Learning from Paul

Michael Moynagh’s book “Church for Every Context, in its first chapter, suggests that there is much to learn from the apostle Paul about being a relevant church.  Following Moynagh, I want to suggest five indicators from Paul’s ministry that may say something to us about how we offer ministry in our situation, or situations.  I am not sure that the five are entirely distinct from each other, nor am I absolutely sure exactly what to imply, but I think there are some hints in each.

The first thing I want to say is that Paul identified with the contexts that he sought to reach.  He became all things to all people.  That is explicit in 1 Corinthians 9:19 -23 – ….To Jews I behaved like a Jew … To win those outside that law, I behaved as if outside the law.  …  To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.  …  I have become everything in turn, so that in one way or another I might save some. …   How do we identify with the contexts that we ought to be reaching?  One of the questions we ought always to be asking is about what our mission is.  How do we identify with the contexts of our congregations?  How do we identify with the contexts in which we are set?  Putting it another way, what are the missional things we are doing?  What are the missional things we ought to be doing?

The second point is not unrelated, but perhaps challenges us towards a subtle shift in what we have just been saying.  Paul allowed the needs, and so the cultures, of both Jews and Gentiles to inform his behaviour.  He became the servant of his listeners.  I cited 1 Corinthians 9, from verse 19, but actually began the bit of quoting that I offered from that section from verse 20.  Let’s listen to verse 19, and Paul saying, I am free and own no master; but I have made myself everyone’s servant, to win over as many as possible.  We often emphasise the freedom that we have in Christ, and so we should, but notice Paul’s willingness to qualify that freedom by engaging in a ministry of service.  We would say we do the same – but do we?  It is very easy to get caught up in pressing for what we want, often for the best of reasons, but in a way that does not serve the other.  Paul entered the habits of his audiences and showed what the gospel would look like when it was enacted in their setting. 

Let’s make another shift as we move to our third point, again significantly related to what we have just been saying.  This is about leading by example.  Moynagh says this: “So, in Corinth, where people cherished success, sought to climb the social ladder and prized clever rhetoric, Paul had an occupation without status, assumed a servant role and rejected crowd-pleasing rhetoric.  … He showed how the gospel was distinctive within our context?  What are the things we need to be commenting on?  What do we need to be saying?

Let’s make another subtle shift as we reach the fourth comment.  Moynagh simply makes the point that “Church happened in the midst of the everyday.”  Is it perhaps the case that we too easily detach church from the everyday?  I think we need to get church more rooted in everyday things – and it is worth thinking about how we can do that.  How do we get church feeling a natural place for people to be? 

That brings us neatly to the fifth of these points.  Moynagh points out: “The Jerusalem church was born as a reform movement among the Jews.  The disciples attended the temple daily and had a strong sense of their Jewish identity.  They saw themselves as the nucleus of a new Israel, living in the last days.  … The conversion of Cornelius challenged that expectation.”  The question of identity is a very interesting one.  It is also both relevant and challenging.  The very early church saw itself as a Jewish off-shoot, but, as Gentiles began to join the church, it started to take a rather different shape.  What is our identity as church?  In a post-Christian society, the question of Christian identity is highly relevant.  The Bible and the church still have huge influence on our culture.  How do we help that to stay relevant?  Indeed Paul offers us a lot to think about so far as the question of being a relevant church is concerned. 

Zechariah's Song

Zechariah’s song is recorded in verses 67 to 79 of Luke chapter 1.  It is a song of praise.  It expresses great hope, the kind of hope that works when we remember that God is involved with us.  In a way, it is summed up by the picture of a new day dawning that Zechariah uses towards the end of the song.  As one commentator (Leith Fisher) points out: “These grace-filled words would have special significance for Zechariah and his people, living in dark times.  The picture of the dawning of the new day is striking.  We watch more sunsets than sunrises.  How powerfully the sunrise can speak to us of God’s unfailing purposes, and the inexhaustible hope God offers.”

Zechariah’s words are these: His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.  He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us — to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.  And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Zechariah’s song tells of the mercy of God and compares it to the light of the sun.  He speaks of the compassion of God for his people and the way in which he protects them.  This is one of the earliest expressions of what God is like and how that is seen in the person of Christ. 

As a priest, when he emerged from the sanctuary of the temple, Zechariah is supposed to pronounce the blessing from Numbers 6 – the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. 

Zechariah’s song is a little different, but links to the themes of that blessing.  He looks for the protection of God.  That protection is there for us too.  Like the blessing recorded in the book of Numbers, his words end with an expression of peace.  His song is one for those in the dark.  He utters these words against a background of oppression.  But he rejoices that now the people will be able to serve God without fear. 

Can you imagine Zechariah hold his baby son, John, in his arms and singing this song.  Trevor Dennis conjures up that picture.  “To take any newborn child or grandchild into our arms is to hold a great mystery.  The miracle of birth has the knack of putting us in touch with heaven.  The infant John puts Zechariah in touch with the salvation God brings, with his forgiveness, his mercy and warm compassion, his light, his hope and truth, and his peace.”

