Sermon by Rev Dr Max Champion for Epiphany 3, 24th January 2016

Lessons: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 24; Romans 12:1-2; Luke 4:14-21

The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein (Psalm 24:1)

'Keep religion out of politics'! How often today we hear the strident demand that Christians to remain silent on public issues, like refugees, Islam, abortion, euthanasia and marriage. It is a private 'spiritual matter' that should not intrude in 'secular life.' Faith in God has nothing to do with the real world!

Actually, the claim that the 'earth is the Lord’s' is a confession of faith in God who wills that, in the whole of life – personal, family, national, international – truth, mercy and righteousness be done. It is also a call to arms when lies, revenge and evil destroy our life-together.

The claim is controversial! It challenges the popular view that the earth is the result of blind chance. And it undermines the arrogance of those who, throughout history and in every culture, assume the right to rule the earth without God. Against these beliefs the Psalmist, with the whole of Scripture, affirms that no sphere of life is excluded from God's good-and-gracious rule. God is Lord over all creation!

This should make us glad. ... But it shouldn't make us comfortable. It should propel us into a way of life where God alone is worshipped and our pretensions are challenged. It is a summons to resist idolatry, atheism and inhumanity for the sake of God's costly love for 'the world.'

The call to action is necessary because 'the world' that belongs to 'the Lord' has been badly scarred by secular and religious leaders who often behave as 'lords of the earth' with a right to dominate others. The terrible consequences of false 'lordship' are everywhere present - the abuse of women, children and disabled people in families, State and Religious institutions and workplaces; horrific massacres in the Middle East, etc.

So terrible is the impact of destructive human power, that we often wonder whether the earth really does belong to the 'Good Lord' or to 'high and mighty lords' who are merciless and unjust. History doesn't give us much confidence that God is in charge! Evil seems to triumph over good. Sin - our own and others - often spoils personal relationships and national life. ...

Therefore, if we are to join the Psalmist in this sweeping affirmation and challenging vocation, we need reasons for being confident in the ultimate power of God to heal 'the earth.' Otherwise, like many of our contemporaries, we must conclude that there is no hope for 'the earth and those who dwell therein.' If that happens, we won't have the inner strength to face situations where the Lordship of God is denied in practice!

What basis is there for such joyful hope? ... The Psalmist is confident, not because he thinks that 'all things are bright and beautiful,' but because he stands in the tradition of the 'God of Jacob' (v6). His trust is not in a remote 'Supreme Being' but in God who is active in the suffering history of 'Jacob's people' who have been formed to be a ‘light to the nations.’ The Psalmist's hope is grounded in the faithfulness of God who, despite their refusal to follow their vocation, loves these often mistreated people, and has promised to bring God's good-and-gracious purposes for the earth to fruition. ...

The Psalmist's hope, as Luke sees, is embodied in Christ's coming (4:14-21). In his ministry, death, resurrection and ascension, the 'Spirit of the Lord' (v1) is uniquely present and active. In him the promise of Isa. 61:1-2 is fulfilled. The poor, afflicted, brokenhearted, sinful, persecuted, imprisoned and oppressed hear the Good News. They are included in God's loving purposes for the earth. Here is One whose words-and -deeds and victory over evil and death inspire confidence that 'the world and all that dwell therein' has a future!

Jesus is the most compelling reason for believing that 'the earth is the Lord's.' In him we see that the 'Lord' does not despise the 'real' world, where sin, evil and death cause such misery, but loves it with infinite, costly love. It is notable, therefore, that, in quoting from Isaiah, the reference to 'the day of God's vengeance' has been omitted! This underscores the fact that, in the coming of Jesus, the Creator’s love for all is displayed in that he took upon himself our frail humanity, died as if he were the enemy of humanity, and was raised to life as the Conqueror of evil. His ministry of healing and mercy, his costly crucifixion and triumphant resurrection and ascension show that the scarred earth belongs to the Lord God.

Therefore we can believe that the earth is the Lord's - not because it is perfect or its people good, but because it is not beneath God's dignity to identify fully with our brokenness in order to restore us to fullness of life.

It is clear, then, that hope which has come in Christ is not for religious people with private beliefs, but for the world. What has taken place in him, as anticipated in the community of 'Jacob' (v6), is relevant to all because 'the earth and all who dwell therein' are both judged and forgiven! Because God is Creator and Lord of all who enters fully into the world in love for the earth and its flawed people, we may have confidence that sin, evil and death shall not ultimately win the day. ...

In response to God's self-giving love, the Church's vocation is to call the world to the one place on earth where human pride has been judged and forgiven – where our humanity has been restored. That place is Jesus Christ!

Because he is Lord, the hallmark of a Christ-formed community is to love of the earth and oppose what sullies God's purpose for our wellbeing. Our calling, as Paul says (Rom 12:1-2), means 'not being conformed to the false lords of this world' but giving ourselves sacrificially, in mind and body, to the Christ-embodied God of goodness-and-mercy.

As the Body of Christ we are called to declare that 'the earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord' to a disbelieving world which still suffers the terrible effects of arrogance. Christians, of all people, should grieve the absence of goodness, justice and mercy in personal and public life. And we should challenge policies and actions which degrade the earth and trample on our God-given dignity. For example, contempt for asylum seekers, ethnic hatred, hostility to a 'culture of life,' the deconstruction of marriage, environmental vandalism, neglect of the poor, disdain for the truth.

'Christians should not keep out of public life'! What happens in the secular world is our concern! Faith, hope and love are not private matters to be excluded from the public arena!

The passage in Luke has challenged many people to get involved in programs and issues affecting those who have been ignored by mainstream society. It has stirred people like Mother Theresa to spend their lives working among the poor or agitating to minimise the effects of poverty. It has emboldened people like Wilberforce to protest against slavery or press for prison reform. It has been the catalyst for missionary work among Aborigines, migrants and refugees. It has galvanised people like Martin Luther King Jr to challenge racism. It has encouraged people to find cures for medical afflictions and disabilities, and fostered mercy where others seek revenge. ......

We, too, need to be inspired! But, we must be careful not to misuse what Jesus says. Despite what some Christians think, he isn't promoting a 'social justice' program that fits neatly with our party loyalties. He is summoning us to declare that 'the earth is the Lord's' and to share in his humanizing of the battle-scarred world. But what he says cannot be equated with our left, right or centrist political commitments. The freedom embodied in him escapes the straightjacket of whatever form of Political Correctness is in fashion! He is the good-and-merciful Lord of the earth, not the spiritual leader of the Liberals, Labour or Greens!

The Church is committed to pray for good government in the context of hope for the coming of the ‘new heaven and new earth’ in Christ (Rev 21:1). This commits us to act now to oppose powerful forces which deny in practice that ‘the earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof, the world all that is therein. As the Body of Christ 'in the world' we may be confident that, despite so much that dehumanizes our common life, God is Lord whose love of the earth and its people has been magnificently displayed in Christ who fulfils 'Jacob's hope and gives us a foretaste of what is to come for all the earth. ...

The church is facing great challenges today! Christians are now widely seen as evil. Secular atheism is the guiding principle for public policies in health, education, welfare, ethics, family and religion. Limited knowledge of our Christian heritage makes us vulnerable to fierce opposition. It is easy to be intimidated by politicians, Church leaders and media commentators who want to confine Christian faith to the private, religious part of life or enlist it in the service of their own political commitments.

We should ignore them and take courage from Nehemiah who, 2500 years ago, stood firm against seemingly insurmountable odds - outside and within the community of faith - and rebuilt the people's trust in the goodness-and-mercy of the 'Lord of the earth.'