And Afflict the Comfortable

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? (Psalm 2:1)

I just listened to a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin. I happened upon it kind of accidentally while looking for something else, clicked it anyway, and for the next hour was hooked. The man is a good speaker. Having heard of nothing but monster and bully references in recent days, it was kind of humanizing to see this handsome man sitting at his regal desk obviously very articulate in his Russian tongue (English subtitles), no dramatic voice inflections or gesticulations; only the occasional deep breathing to indicate gravity of subject.  He articulates obviously his theme of Nazi infiltration into Ukraine at end of WW2, Boris Yeltsin going soft on the West, along with review of the important acquisition of Belarus in 2000 and annexation of Crimea in 2014, then looking directly at camera, he tells the people this recapture of Ukraine is for the good of all, just like a caring President looking after their best interests. It is convincing – if you ignore things like his KGB career, his meteoric rise to power including current Constitutional Court changes apparently making it possible for him to continue until 2036.

Needless to say, it takes only a click or two to read or hear other takes on this power hungry man. Digital media presents both new education and a whole lot of misinformation or disinformation. Very interesting, Mr Putin’s relation with his Church, the Russian Orthodox and its cautious support of his aggression into Ukraine also ‘coincidental’ with this church’s strained relation with the Ukrainian Orthodox - many op eds about that! This of course readily becomes the domain of the media, which includes journalists of all stripes. Already Google offers countless memes of Putin, either as devil or angel, and of course much about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and what’s he going to do about it?! All this as the world kicks into gear to provide refuge for Ukrainians seeking escape from their country under siege, with many posts and Ukrainian national anthems at NHL hockey games all over Canada and U.S. And there's more! Also I read of Ukrainian opportunists with investments in Russia who will be ready for government positions when the war is over (probably disinformation).

Hmm, in short order, at end of this Lent season, all of us faithful in the churches will read of the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate’s plight after hearing all the clamoring charges against Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38)

Once upon a time when I was in my mid-twenties, serving in my first position as pastor of a well-aged congregation in rural Saskatchewan, I was preaching a sermon. True to my character even then I was trying to say that the good news of Jesus is not always immediately received or understood as good news. Sitting at his regular place in the pews was an elderly gentleman, a retired school teacher known for his poetic bent, and occasional little tastes or twists he might add to whoever was sermonizing. This time brother Wiens rose to his feet and put it this way, “The good news is available to comfort the afflicted, and to afflict the comfortable.” There were a couple of chuckles and a few indulgent smiles from his fellow oldtimers, and a heartfelt thank you from this young preacher. How nice. Exactly what I had been trying to say!

Among my people, the Mennonites, is a large grouping who were refugees from Ukraine, the southern Steppes of 19^th and early 20^th century Russia. Because of privileges (Privilegium) extended by the Empress Catherine to these reputable hard working agrarians when they first came from Prussia, many of the Mennonites eventually became wealthy landholders – and therefore among the victims when the monarchy was abolished and communism gained control during the Russian Revolution. Those who were able to escape emigrated to Canada, U.S. or Paraguay. Subsequent years in the Americas have yielded many freedoms and abundant blessings including opportunity to join the good life. In our midst by now is the full array of liberals and conservatives, social activists and evangelicals, and of course many well blended into secular society. Still identified as a peace people trying to do a good interpretation of what it means to be followers of Jesus, we sometimes get a little embarrassed or defensive about choices we have made in this western hemisphere. For good reason and from firsthand experience we know that wars accomplish nothing, and yet also nervous when demigods threaten.

