vulnerability and anonymity to be his representatives and missionaries? Consider this story:

After Jesus ascended, the angels gathered round to ask him what his plans were now, after his death for the sins of the world and his mighty resurrection. ‘Wow, Jesus,’ they said, ‘what are you going to do now?’

‘I have entrusted the next stage of the mission to eleven men,’ replied Jesus.

‘Men?’ gasped the angels. ‘But what if they fail, or make mistakes, or sin? What’s your backup plan, Lord?’

‘I have no other plan,’ said Jesus.

And he hasn’t. We are his plan. We’ve heard about the possibilities and the difficulties. Now is the time to step into our destinies.

[1] Jason Gardner, Mend The Gap, p 133.

[2] Bob Mayo et al, Ambiguous Evangelism, p 144, quoted in Gardner, p 142.

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Sunday’s Sermon: Don’t Worry, Be Faithful

Matthew 6:24-34

Introduction
Petrol
prices up, up, up: a
barrel of oil has doubled in a year. Gas and electricity up. Food prices
up. And the official inflation figures? Not up very much at all. Of course,
governments never fiddle statistics …

I paid
my credit card bill this week, and it looks like we’ve just eked out the money
to the end of the quarter[1].
It had been an expensive quarter. I had needed two new pairs of glasses. The vacuum
cleaner had become so unreliable it needed replacing. My car required an
expensive annual service, not least because the garage discovered that the
front brakes were in advanced state of wear.

You
may well be able to write your own version of this – not least if you are on a
limited or fixed income. Financially, things are becoming tighter for many of
us.

And
in a world like that, we hear Jesus telling us not to worry about money, food
and clothing. ‘Don’t worry?’ we wonder, ‘How can we not worry?’

So
how can we receive Jesus’ words today? Is he hopelessly unrealistic, or does
his teaching here help us to face an uncertain and rocky world with faith and
hope? Well, there aren’t too many Christian preachers who will say Jesus is
unrealistic (there shouldn’t be any!). I think he helps us to face uncertain
times with confidence in him. He does so by giving us a mixture of challenges
and encouragement.

1. Loyalty
‘You cannot serve God and wealth,’ says Jesus (verse 24). God versus Mammon:
choose. Mammon seems to have been the god of wealth in ancient Carthage[2].
God versus wealth is a choice of gods: whom will we serve? Who will have our
loyalty? Only one can have our devotion, and to the extent, says Jesus, in
typically colourful Jewish language, that all else will seem like hatred.

If we
are to face financial matters with peace and not worry, the first thing we have
to do is settle the issue of our loyalty. If Mammon is our god, then our moods
will swing more violently than the stock market. If the Lord is our God, then
our trust is in the One called The Rock. God is dependable.

It’s
easy to see the ways in which the gods of wealth – modern-day Mammons – are worshipped
today. Remember Bill Clinton’s campaign slogan when he was first elected to the
White House: ‘It’s the economy, stupid’. But wealth is a created thing: if it
is worshipped in place of the Creator, then it must be an idol, a false god. It
should not command our ultimate loyalty.

Yet
do we get our loyalties twisted, too? In another context, I recently read a
book where the author was saying that one of the problems in certain sections
of the church was that people invited Jesus to be part of their story, when true
conversion was about saying we were becoming part of Jesus’ story[3]. Jesus
is no optional extra to be added to life. Jesus is Lord.

This
is not necessarily a call to take a vow of poverty, although God may call some
to that. We still need money. We should still be sensible with it. Nor is God a
spoilsport: he does allow us to enjoy good things from his creation, just so
long as we remain more attached to him than to things. For times will come when
our loyalty to Christ is tested by our attitude to finance. It may be about a
major purchase, or the expectations we have about our lifestyles. It may be
about what we budget for in our outgoings.

However,
it will be rare to find there is a biblical passage that explicitly tells us
what to do. No verse tells me what quality of car I may drive, how much I should
spend on a new computer or a reasonable amount to spend on a meal out with my
wife.

It’s
more subtle than that. The test of loyalty is a test of the heart. We answer it
by listening to the promptings of the Spirit, seeking advice from others and doing
that most difficult of things, listening to the true motives of our hearts. When
we can discern our motives, we shall know whether our desire is to please the
Lord or serve the idol of Mammon.

2. Value
If you’re anything like us, one of the things you’ll have thought about in the
current financial climate is your major outgoings. What is your biggest
expenditure, and where can you trim? Not having a mortgage, our biggest regular
expense is the weekly food bill. We try to be careful not to buy those impulse
purchases that bump up the bill.

Then
Jesus tells us not to worry about food, drink and clothing! Yet they are some
of our biggest expenses! And don’t worry about how long we might live – even though
our nation spends billions on the National Health Service. Isn’t this advice
financial suicide? It sounds like it.

