There are many unresolved questions in Christianity as those of you doing “Living the Questions” have been exploring. Perhaps one of the greatest of those unresolved issues is the question of “theodicy” (literally the “righteousness of God”). Essentially this dilemma asks:
If God is all-loving, all-knowing and all-powerful, then where does evil come from?
In more recent times, the dilemma has been asked in more human terms: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” There is no definitive Christian response to this question, although many theologians have wrestled with it.
One theologian who wrestled with it and posed a possible solution was Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons at the end of the 2nd century AD. The Christian calendar commemorates Irenaeus on 28 June each year.
In the face of people who tended towards thinking about having 2 gods (a good one and an evil one), Irenaeus affirmed both the goodness of the one God and God’s unity. A corollary of this affirmation was the emphasis on the goodness and purposefulness of God’s creation.
These affirmations led Irenaeus to understand humans as being on a journey from immaturity to maturity towards God. Part of that journey involved suffering or encounter with evil, in order to learn to persist faithfully on the journey. Of course, this approach isn’t enough in the face of momentous human tragedy such as the Holocaust, but it does remind us that part of being created is living in a world that is constantly changing. Change around us forces change within us; and, if we understand ourselves as creatures of God, then we must also expect that God will be working in and through those changes.
Process theology is a contemporary heir of Irenaeus and his emphasis on humanity’s journey towards God. Some process theologians even go so far as to suggest that God is also in the process of “becoming” from the limited perspective of our lineal view of time. If we believe that God is all-loving, all-knowing and all-powerful, then surely we will expect that God is travelling the journey with us, in all its changes, and vagaries, and difficulties; and that God is the ultimate goal and purpose of all that we are and do by the very grace of God.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sermon at a Blessing of an Inter-faith Marriage
All that we have comes from God. All that we have comes from God. This profound belief is shared by the peoples of the book, the great Abrahamic faiths—Judaism, Christianity and Islam. All that we have comes from God.
This is the place from where we begin when we want to understand what it means to be human, what it means to be created, what it means to be gifted with the world in which we live and the life that we have. All that we have comes from God.
This is the place from where we begin when we want to understand our proper response to God, what it is that we owe God, what it is that God wants of us. All that we have comes from God.
And all that we are asked to do in return is to honour God, is to love God, is to return thanks to God. All that we have comes from God.
The reading from the Qu’ran read today reminds us to “give glory to Allah” and bids us to offer praise at every time of day. The reading from the epistle to the Colossians reminds us that “whatever we do, in word or deed”, we should “do everything … giving thanks to God”. This is the place from where we begin in all that we do, in everything that we have, in all that we are. All that we have comes from God.
And this is the place from which our covenants with one another begin.
The gift of relationship is a gift from God; and good relationships are founded in God—a God who is relational and who longs to be in relationship with us; a God who created us, who loves us and who gifts us with every good thing. This is the place from where we begin as we covenant with one another—as we covenant with one another to live together in society, in community, in family, in marriage. All that we have comes from God.
Relationships founded in God exhibit important characteristics. The Qu’ran speaks of dwelling in tranquillity with love and mercy in our hearts. The Colossians reading speaks of clothing ourselves “with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience”, “with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony”, and of the “peace of Christ” ruling our hearts. All these qualities are fruits of a love grounded in recognition that all that we have comes from God.
Hesam and Maria come today seeking God’s blessing on their marriage. They share the gift of faith in the tradition of the peoples of the book. They do not share exactly the same faith; but they do share the desire to ensure that their relationship is grounded in the God from whom all that we have comes. They come desiring to love God, and honour God, and return thanks to God for the gift they have been given.
None of us come to our relationships exactly the same as the other people with whom we covenant. Each one of us is a unique person, a unique creature of God. Each one of us comes to the life we have with different skills, different abilities, different gifts. Each one of us comes to our relationships with our own struggles, our own baggage, our own foibles. All that we have comes from God.
When we know that what we have comes from God, we learn to understand life as gift. We discover that life is present. And we desire to live that life in all its fullness as the gift from God that it is. We meet difference with compassion and understanding. We meet variation with wonder and awe. We meet challenge with commitment and endurance.
