“Where’s The Church, Who Took The Steeple?”

“Where’s The Church, Who Took The Steeple?”

(With Apologies and Thanks to Jimmy Buffett) 

“Where’s the Church, who took the steeple, religion’s in the hands of some crazy ass people, television preachers with bad hair and dimples, the God’s honest truth is it’s not that simple.”  

These thought provoking words from singer/songwriter, and “theologian” Jimmy Buffett, along with the story of the healing of the Centurion’s servant in Luke 7:1-10 have led me into some serious reflection on my faith, Jesus and “who is in and who is out.”   

The Centurion, who is not a Jew, sends emissaries, Jewish Elders, to Jesus to ask a favor of him.  The elders point out to Jesus the faith of the centurion and his love for them, which includes the building of their synagogue.  Jesus has mentioned elsewhere in scripture that he has been sent to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” but he appears to have no problem in responding positively to the Centurion’s request.  Jesus’ actions seem to indicate that his purpose in coming to earth was more than just “helping us get to heaven.”  This passage of Scripture even opens up the question of the universality of Jesus’ ministry and therefore of the Christian Church today.  We are confronted with the question of Christian relationships with the 80% of the world’s population who are not Christian. 

The United States is certainly rife with religious pluralism.  Many Christians believe this is a good thing, and many Christians believe this is a very bad thing.  To quote Pontius Pilate, “what is truth?”  What do we believe, why do we believe what we believe and how do we live with those who believe differently?   

How, then, do we remain open to God’s movement among all people while remaining faithful to our relationship to God through Jesus Christ? 

I propose three steps.  You probably have others and I welcome those in response to this post.

·         First: What did Jesus Do?

o   He healed the Centurion’s Servant

o   He commented on the Centurion’s profound faith

o   He did not ask the Centurion to become a Jew 

·         Second: What do we see in the world?

o   The Alabama-West Florida District of Civitan International has asked me to be the Chaplain for the next Civitan year.  The incoming Governor reminded me that Civitan wants to make sure that in our prayers we remember that all Civitans are not Christians.  The Governor-Elect’s wife assured him that as an Episcopalian, I would probably be alright with that.

o   Some Radio and TV preachers proclaim loudly that those who do not believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior are going to eternal punishment.  And unbelieving relatives of believers will spend eternity separated from their loved ones as well as from God. 

o   In short, the world gives us mixed messages. 

·         Third: What does Scripture say?

(Scripture can, of course, say almost anything and I have my preferences as much as anyone)

o   Isaiah 56:6-8: The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, all who keep the Sabbath and do not profane it, and hold fast to my covenant—these I will draw to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. . . .for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. 

o   John 3:16-18: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not parish but may have eternal life.  Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 

o   Luke 4:18-19: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. 

The three scriptures I included give us several points to consider.  The reading from Isaiah suggests that God cares for all people. That God wants them to follow him, to serve him, and that all who do are welcome in “God’s House,” “A House of Prayer for all people.” 

John 3:16-18 gives me assurance of God’s love for me and for all of God’s people and that the possibility of eternal life is open to all of us.  It does get sticky and confusing when it suggests that the world might be saved through him and then hastens to add that if we do not believe in him we are, in fact, condemned already.  I am willing to believe that God can save the world for all, even those who are not followers of Jesus.  This is certainly a point where Christians of Good will can and will disagree. 

And finally, Luke 4:18-19, where Jesus quotes Isaiah, explaining God’s mission for him as Jesus understands it: bringing good news to the poor and freedom to the oppressed and proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor, what one might just call the Kingdom of God.  It appears to me that Jesus’ mission as well as our own will include action on Earth as well as a desire to “go to heaven.” 

I close with a reminder that the word, believe, comes from the Latin word, “credo,” which does not mean to accept specific facts as true. Rather, “credo” means to “give one’s heart to.”  It seems to me that rather than having “right theology or right facts,” that “giving one’s heart to God is a much better starting place for our faith, including our relationship to God’s other Children.