Have you ever been lured
into clicking on the link to a buzzfeed quiz? You know, those spectacularly
effective timewasters that somehow make you think it would be useful to know
what Disney Princess you are?
I confess I have – many times.
When I am in a procrastinating mood I am especially susceptible to this sort of
click bait. And why not? Shouldn’t I have a handle on what truth my Panera
preferences reveal about me?
We are living in an age
where we look to Buzzfeed quizzes to tell us something about ourselves, and I
don’t know whether I should laugh or cry. It’s not only the quizzes. Buzzfeed,
along with other purveyors of self-help pablum, provide an abundance of
internet articles that promise to tell us something we absolutely must know for
the sake of improving our lives – in small, easy, bites.
If you scroll through your
facebook feed, you will probably find headings like “12 life-changing things to
do this month” or “11 fool-proof ways to make a good impression.” These are
real headlines, by the way. Stuff that lures you in with the promise of
something too good to be true.
Yet for those who are
diligently working their way through Paul’s letter to the Romans along with me,
I think it’s safe to say there are no easy scripts to follow when it comes to
living this faith in Christ. I hope I don’t sound like an Eeyore when I say
that. I took the “Which Winnie the Pooh character are you?” quiz, and I am not.
It’s just that, even though we would like to have an easy set of steps to
follow, there is no simple formula for success as a Christian.
If this passage from Romans
were published as a Buzzfeed article, the heading might be, “5 ways to live a
holier life!” And Jesus’ words from Matthew 18 could be titled, “4 Steps to
Renewing your Relationships!”
In fact, the words of Jesus
in this passage from Matthew do seem like a pretty straightforward set of steps
to follow when you believe that someone has sinned against you.
First, go tell that person,
one on one, in private. You know, be direct. Instead of letting your
displeasure slip out in drips of sarcasm, just take the person aside and let
them know, as kindly as possible, that you have been hurt by them. If you have
ever done something like this, maybe you know that it can be a very helpful
experience. Oftentimes, especially among friends, it provides an opportunity to
clear the air.
But it is also possible
that the other person will not accept any responsibility for the problem. Because
maybe this person, like you and me and everyone we know, has a knack for
rationalizing away their failures. In which case, you might find yourself
moving on to the next step: take one or two others with you to support your
claim. Maybe the numbers will have an effect on them.
But if the person still
rejects your complaint, Jesus says it is time to take it to the church as a
whole. Now the church is being asked to serve as a kind of judicial body. It is
a responsibility that the church rarely wants to take on anymore; too many bad
experiences, I guess. But it is a responsibility that, in a simpler age, the
church had no embarrassment about handling.
Once I was going through
old session minutes at a church – and when I say old I mean dating from the
early 20th century. Beautiful hand-written narratives. I came across
an account of a meeting where a member was brought before the session to address
charges of public drunkenness. There were no lawyers involved. There was no crime
under discussion, but it was a matter of conduct that was deemed to be
inappropriate for a church member. The session had the right – and
responsibility, they believed – to be a part of this process of rehabilitating
this man.
There are two things that
can happen when a person is brought up on charges by the church: the person can
accept the right of the church to do this, or the person can reject it. Anyone who
has been charged – pastors, elders, or any member – can decide for themselves
whether they want to subject themselves to the process. If they decide to stick
it out, then they can all begin the hard work of penitence and reconciliation,
hopefully for the good of the church as a whole. When it works well, the
process strengthens the church. But if they do not choose to subject themselves
to the process, they can simply leave. They are removed from the membership
rolls and the community, and they may do whatever they want to do, go wherever
they want to go. They may become, in Jesus’ words, as a Gentile or a tax
collector to you.
So, then. That’s that. Or
is it?
Several years ago, when our
denomination was going through some acutely painful disagreements, many
congregations were deciding whether they wanted to sever their connection with
us. Many of them did. It was painful. It was like a divorce, that kept
happening again and again and again. As we elected a Moderator for the 2012
General Assembly, it was a subject on our minds. What were we to do about those
congregations who wanted to have nothing more to do with us?
One of our candidates spoke
to the issue in a way that was quite memorable: We should do all we can to
reconcile with them. Every effort should be made to work through our
disagreements. But if, in the end, they still want to leave, there is nothing
we can do to stop them. We can’t coerce them. Let them go. But let’s leave the
light on for them. Should they ever choose to come back, they will be welcome.
In other words, or as Jesus
might say, treat them as a Gentile or a tax collector. Think about it, guys.
How did Jesus treat Gentiles and tax collectors?
Let them separate
themselves from the fellowship. Take them off the rolls if that is what they
want. But leave the light on. If they ever look back, they will know we are
ready to welcome them with open arms.
So, here is the point I
want to get to: This is about putting our trust in God. Through Christ, God has
given us the community of the church, in which God is present with us. Our
relationships with one another in this community are extensions of our
relationship with God. We need one another to live this covenant life of
Christianity. We need to help one another live lives of faith, practice
compassion, be like Christ to the extent we are able. We are accountable to one another and accountable for one another, meaning how we treat
one another and how we support one another both matter a great deal.
As much as Buzzfeed tries
to tell me, and as much as I would like to believe, that following 5 easy steps
will make my life just the way I want it to be, I know it’s not really the
case. It’s a life-long journey, and I need you to help me be the person God
intends me to be – to be generous both spiritually and materially, to live with
gratitude and mercy, to speak and act in support of justice for all of God’s
children. I need to put my trust in you, to help me be that person. You need to
help me, and I need to do the same for you.
The importance of trust in the
life of a Christian community cannot be overstated. It is essential if we are
serious about being the church of Jesus Christ. And like anything of great
value, it must be guarded and cared for.
Trust in God, and the Spirit
will give us strength to trust one another, in Jesus’ name.
Photo Credit: By User:Lincolnite - un contributeur du wikipedia dans la langue anglaise - File:VT Supreme Court.jpg à la page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:VT_Supreme_Court.jpg, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16997290
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