So here we are, many of us, colonial beneficiaries of good land and opportunities galore and … emerging out of a pandemic (?) and entering into another war? Yesterday I read something in preparation for Sunday School in my so-far comfortable well-built urban Mennonite Church. Yes, our denomination by now includes not only us Russian Mennonites, but people from many races, countries and cultures. The theme for next Sunday Adult Sunday School is this, “Recognizing Other Disciples Along the Way.” (MennoMedia.org/SL) Gregory Battle, writer of one of the supplementary articles, a black man, an elder in a Mennonite Church in Cleveland, OH, says it like this:

Looking back over world history, we find this thinking regarding colonization: “If I want it, I take it. The ends justify the means.” People whose lands were taken, who were displaced and erased, were People of Color. Why? Because of different lifestyles, methods of worship, and how their communities worked, wars ensued. But it is not so in God’s view, where human flourishing looks so different. The fake outrage, the media spin, the war in Ukraine is deceptive. I ask myself, Why is it so traumatic when White people kill White people? Why is it so easy to dismiss the humanity of People of Color and take from them their land, their resources, and their culture?

Good question brother Battle. I am not sure I have an answer, but it gives me pause - enough to post it here. It’s a good reminder especially for those of us who claim to be a people of peace now living in this free land. Our greatest Peace comes from the One walking the Calvary road this Lenten season. We walk on land and in circumstances having caused discomfort to others. It behooves us to continue our prayers, but fully mindful of ALL peoples, including Ukraine, Russia, Yemen, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Tigray, Nigeria, Mexico (cartel-related), Central African Republic, and of course the neighbor next door to my house or your house or tenement or condo or farm or acreage or ... 

Those Loving Doubters

This is the time of year when most churches, conferences, and institutions commit to at least some version of annual meeting. It's a time to take stock, review past year and move on in an orderly fashion. In preparation the faithful are issued a digital (paper?) packet of agenda, previous minutes, and committee reports along with pages and pages of financial detail. Opening protocol is usually establishment of quorum, opening devotional, and away it goes. That’s it. A common challenge these days is to have enough people present to establish quorum. The operation of churches falls in among charities and not-for-profits, also facing similar challenges. 

Recently I also attended one of those ‘other' AGMs, this of a local service organization. I was asked before meeting started if I might ‘second’ one of the motions being presented, so that the business meeting could proceed expeditiously and we could give ample time to the keynote speaker of the evening. Now there's an idea. Perhaps our church(es) should engage keynote speakers to help us feel a little more purposeful about ourselves!😏 Perhaps some ‘with it’ churches already are.

I am concerned about today’s operation and management of churches. Maybe it's because I'm one of those crotchety old guys who thinks he's still got it, but I think my concern is legitimate. We used to actually discuss things, sometimes quite animatedly, including perhaps one or two persons with considerably different points of view (not unlike in the Bible, Acts 15), and then after an appropriate amount of discussion somebody would offer an important reprieve, “Question” meaning it was time to submit to one another and vote on it. Nothing particularly holy about Roberts Rules of Order, but my memory prefers that format to the expeditious non-discussion these days. Several of my previous blogposts already show my sentiment that faithfulness and churches are not necessarily coterminous (“Where Have all the Churches Gone,” July 29, 2021 and “Growing Faith Closing Churches,” Sept. 28, 2021). Seems to me a gap is growing between spiritual encounter and maintenance of the institution. Institutions must serve a purpose, and if not, they will waste a lot of money and tertiary busywork. Membership needs opportunity to talk about that!

I just took a casual read of what will appear in adult Sunday School this next Sunday (yes, congregational meeting also in a few days). Sunday School lesson is based on a very familiar scripture. Matthew 28 contains the famous missionary passage which even very occasional churchgoers have heard at least once or twice in a lifetime, ¹⁹ 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, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (:19-20)  And then something just prior to that Great Commission, a detail I seem to have missed until now, ¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.  

The eleven remaining followers of Jesus (Judas the betrayer already gone) follow him up the mountain, knowing this is going to be significant. They can feel it in the air and in their bones; “but some doubted.” In all the sermons I have listened to - or preached for that matter - the realism of this pre-ascension doubt has never occurred to me. These disciples were real people, not merely a row of former fishermen following a leader in blind obedience! 😂 They were a cast of unique individuals who had been called to follow, and they came each from their unique circumstances and naturally each one would absorb this reality of a resurrected Jesus at different speed! Matthew, Jewish writer of this gospel, does not ignore that. In this feisty group of eleven there were still several who had lingering doubts, even with the resurrected Jesus standing in front of them. 

