Wednesday, October 12, 2005
A Steward and a Watchman?
There's a whole slew of things swilling around in my brian at the moment. I think it must be something to do with the combinaiton of the large number of natural disasters being reported in recent months, combined with circumstances on the ground here in MLPK and the readings frm the daily and Sunday lectionaries.
Nevertheless they leave me with a distinct sense of unease.
We are, as Christians, called to see the teaching and example of Jesus and the early church as a fulfillment and vindication of the Old Testament. We do not possess the liberty of dispensing with the old as having no value, while at the same time being empowered to seek after the spirit (little S) of the Law rather than the letter.
We are called to both acknowledge the love of God as manifested in grace, outworked in Christ, while still remembering the judgement of God in a delicate balancing act of justice and mercy.
The acts of nature we have recently witnessed in the forms of earthquake, storm, flood and volcano, not to mention famine and drought are all things that the writers of the Old Testament and Insuracne companies alike would whole-heartedly refer to as acts of God. The Old Testament is full of tales of calamity and impending doom clearly expressed in terms of judgement and divine retribution in the face of human sin, and as a call to repentance. The
recent Sunday Gospel readings have all picked up the theme in the context of the failure of the religious leaders at the time of Jesus to see, understand and respond to him, with consequences for Jews and Gentiles alike.
As a minister, a religious leader, today I am also called on to recognise and follow the example of Jesus, who was not afraid to act in manners rather more prophetic than priestly. I am meant to be bringing the Gospel to MLPK in word and deed. Faced with the prospect of a charity pyschic fair at one of the schools I find this a bit of a pickle.
At one level I have serious reservations about the whole nature of the event, derived from Old Testament principle and a personal conviction that such things are at best misleading and at worst demonic.
Counter that with the serious challenge as to why people would wish to seek spiritual answers in that direction rather than seeking God in Christ (and you will notice I didn't say "church")....
Then add in the third question - how much is the individual minister called to act in a manner that makes people aware of the choices they face? I don't believe for a moment that I have a "right" to simply denounce an activity, although I do hope I have by now at least built up some credibility with students, staff and parents to be able to express the view that we are accountable to God for our choices and what Christian expectations are (and that Christian faith isn't just a vague ethical code and centred around "tolerance" - which I would venture to suggest is one of the controlling the idols of our age).
Time for a chat with the head I think. ¶ 8:41 am
Nevertheless they leave me with a distinct sense of unease.
We are, as Christians, called to see the teaching and example of Jesus and the early church as a fulfillment and vindication of the Old Testament. We do not possess the liberty of dispensing with the old as having no value, while at the same time being empowered to seek after the spirit (little S) of the Law rather than the letter.
We are called to both acknowledge the love of God as manifested in grace, outworked in Christ, while still remembering the judgement of God in a delicate balancing act of justice and mercy.
The acts of nature we have recently witnessed in the forms of earthquake, storm, flood and volcano, not to mention famine and drought are all things that the writers of the Old Testament and Insuracne companies alike would whole-heartedly refer to as acts of God. The Old Testament is full of tales of calamity and impending doom clearly expressed in terms of judgement and divine retribution in the face of human sin, and as a call to repentance. The
recent Sunday Gospel readings have all picked up the theme in the context of the failure of the religious leaders at the time of Jesus to see, understand and respond to him, with consequences for Jews and Gentiles alike.
As a minister, a religious leader, today I am also called on to recognise and follow the example of Jesus, who was not afraid to act in manners rather more prophetic than priestly. I am meant to be bringing the Gospel to MLPK in word and deed. Faced with the prospect of a charity pyschic fair at one of the schools I find this a bit of a pickle.
At one level I have serious reservations about the whole nature of the event, derived from Old Testament principle and a personal conviction that such things are at best misleading and at worst demonic.
Counter that with the serious challenge as to why people would wish to seek spiritual answers in that direction rather than seeking God in Christ (and you will notice I didn't say "church")....
Then add in the third question - how much is the individual minister called to act in a manner that makes people aware of the choices they face? I don't believe for a moment that I have a "right" to simply denounce an activity, although I do hope I have by now at least built up some credibility with students, staff and parents to be able to express the view that we are accountable to God for our choices and what Christian expectations are (and that Christian faith isn't just a vague ethical code and centred around "tolerance" - which I would venture to suggest is one of the controlling the idols of our age).
Time for a chat with the head I think. ¶ 8:41 am
Comments:
<< Home
Ouch...Don't envy you, dr moose...the rub, of course, is the "Charity" element. I can just hear someone saying
"I thought the church was all about encouraging people to be good and kind" etc (attitude summer up in your assessment of one popular view of Christianity)
I suppose one option might be to ask to have a church presence there...in which case, Steve Hollinghurst would be a good person to speak to. He's with George Lings at the Sheffield Centre, and has done alot of work in this sort of area...I have his email,if it might be helpful. Prayers for the conversation, anyway.
Post a Comment
"I thought the church was all about encouraging people to be good and kind" etc (attitude summer up in your assessment of one popular view of Christianity)
I suppose one option might be to ask to have a church presence there...in which case, Steve Hollinghurst would be a good person to speak to. He's with George Lings at the Sheffield Centre, and has done alot of work in this sort of area...I have his email,if it might be helpful. Prayers for the conversation, anyway.
<< Home