It isn’t
when you consider why Jesus tells us not to worry about these things. He tells
us to look at God’s care for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. In
God’s eyes, we are more valuable than either of these is. The people who spend
their time worrying and striving after these things are ‘the Gentiles’ – that is,
in this context, those who do not believe in the Lord. (Verses 25-32)

Therefore,
it’s an action of unbelief to spend all our time worrying about money and
possessions. What is it we don’t believe? We don’t believe that God loves us. We
don’t believe that God values us like nothing else on earth.

So stop
for a moment and consider just how much God does love and value us. God is
love, and created everything in love. Human beings are the only part of that
creation to be made in God’s image. In love, God still sought us out when we
turned our backs on him. Ultimately, in love, the Father sent his Son. Jesus
was born in poverty and humility. He died a terrible death and was raised from
the dead to reconcile us to God. God then comes by his Spirit to dwell within
and among his disciples. God wants to be with us; God is with us! That is how
much God loves and values us.

When
worry and stress come our way, we tend to forget important things. It’s time to
remember that God has placed an extraordinary value upon us. No transfer fee for
a footballer can match God’s valuation of us. He values us by the life of his
Son. No riches or possessions can compare with the Holy Spirit of God dwelling
within us.

So am
I advocating a reckless attitude to money? No – and yes. No, because we should
still plan our income, our spending and our giving carefully. Yet however
wisely we do that, we may still feel the pressure. Then it is time to remember
the great love God has for us, and the enormous value he places on us. A God
who views us like that will give us peace; he will look after us and provide for
our needs.

But
yes, there is a sense of recklessness about this, too, because on top of everything
else, God may challenge us in prayer to do something with our finances or
possessions that may seem crazy. God may lead us to do something that humanly doesn’t
make sense. Then, even more, is the time to remember the value God places on us,
and the immense love he has for us. If God clearly leads us in an unusual
direction with our wealth, we can be sure he will provide. The missionary
pioneer Hudson Taylor
once said, ‘God’s will done in God’s way will never lack the mean or the means.’[4]

3. The Kingdom
If we have an unqualified loyalty to our Lord and we believe he loves and
values us immeasurably, then what should our attitude be? Jesus says that instead
of striving for money and possessions, we are to ‘strive first for the kingdom
of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to [us] as
well’ (verse 33). Put simply, commit yourself above all things to the will of
God and he will supply your needs. Here’s how that happened once for me.

As you
know, I have been to two theological colleges. I applied to my first college at
a time in my life when I knew God was calling me to something, but I didn’t
know what, so I couldn’t ‘candidate’ for the ministry. Trinity College, Bristol offered me a
place. I applied for a grant (this was before student loans), but my education authority
turned me down. The college gave me a deadline by which I could guarantee them I
had the funds for my first year, and I appealed against the decision the
education authority made.

Forty-eight
hours before the college deadline, I learned that I had lost my appeal. What now?
Had I misread God’s guidance? However, it was at this stage that things started
to happen. My parents rediscovered some old funds they had forgotten. A student
who had taken a gap year between A-Levels and college and had worked to save
money for a car gave those savings to me. Her boyfriend also gave me some
money. Two elderly women at church gave me large sums of money. One wrote a
covering letter. She said, ‘It seems that God is asking you to trust him to
supply your needs. He will supply ours, too.’

By the
deadline, I had three quarters of the money required for that first year. I phoned
the Vice-Principal. He said they would take me, and help me with applications
to charities and trusts when I got there. He didn’t know I’d tried that and got
nowhere.

I preached
a sermon at a church other than my own in my circuit where I told how God had
provided for my needs. I didn’t explain that I still needed some more money. Afterwards,
a friend invited me back to his flat for coffee. He explained that he had been
planning a big holiday to New Zealand to see his auntie, but she had since died
and he saw no point in going. He had exchanged his sterling for New Zealand
dollars. However, the dollar had since fallen in value against the pound and he
had held onto the currency in hope that the exchange rates would go back in his
favour. They had worsened, and the money was annoying him. Would I like to take
this annoyance off him? Into my lap he threw two plastic Thomas Cook envelopes.
They contained NZ$2310. At the time (1986) this was worth £741, and I realised
he had originally exchanged £1000.

Later,
a friend at church who was a bank manager set up an account so that anyone
could give anonymously towards my support. With that and other gifts, all my
needs were provided for three years at college.

It all
felt like something out of a paperback testimony. Yet I felt very ordinary. I was.
I still am. I was no superhero of the faith. Jesus meant it when he said, ‘Seek
first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be
given to you as well.’

Conclusion
This morning we are offering prayer for healing during the intercessions after
the next hymn. However, healing is not merely about our bodies. It is about
every aspect of life. Perhaps your fear or anxiety needs a healing touch from
God. If so, then let me invite you – just as much as anybody else – to come to
the communion rail for anointing with oil. Come to declare your unqualified
loyalty to Jesus Christ, and find an assurance from him that God loves you and
values like nothing else, and that when you commit yourself to his will, he
will meet your every need so that you may fulfil his kingdom purposes in your
life.

[1]
Methodist ministers are traditionally paid quarterly, not monthly (although the
latter option may now be chosen).

[4] An
apology for the exclusive language, but Taylor was a man of his time.

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