And so today, Maria and Hesam come promising to be compassionate with one another, to live in the wonder of each other’s differences and variations and to meet the challenges that their relationship will bring with commitment and endurance. And they come seeking God’s blessing on their intention. Surely, this too is gift indeed. All that we have comes from God; and all that we owe God, all that God requires of us, all that is necessary for us is to honour God, to love God, and to return our thanks to God for these gifts.
This is the place from where we begin when we want to understand what it means to be human, what it means to be created, what it means to be gifted with the world in which we live and the life that we have. All that we have comes from God.
This is the place from where we begin when we want to understand our proper response to God, what it is that we owe God, what it is that God wants of us. All that we have comes from God.
And all that we are asked to do in return is to honour God, is to love God, is to return thanks to God. All that we have comes from God.
The reading from the Qu’ran read today reminds us to “give glory to Allah” and bids us to offer praise at every time of day. The reading from the epistle to the Colossians reminds us that “whatever we do, in word or deed”, we should “do everything … giving thanks to God”. This is the place from where we begin in all that we do, in everything that we have, in all that we are. All that we have comes from God.
And this is the place from which our covenants with one another begin.
The gift of relationship is a gift from God; and good relationships are founded in God—a God who is relational and who longs to be in relationship with us; a God who created us, who loves us and who gifts us with every good thing. This is the place from where we begin as we covenant with one another—as we covenant with one another to live together in society, in community, in family, in marriage. All that we have comes from God.
Relationships founded in God exhibit important characteristics. The Qu’ran speaks of dwelling in tranquillity with love and mercy in our hearts. The Colossians reading speaks of clothing ourselves “with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience”, “with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony”, and of the “peace of Christ” ruling our hearts. All these qualities are fruits of a love grounded in recognition that all that we have comes from God.
Hesam and Maria come today seeking God’s blessing on their marriage. They share the gift of faith in the tradition of the peoples of the book. They do not share exactly the same faith; but they do share the desire to ensure that their relationship is grounded in the God from whom all that we have comes. They come desiring to love God, and honour God, and return thanks to God for the gift they have been given.
None of us come to our relationships exactly the same as the other people with whom we covenant. Each one of us is a unique person, a unique creature of God. Each one of us comes to the life we have with different skills, different abilities, different gifts. Each one of us comes to our relationships with our own struggles, our own baggage, our own foibles. All that we have comes from God.
When we know that what we have comes from God, we learn to understand life as gift. We discover that life is present. And we desire to live that life in all its fullness as the gift from God that it is. We meet difference with compassion and understanding. We meet variation with wonder and awe. We meet challenge with commitment and endurance.
And so today, Maria and Hesam come promising to be compassionate with one another, to live in the wonder of each other’s differences and variations and to meet the challenges that their relationship will bring with commitment and endurance. And they come seeking God’s blessing on their intention. Surely, this too is gift indeed. All that we have comes from God; and all that we owe God, all that God requires of us, all that is necessary for us is to honour God, to love God, and to return our thanks to God for these gifts.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Addressing the Powers (Expanded)
The Gerasene demoniac—this unfortunate character has assumed legendary proportions, and the legend begins right here in the story, a story recounted in both the Gospels of Mark and Luke. And it’s exactly the kind of story that a tale written for a Roman or a Gentile or a Jewish or indeed a postmodern audience would include because this tale has it all—horror and pathos, comedy and humour, politics and double entendres (double or hidden or secret meanings). This story is all that it seems and more. It is a story of intrigue—social and political intrigue—and larger than life characters and events.
The demoniac himself is unbelievable—“he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds”. This character is unrestrainable and unbelievable. As Walter Wink puts it, “it really is possible to fashion chains too powerful for anyone to break” (Unmasking the Powers p. 45).
For Rene Girard, the demoniac is a scapegoat—someone who bears the brunt of the community’s social and political dysfunction in the face any real alternatives to change their particular lot. The townsfolk allow his “escape” in order to vicariously pursue and subdue the real demons that beset their community. This outcast has survived and escaped. Somebody must be arranging and permitting it.
