26^th September 2009

STANDING FIRM  (Sunday 23 August 2009) Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley

Lessons -- Psalm 84; Ephesians 6:10-23; John 6:66-69

    'Finally, be strong in the Lord  . . .  take the whole armour of God,
    that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done
    all, to stand. Stand therefore  . . .  !'  (Ephesians 6:13)

The situation described here is enough to make the bravest soul tremble. The dreadful power of evil, which is hostile to the goodness, mercy and peace of God, threatens the Christian community. Disciples are no match for powers that dehumanise the world and try to undermine faith in God.

Our first century forbears were sorely tempted by attractive forms of spirituality and 'life styles' offering fulfilment of their individual needs. In Ephesus the motto was: 'Follow your own spiritual and moral direction!' No place for disciplined freedom through which people gladly trust in God's unsurpassable grace and goodness embodied in Christ (Ephesians 4:1-6,9).

The clash between these 'pagan forms of faith' (which arise from our natural needs) and 'Christian faith' shouldn't be underestimated. We often think that there's little difference between spiritual / community values in general and Christian 'beliefs' -- that all 'reasonable people' are happy to 'follow their own spiritual path' and accept others' chosen paths.

The writer of Ephesians isn't so naive! The clash between the Gospel and the 'world' is 'fierce'.  Simply being nice cannot protect us from reality. The Christian life 'cannot be lived without a spiritual battle, the intensity of which is keenly felt in the experience of all the saints' (Frances Foulkes, The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, p170). Christians must count on severe testing! So serious are challenges to faith that even Jesus' committed disciples (like Judas in John 6:70f) 'betray' him. Betrayal is serious -- a serious decision, not just another choice.

The Christian life is always at risk. As the Ephesians image of battle gear makes plain, disciples must be prepared to 'stand firm' in the faith of Christ and to 'withstand' the deceptive attractions of evil.

Many of us are squeamish about using military language to describe the Christian life. We are rightly concerned that it can be used to justify a 'crusading attitude' to others. If though we sanitise this language, we miss the real challenge of what it means to be a Christian in the world. We must be prepared for a 'battle of the soul' over the truth concerning God and the world. 

The picture in Ephesians 'is not of a march or an assault (Holy War / Jihad), but of a holding operation to defend faith and bolster courage'. The Church must resist forces hostile to the will of God uniquely embodied in Christ's life, death and resurrection in full awareness of the dangers. The 'whole armour of God' must be 'put on' so that the truth triumphs and lies don't pierce the hearts and minds of disciples. The pressure to conform to 'values' which clash with 'Christian freedom' is very hard to 'withstand'.

Are things really so bleak in our society where non-discrimination is so prized? Isn't it dangerous to speak of a clash between good and evil when there is such a rich diversity of spiritual beliefs and lifestyles? Doesn't it encourage a defensive attitude to others?

We certainly must be open to others. The Church is not a ghetto! But we may be tempted to tolerate what should be resisted and not discriminate between right and wrong. We are called to discern the difference between worshipping God (who doesn't conform to our image) and the gods (who do). There are times when the faith must be defended! 

Nevertheless there is something rather ludicrous about Christians being kitted-out in heavy suits of armour designed to protect every part of the body. It is comical -- until we see that evil wins power by finding a specific point of vulnerability. It isn't always easy to see the 'good' and 'bad' because evil often appeals to our highest ideals and purest motives. Aldous Huxley saw this danger when he spoke of the Seven Deadly Virtues!  It lurks at the very point where we claim the high moral ground on such issues as equality, climate-change and Indigenous well-being.

The truth is that our post-Christian society -- where it is naively believed that all people, regardless of spiritual belief and life-style, are essentially good -- has come about largely because, for too long, the Church's faith in God has been 'too small'. We have taught 'commonsense religion' with a kindly god, thus 'shrinking the gospel' to suit our high-minded causes (shared with other socially just people!) instead of reflecting the immeasurable riches of grace.

