30^th December 2010

Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley (Sunday 28 November 2010)

Lessons -- Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44

And he shall come again to judge the living and the dead. (Apostles Creed)

And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the
world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come.
(Matthew 24:14 RSV)

It seems totally inappropriate that readings on the first Sunday of Advent, a season of hope, should focus on judgement. Surely, this is the stuff of fanaticism which can't possibly be construed as Good News!

We rightly recoil at the fear and lack of love which often goes with belief in divine judgement. But we shouldn't be too quick to reject what Scripture says about God's future judgement on Israel and the nations.
Isaiah and Paul look to a time when God shall judge complacency and self- indulgence and Jesus speaks of the 'coming of the Son of Man' to put things to rights, a time that will be accompanied by a terrible judgement, akin to the great flood, when only a few survived and many suffered and perished.

Two questions come to mind. Why such dark pessimism on the lips of one who also spoke of the coming Kingdom as a festive banquet? And can there possibly be a word of hope, encouragement and joy in the Church's confession that 'Jesus Christ will come to judge the living and the dead'?

It certainly seems odd to speak of preaching 'good news of the kingdom'
when the Gospel is all about judgement. What are we to make of it?

The immediate reason is found in the previous chapter where Jesus sees through the respectability of the scribes and Pharisees which blinds them to the Good News. So Jesus warns them against complacency in relation to God. He also warns the disciples about the danger of being insensitive to God's earth- shaking presence. The 'coming of the Son of Man' will be a time of judgement for all.

What are we to make of (what has become known as) the 'Last Judgement'?
Here we must tread carefully if we are to understand Scripture and avoid unnecessary pastoral problems.

Talk of the Last Judgement makes some folk terrified and anxious: not knowing whether they will be 'in' or 'out'. Some wonder what is the point of being a faithful Christian if all will be judged. Some folk are angered that God would treat us in such a harsh way, arguing that a God who kills everybody except for a few faithful people like Noah is evil beyond belief.

These are perfectly natural reactions. It is hardly surprising that it is now fashionable to dismiss passages about judgement because they are seen to be inconsistent with faith in a God of love -- and probably the work of narrow-minded disciples who couldn't come to terms with the 'wideness of God's mercy' displayed in Christ.

We too may well ask if anything good can come from belief in the Last Judgement if, on one hand, it creates a sense of dread and, on the other, a feeling of disgust? Can there possibly be a word of hope in such judgement?

Our ideas of 'judgement' are drawn from many sources. Most religions believe in a Divine Judge who will set things right by rewarding the good and punishing the wicked. Secular law is based on 'justice' for the wronged and against wrongdoers. 'Judgement' is basic to religious, moral and social life. It is generally agreed that there is a difference between good and evil!

We strike trouble though when we try to fit faith in 'the Son of Man who comes to judge the living and the dead' into these general ideas about judgement. We must try to think differently about 'judgement' in relation to the God who is for us 'in Christ'. Otherwise, we'll end up believing in a God who creates in us fear, anxiety or disgust. The Last Judgement should be understood in the light of Christ's costly-and-triumphant love for flawed people and the strife-torn world -- not the other way around!

Michelangelo has a lot to answer for. His famous painting of 'The Last Judgement' (C16th) 'conveys a grim picture in which the figure of Christ is perhaps the most severe image of him ever painted, with even his Mother seeming to turn away from involvement . . .'.

How wrong and pastorally disastrous this approach is can be seen when we think about the Last Judgement in the light of the actual ministry of Christ.

We must say that the Son of Man who comes to judge all people is the One who has already acted 'for us' on the cross and in the resurrection. This judge is first and foremost our advocate who speaks and acts on our behalf. He loves us all so deeply that 'he dies in our place', that is, he dies the death we should experience because of our refusal to worship God alone and to be people of faith, hope and love. It is in his whole life, death and resurrection that we see God's gracious judgement on the world.

Therefore the Last Judgement is to be understood in the light of God's judgement 'on the world' as it has been embodied in Christ's gracious, self-giving love 'for the world'. God's 'judgement' can't be separated
from the 'all embracing' love of God 'in Christ'.

This doesn't mean that God tolerates our contempt of Christ's love. When as individuals, communities and churches, we reject grace then God's 'gracious judgement for us' will be experienced as a 'judgement of terrible separation from us' -- as with those who did dark deeds in Noah's day!

In our day, contempt for the Gospel is widespread. Dark forces are evident in parliaments around Australia where disdain for our God-given humanity is seen in proposals or legislation to approve euthanasia, abortion, so- called same-sex 'marriage' and to impose severe limitations on religious freedom in order to safeguard the rights of individuals and minorities to have their choices publicly endorsed. It is alarming that these issues
were largely ignored in the State election campaign.

Resisting evil, however, doesn't give us the right to decide the eternal fate of another person or group. God alone is our judge and he who has judged us in Christ is 'for us'. Nor should we predict the time when the Last Judgement and the glorious consummation of history will take place.
God alone knows. Such concerns distract us from being alert to God's calling now and in the future.

They distract us from the urgency of 'preaching the good news of the kingdom'. This is a time of opportunity! Before the 'end' (when God puts things right) and in the midst of our strife-torn world, the Church is summoned to preach the Gospel 'to the nations' (v14).

We are called to live by hope in God's future by doing all that we can to illuminate the goodness and mercy of God in the present. Isaiah summons Israel 'to walk in the light of the Lord' (Isaiah 2:5). Paul urges the faithful to 'lay aside the works of darkness and put on the clothes of
light' (Romans 13:12).

In short, the Church is called to ministry and mission through worship and prayer, celebrating the sacraments, preaching and teaching and pastoral care. Such actions shall be judged by whether they are consistent with our confession of faith in God's presence 'in Christ'.

This shouldn't make us afraid or anxious because it is a great freedom to know God's grace in him. For Christ is the judge who, in love for the world, has acted on our behalf.

At the same time, the text is clear. Complacency about the coming of the Kingdom of God may result in our being separated from God eternally!

It is not our task to decide who will 'miss the boat' (Noah's ark). We are called to preach 'to the strife-torn nations' before the 'end'. In the midst of a troubled world, we are summoned to preach the Gospel of Christ with urgency-and-compassion: to declare that in Christ the glorious purposes of God have already dawned as the sign of hope for all humanity.

To know that we and all people shall be judged by the Son of Man who has acted our behalf, is to be free from anxiety about our future and free to worship the God of grace and to shine the light of Christ on the dark
forces in public life which demean our life together.

-----------------

Rev Dr Max Champion is minister in the St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Dr Champion is Chair of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the UCA.