Whether the demoniac is scapegoat or not, he is metaphor—metaphor or symbol for that which cannot be talked about directly, the domination of the Roman conquerors and the suppression of the peoples over whom they reign. The person with unclean spirits, the Gerasene demoniac, calls himself “Legion”. The text glosses the name with “for many demons had entered him”. However, “legion” isn’t just about many. It’s also about kind. Legion speaks of troops of invaders and conquerors, suppressing and repressing not just individuals, but whole populations. This story is not simply a story about one person’s possession. It resonates against the background of the whole political situation, not just of the Middle East, but of the “known world” at the time. Roman legions conquered and suppressed peoples creating a “Roman peace” which was not a peace at all for those who were conquered. The Decapolis, the regions of the 10 cities, the region of Gerasa or Gadara or Gergesa depending on which ancient authorities you use, the “Decapolis knew the legions. They were not ‘mobs’… but one of the most disciplined military formations the world has ever known” (Wink p. 46). The Gerasene demoniac was symbol of the community’s oppression and scapegoat for it.
But what does Jesus do? He does precisely what the demoniac does not want, precisely what the demons do not want, precisely what the community does not want, because all of them are complicit in this pathology, this unhealthy cycle, this dysfunction. Jesus addresses the oppressive powers and evicts them.
This is not simply the story of a personal healing; it is a much bigger story than that. This is the story of the way in which the way of Christ challenges dysfunctional communities, political powers, oppressive regimes and the various pathologies which perpetuate and replicate such dysfunctional and repressive situations.
This story asks us to take seriously the socio-political implications of the Gospel; of the gift of Jesus for the world. And it asks us to take those implications seriously not simply for the first century, but for the twenty-first century—for our socio-political situation now.
Who are the powerful people or groups in our society? What do they invade and conquer? And whom do they suppress? Who are the scapegoats who stand in for the oppressions that are really at the heart of our dysfunction; and what unhealthy cycles are we drawn into and refuse to be released from? The answers will be different from those of the time of Jesus and of the writer of the Gospel of Luke; but they will be no less important for us and for our awareness of the impact of salvation or liberation in Christ for our time.
In the face of the aftermath (and perhaps the ongoing nature) of the Global Financial Crisis, as we confront human-made disasters of the proportion of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, and aware of the powerful forces at work in transnational commercial and financial dealings, we must ask questions about how the “powers that be” in our time are working—for whom, with whom and against whom? And we must ask those questions against the background of the Gospel message of God’s love and Jesus’ compassion for the afflicted.
As we prepare for this year’s federal election, we must ask questions about how the “powers that be” in our time are working—for whom, with whom and against whom? And we must ask those questions against the background of the Gospel message of God’s love and Jesus’ compassion for the afflicted.
At the inauguration of The Uniting Church in Australia, a Statement to the Nation was issued. In part, it said:
This is the power to whom we owe our only allegiance. It is a power that does not produce dysfunction or facilitate pathological or unhealthy cycles of behaviour. It is a power that works for liberation, for salvation, for justice, for peace and for God’s good creation.
For if it is because of the power of God that the powers are addressed and the demons cast out, then God’s realm is surely here.
The demons flee from the scapegoat into scape-pigs and rush into the chaos of the abyss, the sea, leaving Jesus to move on to the next confrontation, and the community free to face the new reality of God’s liberation in Christ.
The demoniac himself is unbelievable—“he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds”. This character is unrestrainable and unbelievable. As Walter Wink puts it, “it really is possible to fashion chains too powerful for anyone to break” (Unmasking the Powers p. 45).
For Rene Girard, the demoniac is a scapegoat—someone who bears the brunt of the community’s social and political dysfunction in the face any real alternatives to change their particular lot. The townsfolk allow his “escape” in order to vicariously pursue and subdue the real demons that beset their community. This outcast has survived and escaped. Somebody must be arranging and permitting it.
