Rethinking and Renewing

Brian Thorpe 22/3/2020

Readings - Exodus 17:1-7, John 4:5-42 

Recently Trinity North worshippers returned to their cars to find a pamphlet titled ‘These Laws Restore Health!’ 

Using numerous Bible verses this pamphlet asserted various things such as Christ living in two apartments. He lived in the first apartment from the ascension and then entered the second apartment on October 22nd, 1844.

Towards the end of the pamphlet a solemn invitation and warning was given to every truly repentant sinner to accept Christ’s righteousness by faith. 

Then there was another solemn warning given to all mankind against worshipping the beast (Roman Catholicism) or his image (apostate Protestantism). 

Such judgementalism is directly opposite to my understanding as to what Christian congregational/community life is about. At its very best Christian congregational/community life should fulfil the deep inner need we have for peace, love, community and security in a way of life so rich John in his gospel called it eternal.

As such, in these strange and troubling times in which we live, I’m one who strongly feels that far from being non-essential congregation life is essential for people’s well-being. I’m struggling how we are now isolating people in the name of their health and well-being. As an aside I’ve been fascinated how the Italians are finding ways of being community in their isolation. Can we be that creative?

Reading the pamphlet I referred to opens up the issue of how we read the Bible. If you want to start a controversy start talking about the Bible. As you know there are ways of reading the Bible. There are those who hold a more literal view through to those who read their Bible seeking to discern what is being said for the people of their time in story and drama, and then relate it to our time.

I know where many in this congregation stand as I’ve attended and appreciated some of Bill Loader’s presentations and heard Michael Morwood’s impassioned plea to embrace a new story; one appropriate for our times. In this context it seemed appropriate to explore just why it is we dare to approach the Bible and theology the way we do. Is this approach way out there? Or, are there precedents in our history and tradition for doing what we do?

In the Christian community many of those taking a more literal stance will say the Bible is inerrant: it is without error of fault. The question then arises, what about the contradictions? Contradictions, you might ask.

Let’s look at two passages: 

Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, count the people of Israel and Judah.”                                     2 Samuel 24:1

Satan stood up against Israel, and incited David to count the people of Israel. 

1 Chronicles 21:1

See the difference? What’s going on here? What’s true, and what’s not true when clearly we have the same episode about a census?

2 Samuel – 600 – 500 BCE: 1 Chronicles around 400 – 250BCE.

In briefly comparing and contrasting these two passages we can see developing/evolving thought about the nature of God.

The 2 Samuel passage comes from a time somewhere 600-500 BCE. This was a time in the ancient world when people attributed all sorts of anger and violence to their gods. This is reflected in the Samuel passage as we read it was God who incited David. Sadly, tragically, you can still experience that thinking today: God’s will is perfect some will say.

By the time of 1Chronicles around 400-250BCE we can discern that over time people evolved their thinking about God. 

The later Chronicles passage reflects that time of great suffering, evil and oppression around the time of the exile. In the chaos of this time the idea emerged that in no way would a good God cause such suffering. So, here in the story of David some other force had to have incited him. 

So what we have here is not so much a contradiction. Rather here we have an evolution in theology; thinking about God. 

By no means is this evolving thinking about God isolated in the Hebrew Scriptures

In the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) Jesus in different ways urged people to rethink their understanding about God; doing so by questioning religious traditions of the time. As we  

Moving into the early days of the Christian community you can read in Act of some of the struggles of that community as they reflected on their situation and time: that community was called to re-think, and follow in Jesus’ footsteps in new ways to meet their contemporary situation. This actually meant looking again and going against orthodox teaching of their scriptures, and practise. 

In this context the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), Paul in Athens (Acts 17), Peter’s dream when he was tasked to do something he had never done before – eat meat which was deemed to be unclean and go to the house of a gentile (Acts 10), Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 come to mind. To make the point, in all of those episodes things changed – radically, often to the shock and consternation of some of the community members.

It’s been a bit of a journey, I confess; however, this reality puts us in John’s world. 

Writing late in the first century John’s gospel has a very different ‘feel’ to it. The Synoptic gospels are very much Jesus centred. John is different. Whilst Jesus is central in John, his gospel is about what God is doing.  So it is with John bringing to us the outcast woman at the well: we know she was outcast from the reading, and the fact that she was alone at the well in the heat of the day when it was usual to obtain water earlier in the morning, and then later in the day.

