9^th July 2013

Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley 30 June 2013

Lessons - Psalm 103:1-13; Galatians 5:1,13-26; Luke 9:51-62

'But Jesus turned and rebuked them.' (Luke 9:55)

It is widely believed that successful organisations and communities are
formed by positive, life-affirming values and vigorous promotion. People
need to feel valued. Volunteers need to be thanked for their good works.
The best chance of achieving a sense of community is to use tried-and-true
strategies to foster harmony. In the Christian community, too, we want to
encourage each other to work hard so that the Church will go from strength
to strength.

Surprisingly, this approach is not to be applied in the Church! As Jesus
'sets his face to Jerusalem' where he will be tried and crucified (v51),
he explicitly rejects the use of these principles to build a successful
Church. As always, he does not measure up to our expectations.

It was expected that Samaritans would be unfriendly to Jewish pilgrims.
Hatred ran deep. Destruction of the rival temple (128BC) added to long-
standing bitterness. So it is most unexpected that Jesus should even speak
to these outsiders and then, most unexpectedly, when they do not 'receive
him', simply to 'move on'.

The fact that he goes into a Samaritan village shows that he treats people
differently. He does not 'rebuke' them for their inhospitality and apathy
or punish them like Elijah who invoked the wrath of God to slay idolatrous
soldiers in earlier days (2 Kings 1:7ff).

Instead, he rebukes his own followers, the word for 'rebuke' indicating
his opposition to attitudes and actions that diminish the Gospel. They are
condemned for wishing ill on their enemies.

The disciples have not understood that following Jesus means acting with a
freedom that excludes the natural desire to punish those who are hostile
to him. His way is the way of costly grace. Jesus' sternest criticism is
not for those who do not 'receive' him, but for those who let their
'natural feelings' of enmity blind them to the reality of God's grace for
all.

We might think, then, that Jesus would be delighted to welcome those who
are not blinded by bigotry. But his reactions to an enthusiastic volunteer
and two responsible citizens are not very encouraging. He is downright
rude and off-putting!

* The enthusiastic volunteer is not praised for his exuberance. Jesus does
not bend over backwards to make him feel welcome. He is not grateful for
the man's interest in what Jesus says and does. Instead, he tells him that
he does not have a clue about what he is letting himself in for. Nobody
can simply volunteer to follow the 'Son of Man who has nowhere to lay his
head' and whose way is marked by triumphant, crucified love (v58).

* Things are not any more promising for those who want to combine their
civic responsibilities with commitment to Jesus. One fellow is told that
he must not let important religious and social duties stand in the way of
being a disciple (v59). Another is told that family ties are not ultimate
(v61).

It has been said wisely that the most difficult choices in life are not
always between good and evil, but between the good and the best. In this
case, each would-be-follower of Jesus wants to be a disciple, but on their
terms. One wants to be involved in an exciting new adventure, another
wants to fulfil his religious duties first and another has prior family
commitments. None understands what is at stake in following Jesus. They
think that discipleship is all right as long as it does not interfere with
their community obligations.

This does not mean other commitments are unimportant. It is a question of
the right ordering of our priorities in the light of the 'splendour of
God's love for the world embodied in Christ'. It is in this context that
our other responsibilities and enthusiasms, which are good and necessary
for our life together, take their proper place. They are important, but
not ultimate!

What is of fundamental significance is the presence of God's grace in
Jesus Christ. Everything else receives its place and significance in the
light of his costly love for all, supremely displayed in his life, death
and resurrection. To see this is to experience a sense of awe that anyone
should be called to follow Christ and a sense of trepidation at our
responsibility. We should be astonished that fragile and fallible people
like you and me are invited to celebrate and make known the wonder and
power of God's selfless, forgiving mercy for and on behalf of the human
race.

Perhaps the Church's settled position in Western societies over hundreds
of years has blinded us to the specific nature of our calling to be
disciples. It will be interesting in my forthcoming ministry in Myanmar to
compare our situation with that of Christians there. I imagine that the
tiny, sometimes persecuted, Christian minority is well aware of the stark
contrast between their calling to follow Christ and their public
responsibilities.

In the Western Church, however, we need to be reminded that we do not
choose it as a priestly career, join it on our own initiative or qualify
for membership on the basis of our faith, goodness or public spiritedness!
We are called to acknowledge and declare what God has done for us and all
people in Christ.

To realise that this is our vocation - our calling - is an occasion for
gratitude and hope. If entry into this little community is kept open even
for inhospitable Samaritans, vengeful disciples, misguided enthusiasts and
dutiful citizens, there is hope that we shall realise that we are called
into the fellowship of the Church 'by grace alone'.

This frees us from having to prove our worth or justify our existence on
the basis of our good works or the plans we hope will be attractive to the
community. The fact that we are called to resist such methods and to
refuse to assess results of our own hard work, dedication and enthusiasm
is not a cause for dismay but an occasion to enjoy the most wonderful
freedom of being permitted to share Christ's triumphant, suffering love
for the world.

This is a high privilege - a vocation unlike any other - which we have
done nothing to deserve. It is a privilege that today demands the exercise
of heart, mind and will to fulfil our calling in a nation where,
unfortunately, the Gospel of grace is often unknown, ignored, resisted or
demeaned.

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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.