They must be deliberately keeping him alive, and they chain him in such a way that he can break free. This must have been acted out as a ritual many times before. “The Gerasenes and their demons have for some time settled into some sort of cyclical pathology”… In a sense they must have enjoyed and even needed this drama since [at least in the story in Mark] they beg Jesus to leave immediately and not meddle further in their affairs.
Whether the demoniac is scapegoat or not, he is metaphor—metaphor or symbol for that which cannot be talked about directly, the domination of the Roman conquerors and the suppression of the peoples over whom they reign. The person with unclean spirits, the Gerasene demoniac, calls himself “Legion”. The text glosses the name with “for many demons had entered him”. However, “legion” isn’t just about many. It’s also about kind. Legion speaks of troops of invaders and conquerors, suppressing and repressing not just individuals, but whole populations. This story is not simply a story about one person’s possession. It resonates against the background of the whole political situation, not just of the Middle East, but of the “known world” at the time. Roman legions conquered and suppressed peoples creating a “Roman peace” which was not a peace at all for those who were conquered. The Decapolis, the regions of the 10 cities, the region of Gerasa or Gadara or Gergesa depending on which ancient authorities you use, the “Decapolis knew the legions. They were not ‘mobs’… but one of the most disciplined military formations the world has ever known” (Wink p. 46). The Gerasene demoniac was symbol of the community’s oppression and scapegoat for it.
He does what they would like to do: tear apart the chains and shatter the fetters of Roman authority… “No one had the strength to subdue him.” But he had also internalised their captivity and the utter futility of resistance… Here was the perfect scapegoat, a holy fool, an escape valve, a living parable of [the community’s] discontent. Tradition rightly calls him the Gerasen demoniac, for that is precisely his function—to be the demoniac of the Gerasenes. That is why he [or the demons plead, depending on the version of the story] that his demons not be sent “out of the country” [or into the abyss]. They “belong” there. They are the spirits of the region, and the demoniac is their incarnation… He is “occupied”, just as they are… the demons “speak Latin, present themselves as a ‘legion’, and like the Romans have only one wish: to be allowed to stay in the country [or not to be sent into the abyss] (Wink pp. 46-47).
But what does Jesus do? He does precisely what the demoniac does not want, precisely what the demons do not want, precisely what the community does not want, because all of them are complicit in this pathology, this unhealthy cycle, this dysfunction. Jesus addresses the oppressive powers and evicts them.
This is not simply the story of a personal healing; it is a much bigger story than that. This is the story of the way in which the way of Christ challenges dysfunctional communities, political powers, oppressive regimes and the various pathologies which perpetuate and replicate such dysfunctional and repressive situations.
This story asks us to take seriously the socio-political implications of the Gospel; of the gift of Jesus for the world. And it asks us to take those implications seriously not simply for the first century, but for the twenty-first century—for our socio-political situation now.
Who are the powerful people or groups in our society? What do they invade and conquer? And whom do they suppress? Who are the scapegoats who stand in for the oppressions that are really at the heart of our dysfunction; and what unhealthy cycles are we drawn into and refuse to be released from? The answers will be different from those of the time of Jesus and of the writer of the Gospel of Luke; but they will be no less important for us and for our awareness of the impact of salvation or liberation in Christ for our time.
In the face of the aftermath (and perhaps the ongoing nature) of the Global Financial Crisis, as we confront human-made disasters of the proportion of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, and aware of the powerful forces at work in transnational commercial and financial dealings, we must ask questions about how the “powers that be” in our time are working—for whom, with whom and against whom? And we must ask those questions against the background of the Gospel message of God’s love and Jesus’ compassion for the afflicted.
As we prepare for this year’s federal election, we must ask questions about how the “powers that be” in our time are working—for whom, with whom and against whom? And we must ask those questions against the background of the Gospel message of God’s love and Jesus’ compassion for the afflicted.
This is because the demonic is not merely a cluster of pathological symptoms, but a radical rejection of God and a state of estrangement from God, from one’s own higher self (the imago Dei [the image of God]), and from full social being (Wink p. 59).