 Writing sometime late in that first century, or possibly early in the second, John was writing to a community that had been excluded/outcast from the synagogue. This was a very painful and difficult time for that community as they were scorned and derided.

John wrote seeking to reassure that community of their place in God’s way and in the life he called eternal. With the outcast woman at the well John is saying that no-one is outcast: abundant and full life in the living water is for all. Make no mistake about it – this pushed the status quo of established religious thinking; it went against all that was believed about an exclusive God. This was what God was doing.

So, here today, in the twenty first century, sections of the Christian community, aware of Scripture and evolving thinking/theology struggle and wrestle with issues such as where is God, what sort of God, and what is God saying today for our time, come to conclusions  that in some cases are contradictory to Scripture and orthodox doctrine. 

Last November at short notice I found myself, along with two others, attending and representing the Synod at the Voices of Justice Conference in Canberra. The focus of the Conference and the associated political lobbying was the Pacific: there were some twenty leaders from Pacific church leaders across denominations attending.

These leaders were saying that their people had been asking them awkward questions.

You’ve been saying to us for a long time God loves us, and God is in control, they asked. Well, in the face of us losing our homes due to climate change, and with widespread destruction and loss of like due to the rising ferocity of storm, we are asking you ‘where is God?’

The leadership in those churches has had to struggle with these difficult questions: in this struggle they’ve realised that the orthodox theology of sin and salvation just didn’t work. After hard thinking, reflecting on the scriptures, and praying those churches realise that God is the God of creation, that we are called to care for the creation, and that God is with them in their struggles. They’ve come to the realisation of thinking and seeing God in new ways.

Those churches are now being prophetic: calling the Australian government, community and the church to account with the question ‘what does it mean to be a good neighbour?’; we don’t want handouts: we want to be treated as equals in partnership to enhance the lives of our people.

That might seem to be remote, and you might want to say, “well we don’t do this”. Well, actually we do.  Despite what it says in Scripture we don’t insist today that women wear hats in church or go out with their heads covered. Many in the church today see divorce differently, and we certainly don’t insist women are segregated from the community for four days out of twenty-eight and deemed to be unclean. In fact, the Days for Girls programme seeks to enable women and girls to participate in the community life. It’s in this thinking the Assembly made it decision about same sex marriage.

So, what we do today in places in such as this is not way out there. In fact, what happens is firmly grounded in Biblical thinking and tradition – despite what some might want to tell you. It is appropriate as we seek to follow the Way of Jesus that we do seek to discern what God is doing, or wants to do, in new and different ways: ways that might well call into questions traditional or orthodox thinking, and ways that call into question and challenge the sort of destructive thinking in the pamphlet I mentioned earlier. 

A worshipping community’s life should be a safe place for people to experience the deep inner need for peace, love, community and security free from judgementalism and not being required to, and use as expression I use, jump through doctrinal hoops in order to become one of us. 

A worshipping community’s life should also be place where people are equipped, empowered and nourished in new ways to follow the God who calls people to be co-creators with God for God’s good future, creating beauty and justice in Michael Morwood’s new story; to participate in the life John called eternal.

I don’t have to say we are living in difficult and challenging times: times of social isolation which means, among other things, people are separated and isolated from their Christian community – the place of life and sustenance. 

These times are providing challenges undreamt of just a few short months ago for amongst others, people in ministry and Church Councils as they seek to manage this crisis and be responsible for people’s well-being and health. In this situation which will last who knows how long, how will the Spirit of God call us to be community and followers of Jesus in these times in ways unheard of up until now? This will require for re-thinking prayer and discernment in the spirit and tradition of those who have gone before us. In all of this, never lose sight of the reality that you are people of God.

In closing I’ll commend to you these words:

Go peaceful

in gentleness

through the violence of these days.

Give freely.

Show tenderness

in all your ways.

Through darkness,

in troubled times

let holiness be your aim.

Seek wisdom.

Let faithfulness

burn like a flame.

God speed you!

God lead you,

and keep you wrapped around His heart!

May you be known by love.

Be righteous.

Speak truthfully

in a world of greed and lies.

Show kindness.

See everyone

through heaven’s eyes.

God hold you,

enfold you, 

and keep you wrapped around His heart.

May you be known by love.