These genuine seekers are the protagonists, the main characters of the rest of the New Testament – chapters and chapters of epistles which describe the formation and early life of that new faith community. They are the ones who begin the church along with Apostle Paul, the dramatic latecomer (1 Cor. 15:8-9). Noteworthy to me is that the driving force of this new faith community is not an instruction manual of how to organize church, but rather a personable accounting of some very real people with real enthusiasm and also some apprehension of what they were about. As promised by Jesus before he died (John 16:7 and fully realized at Pentecost, Acts 2), this would be a work of the Holy Spirit.

I recently read a book, The Story of Christianity by David Bentley Hart (London: Quercus, 2009), one volume just over 300 pages, it provides an informative portrait (precis?) of Christian faith now moving into a third millennium. It has shaped the western world via edicts and popes and wars and struggles with secularism and predictions of demise and renewals, reading almost like a Dan Brown thriller. The irony and essence of Christianity, says this writer, is that it's not dead yet, and still growing! Although the ‘story’ as presented by Hart is replete with intriguing shape and form and institution, discouraging wars and pandemics (yes!), his conclusion is striking. Note his last sentence, “It may very well be the case that now, after 2000 years, the story of Christianity is still only beginning” (p.343). It is a life which will not; cannot die. Sounds like resurrection to me.

This is noteworthy. The essence of the Christian faith - God come among us – shows no evidence of disappearing. I'm not blaring with rah rahs about this, running victory laps, etc. but it is undeniable good news, very important! I recently heard a newly appointed executive to a Christian service agency referring to “the decline of Christianity” as though it was a given. That statement troubles me, not at all in keeping with Hart’s book and not in keeping with the Matthew 28 Great Commission just referred to. The waning of institutions is not the reality of Christian faith itself. If church and supporting institutions are but an expression of current interests and trends they may well decline and may disappear, but that will not be the end of Christianity. The presence of the eternal everlasting One will continue until that day fixed by God’s own authority.

During my years of pastoral ministry I would usually try to have a membership class going, for those interested in joining the church, or anyone interested in “Faith Exploration” as we called it. No class would ever pass by without a look at the word for church, coming from the Greek ekklesia, meaning a political assembly, or just plain gathering of people. Eventually ekklesia also came to mean congregation or group of believers. So, as explained in that class, ekklesia points to a whole range of gatherings: Jews gather for teaching in synagogues, Catholics gather around the Eucharist, Protestants to hear the proclaimed Word, and Anabaptists wherever two or three are gathered.   Usually there would also be some acknowledgement of others, including Indigenous and smudging, and Muslims gathering in mosques facing Mecca. Although grossly abbreviated and simplified here, my main point being that eternal almighty God is so much larger and beyond definition of any one of these. As Christians we are so privileged to have Jesus who lived and taught not threatened by death and misunderstanding and so fully resurrected and available in so many different cultures. “Go and make disciples.”

Admittedly I think like a pioneer; not as a maintenance man. Even now from my retirement vantage no longer preaching sermons I am excited to have discovered this, another little Bible gem. Not only doubting Thomas, but doubters and keeners, those disciples got ‘er done by Holy Spirit power. This is not strategy nor job description; it's faith discovery! These days I regularly discover new opportunities to speak of Jesus, ironically not so much with fellow believers, but to those who are interested in my ‘take’ on him, whatever religion or non-religion they espouse. Consequently, my faith and gratitude in Jesus is still a growing and a discovering thing, and me not at all worried about institutional impact - or job security! 

The last book of the Bible is probably a slight corrective to my thesis that the institution of church can fall by the wayside. Yes, the church seems to be still there; I stand corrected, 😑 but there is a lot of critique (eg Revelation 2 and 3). Obviously it is not the church with perfect theology or perfect organizational structure or timely maintenance that survives to the end.  Most certainly it is not a building! It is the bride of Christ.

¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17)

I’m guessing that invitation has no skin-color or denominational conditionals.