At the inauguration of The Uniting Church in Australia, a Statement to the Nation was issued. In part, it said:
…we affirm that the first allegiance of Christians is God, under whose judgment the policies and actions of all nations must pass. We realise that sometimes this allegiance may bring us into conflict with the rulers of our day. But our Uniting Church, as an institution within the nation, must constantly stress the universal values which must find expression in national policies if humanity is to survive.
We pledge ourselves to hope and work for a nation whose goals are not guided by self-interest alone, but by concern for the welfare of all persons everywhere — the family of the One God — the God made known in Jesus of Nazareth the One who gave His life for others.
This is the power to whom we owe our only allegiance. It is a power that does not produce dysfunction or facilitate pathological or unhealthy cycles of behaviour. It is a power that works for liberation, for salvation, for justice, for peace and for God’s good creation.
In [Jesus’] encounters with the demonic there was no protracted struggle, no violence aimed at the exorcist, no magical words, crucifixes, holy water—not even the invocation of the divine name. Jesus is totally calm, totally in control. There is no question… whether Jesus will prevail. The demons are depicted as weak fractions of power unable to tolerate the presence of divine authority. The demonic attempts to make a part the whole, and cannot withstand the power of anyone who is related to that Whole in and through and for which all things exist… What made his exorcisms so distinct, and so frightening to those in authority, was their integration into his proclamation, in word and act, of the inbreaking of “the new order” (Wink p. 58).
For if it is because of the power of God that the powers are addressed and the demons cast out, then God’s realm is surely here.
…the early church freed people from the fear of demons, not so much by grim combat… but be a triumphant satire of their impotence in the face of the risen Christ...(Wink p. 64)
The demons flee from the scapegoat into scape-pigs and rush into the chaos of the abyss, the sea, leaving Jesus to move on to the next confrontation, and the community free to face the new reality of God’s liberation in Christ.
Addressing the Powers
The person with unclean spirits in today’s Gospel reading (Luke 8:26-39) calls himself “Legion”. The text glosses the name with “for many demons had entered him”. However, “legion” isn’t just about many. It’s also about kind. Legion speaks of troops of invaders and conquerors, suppressing and repressing not just individuals, but whole populations. This story is not simply a story about one person’s possession. It resonates against the background of the whole political situation, not just of the Middle East, but of the “known world” at the time. Roman legions conquered and suppressed peoples creating a “Roman peace” which was not a peace at all for those who were conquered.
The Gospel reading then asks us to consider not simply the personal healing of individual lives in the presence of Jesus; but also the political situation. Who are the powerful people or groups in our society? What do they invade and conquer? And whom do they suppress? The answers will be different from those of the time of Jesus and of the writer of the Gospel of Luke; but they will be no less important.
In the face of the aftermath (and perhaps the ongoing nature) of the Global Financial Crisis, as we confront human-made disasters of the proportion of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, and aware of the powerful forces at work in transnational commercial and financial dealings, we must ask questions about how the “powers that be” in our time are working—for whom, with whom and against whom? And we must ask those questions against the background of the Gospel message of God’s love and Jesus’ compassion for the afflicted.
At the inauguration of The Uniting Church in Australia, a Statement to the Nation was issued. In part, it said:
The Gospel reading then asks us to consider not simply the personal healing of individual lives in the presence of Jesus; but also the political situation. Who are the powerful people or groups in our society? What do they invade and conquer? And whom do they suppress? The answers will be different from those of the time of Jesus and of the writer of the Gospel of Luke; but they will be no less important.
In the face of the aftermath (and perhaps the ongoing nature) of the Global Financial Crisis, as we confront human-made disasters of the proportion of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, and aware of the powerful forces at work in transnational commercial and financial dealings, we must ask questions about how the “powers that be” in our time are working—for whom, with whom and against whom? And we must ask those questions against the background of the Gospel message of God’s love and Jesus’ compassion for the afflicted.
At the inauguration of The Uniting Church in Australia, a Statement to the Nation was issued. In part, it said:
…we affirm that the first allegiance of Christians is God, under whose judgment the policies and actions of all nations must pass. We realise that sometimes this allegiance may bring us into conflict with the rulers of our day. But our Uniting Church, as an institution within the nation, must constantly stress the universal values which must find expression in national policies if humanity is to survive.