The explosive and liberating Word of grace -- which has triumphed over evil in the life, death and resurrection of Christ -- has been reduced to the golden rule shared by all peoples and religions. Parish life is often reduced to keeping the wheels turning. Our 'piety' has often been narrow and self-centred.  Courage isn't widely regarded as a Christian virtue. There is little enthusiasm about God's triumph over evil 'in Christ' or hope for the coming of 'a new heaven and earth'. We've tried to tame the Gospel, diminish God and adapt ourselves to the spirit of the age. Although faithful to our local churches, we have not always 'stood firm' when the truth of Christ has been undermined in the public arena or the Church.

'Who stands fast?' is a summons often issued down the centuries by prophets and reformers passionately committed to the glory of God and distressed by the failure of good people to withstand persecution or apathy.

The question is still pertinent because the difference between Christian spirituality (grounded in the incarnate Jesus) and spiritualities (grounded in the environment, gender or Indigenous experience) is often blurred.

In the Church, for example, it is widely believed that there are 'many names, but one God'.  At the recent UCA Assembly, President GregorHenderson welcomed Jewish and Muslim guests as 'people who share with us belief in the one true God'. (Goodness knows what they made of it!). After the approval of a new Preamble -- which affirmed that the 'same love' that was in the 'Creator God' of Aboriginal dreaming came later in Christ -- the media release was headed 'Many names, one God'. Thus the difference between other religions and Indigenous spirituality on one hand, and the Spirit of Christ on the other, was blurred and confused.

Sadly, the distinctiveness of the Gospel is often unwelcome in community and Church. Though not imprisoned (like Paul) our situation is enough to make the bravest soul afraid. Once the Gospel (with the tacit approval of the Church) has been shrunk (so that it is merely one form of spirituality) it is only a matter of time before it becomes dispensable! 

The rapidity with which the Christian heritage is being unwound is plain not only in decreasing church and Sunday School attendances (and growing ignorance of basic Christianity) but also in a raft of anti-discrimination legislation coming before our Federal and State Parliaments in the past two years.

It is no small thing for a culture to be losing the sense of goodness, mercy and purpose grounded in Christ which, up to now, has enhanced human dignity, restrained evil and honoured God.

How should we respond to this most severe test of faith?

Luther once said that 'the best way to drive out the devil is to jeer him, for he cannot bear scorn'. The incongruity of the situation in Ephesians should not be missed. Fragile Christians are likened to armoured soldiers - strong and impenetrable. It is rather comical to speak of being 'protected' by what looks like weakness. After all, faith, truth,
goodness, peace, mercy, perseverance and prayer don't always win out.

Yet it should bring a smile to our lips to know that we aren't protected from evil by brute force (Crusade or Jihad) but by firm, steadfast reliance on God's power embodied in the self-giving love of the crucified and risen Christ. The cross is the place where strong, robust faith is encouraged!

The Christian life is threatened by forces for which we are no match, often appearing in the form of well-meaning, high-minded commitment to causes like equality, environmentalism and Indigenous well-being. We may think we are superior to previous generations in our more inclusive social attitudes and acceptance of all forms of spirituality but in fact discover that we have not stood firm where it counts: in relation to the immeasurable love of God embodied in Christ.

This is no laughing matter. We must withstand the pressures to shrink the gospel so that it fits our various forms of spirituality. Like the Ephesians, we must put on the whole armour of God (v10) without which we are powerless to withstand the deceptive power of evil. A few things are necessary to equip us for the 'battle':

1. We need to immerse ourselves in worship, prayer and study.

2. We need to understand powerful forces mis-shaping post-Christian
society.

3. We need to encourage one another (v22).

4. We need to pray for those who oppose the truth (v12) and to mock evil.

In putting on our gear, however, we mustn't lose our sense of humour! The arrogance of militant atheists boldly announcing the death of God, the end of Christianity and the arrival of an age where people are free to believe in anything is rather comical -- as is the Western Church's often pathetic attempt to adapt itself to the spirit of the age.

We can face reality and laugh at pretension only when we have learnt to live from a deep sense of joy which springs from faith in Christ, in whom God has defeated the dreadful power of evil and given each one of us and 'the world' a reason to live by hope. It is our glad responsibility as the Church of Jesus Christ to 'stand firm' in declaring this word, even if it means confronting politicians and churches with the gravity of confusing his Spirit with the variety of spiritualities which clamour for attention.

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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.