We pledge ourselves to hope and work for a nation whose goals are not guided by self-interest alone, but by concern for the welfare of all persons everywhere — the family of the One God — the God made known in Jesus of Nazareth the One who gave His life for others.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Ordination of Women
The Gospel reading for this week reminds us that there were a number of key women in the group of Jesus’ followers—Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna are three that are named (Luke 8:2-3). Women were members and leaders of the Jesus’ movement from the very beginning.
The Uniting Church in Australia has ordained women since its inauguration. All three denominations which came into union had ordained women. The Congregational Church was the first to ordain women. They voted to ordain women in 1908 and ordained Winifred Kiek in 1926. The first woman ordained in the Methodist Church was Margaret Sanders in 1969; and in the Presbyterian Church, M.J. Thalheimer in 1974.
The Uniting Church remains committed to the ordination of women on the following grounds:
The Uniting Church in Australia has ordained women since its inauguration. All three denominations which came into union had ordained women. The Congregational Church was the first to ordain women. They voted to ordain women in 1908 and ordained Winifred Kiek in 1926. The first woman ordained in the Methodist Church was Margaret Sanders in 1969; and in the Presbyterian Church, M.J. Thalheimer in 1974.
The Uniting Church remains committed to the ordination of women on the following grounds:
1. We ordain both women and men to the Ministry of the Word because we believe ordination without discrimination on grounds of gender is a fundamental implication of the gospel of God’s love in Christ for all human beings, without distinction. For this our understanding we appeal to Scripture as testimony to the living Word, which is Christ.
2. We remind the members of the Uniting Church, ministers, candidates for the ordained ministries and, in particular, Presbyteries — which have responsibility for the act of ordination — that the Basis of Union affirms the ordination of women.
3. We affirm that the Holy Spirit has called and continues to call women as well as men to the ministry of the Word.
4. We recognise that in ordaining women as well as men to the ministry of the Word we, in company with other Churches, have departed from an almost universal practice of the Church throughout most of its history. We believe we do so in obedience to the gospel.
(Why Does the Uniting Church in Australia Ordain Women to the Ministry of the Word? 1990)
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The Way
The church has turned green! And it’s not just about ecology, although thinking about our environment is an important part of it. We have entered “Ordinary Time” or the season after Pentecost in the church year. The Uniting Church’s lectionary card describes it this way:
The season after Pentecost is all about discipleship. Discipleship is about following the way of Christ. At the first session of the Living the Questions series on Wednesday, we were reminded that that is how the early followers of Jesus referred to the journey that they were on: the Way. They drew the imagery from the strong thread of journeying stories in their Jewish religious traditions, and phrasing such as that used in Deuteronomy:
In Acts, “the Way” is used to refer to the path that the followers of Jesus continued to journey after his death and resurrection:
During this season after Pentecost, we explore life in “the Way”.
A period of time that varies in length depending on whether Easter is early or late. In this period, the church recalls its faith in the Holy Trinity. It seeks to relate its faith as a people of God to Christ’s mission in the world. It commences with Trinity Sunday and concludes with the feast of Christ the King.
The season after Pentecost is all about discipleship. Discipleship is about following the way of Christ. At the first session of the Living the Questions series on Wednesday, we were reminded that that is how the early followers of Jesus referred to the journey that they were on: the Way. They drew the imagery from the strong thread of journeying stories in their Jewish religious traditions, and phrasing such as that used in Deuteronomy:
You must therefore be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn to the right or to the left. You must follow exactly the path that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you are to possess. (Deuteronomy 5:32-33 NRSV)
In Acts, “the Way” is used to refer to the path that the followers of Jesus continued to journey after his death and resurrection:
Neither can they prove to you the charge that they now bring against me. But this I admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our ancestors, believing everything laid down according to the law or written in the prophets. I have a hope in God—a hope that they themselves also accept—that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. (Acts 24:13-15 NRSV)
During this season after Pentecost, we explore life in “the Way”.
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