Magnificat

And Mary said:  “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.  From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is his name.  His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.  He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.  He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.  He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.  He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”  (Luke 1:46-55)

Paul’s reputation for mission and evangelism is certainly well deserved and, in a sense, quite formidable.  But I want to suggest that the first missionary journey of the New Testament was, in fact, undertaken by Mary   When she said her ‘yes’ to God, what was the first thing that she did?  It’s there in verses 39 and 40 of Luke 1 – At that time Mary got readyt and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.  Why did Mary make that trip?  Was it joyful exuberance?  Was it that she was bewildered at what was happening – and wanted to think it through with someone older and wiser?  Was it that she needed comfort and help?  Well, it could have been any, or all, of these – or something else.  We are not told.  But surely her main reason was simply that she wanted to share with someone the good news of what was happening to her.  As Stephen Cottrell comments: “Mary gives from the overflow of what she has received. – This is a good way of thinking about evangelism.”

It’s a touching scene.  Sharon Ringe comments: “According to Luke, Elizabeth’s body teaches her theological truths.  At Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth feels a stirring in her womb that evokes her recognition of who it is to whom Mary will give birth.  And, in turn, Mary’s response is the Magnificat, a powerful expression of the transformation God brings.  Sharon Ringe again: “(This song) would never be confused with a calming lullaby being rehearsed by two pregnant women.”  In other words, at this point, we might expect these two to be practising ‘Rock a bye baby’ or something like that – but they are not.  Rather they are talking about the proud and their schemes being routed, the lowly being raised on high, the hungry being filled with good things.

And if we just give from the overflow of what we have received, if we just tell the story of what’s happened to us, the good things that God has done for us, we will find ourselves similarly moved and, probably, without realising it, we’ll find ourselves doing evangelism.

Mary’s song is a challenge to see things differently.  In a sense, despite all our history and all our theology, we still have that underlying assumption that, if we’re like God, that ought to mean that we can get our own way.  It ought to mean that we can get what we want.  It ought to mean that we are in control.  That’s what we think – but that’s not how it is.  Jesus becoming human, and the way that happened, tells us that being like God is fundamentally about giving yourself away, pouring yourself out – that’s the message of the incarnation. What Jesus did is precisely so remarkable because it is exactly what God would do.  Indeed this is what God has done.  God’s view of power is very different from what we might expect.

We have tended to define God by what he is not.  He is immortal – not mortal.  He is invisible – not visible.  He is infinite – not finite.  But where’s the positive take?  What is God like?  When the first disciples asked Jesus precisely that question, how did he answer?  ‘Lord, show us the Father,’ they said.  And do you remember how he replied – ‘If you have seen me you have seen the Father.’  Paul, in his majestic sermon to the Colossians, took a more-or-less identical line – ‘Christ is the image of the invisible God  ...  For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.’

What is God like?  God is Christ-like.  What is Jesus like?  Jesus is God-like.  And God wants to get involved with us.  And God does get involved with us.

The Wolf and the Lamb

In Isaiah 11:6-9 we read:  The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together: and a little child will lead them.  The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.  The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.  They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

What a fantastic picture!  It goes against all expectation.  But that's where God takes us.  I once nearly stood on a snake.  It was in Costa Rica when my wife and I were there learning Spanish prior to our time in Panama.  The snake was lying on the path basking in the sun.  I was literally about to put my foot down on it when I noticed it.  I wanted to stop and take a photograph, but Mary wouldn't let me - and she was probably right because, when I later described the snake to someone who knew about these things, it was made clear that if I saw another such snake I should steer well clear of it. 

This poem is such a beautiful expression of the possibilities God offers us.  And this is Christmas, God coming to earth.  As Walter Brueggemann, the Old Testament commentator says: "The poet imagines a coming time .. when all relationships of hostility and threat ... shall be overcome.  There will be conciliation and peaceableness.  ...  The poem is about deep, radical, limitless transformation in which we - like lion, wolf, and leopard - will have no hunger for injury  ... no passion for domination."  Dare we think about getting ready for that?

The image in this passage from Isaiah is of a game or safari park where no enclosures are necessary because the wild animals are no longer dangerous.  Forget any idea of the lion or the leopard enjoying a hunk of meat.  Forget those scenes of an animal killing its prey.  The vision is of all creatures peacefully living together.  It is a vision of a glorious future of caring and sharing.  That’s what God’s Kingdom is like.  God offers us a vision of peace and joy and love, and tells us that it is possible.

This is a season of a reminder of all that God makes possible.  This season is a reminder that God came to earth in human form in the person of the baby Jesus.  There are many amazing stories in the Bible, but is any more amazing than the story of nativity?  What more wonderful story can we tell than that which is the account of God’s coming to earth to be with us?  Perhaps the one that might rival it is that of the death and resurrection of our Lord – but without the birth, there could be no death. 

Advent in Zimbabwe

It has been good to spend part of this Advent in Zimbabwe.  It is the rainy season, though the rains have only just started and are not particularly prolific – they normally start in October.  Despite some rain, there is also a lot of hot sun.  In many ways Zimbabwe offers an impression of colour and life, but there are also many indications of its difficult circumstances.  Small stalls, often an upturned crate or box, with not much more than a handful of fruit or vegetables for sale are common.  Aside from that, there are no chain stores here, but plenty of buying and selling as the informal economy attempts to help people to survive.  Travel seems to be heading for improvement with lots of work on the roads, though currently causing the inevitable delays, which are increased by the abundance of police checkpoints. 

Zimbabwe strikes me as a country of faith with lots of churches and Sundays see large numbers of people, often in uniforms in the women’s case, and not infrequently wearing robes of one sort of another, making their way to the wide variety of churches on offer.  A number of these churches simply meet in open spaces in the countryside.

We visited a number of schools.  Lots of good work is being done, but often against the odds.  Education is not free in Zimbabwe, but the churches try to offer it at an affordable price.  However, as a result, some have only broken-down furniture and a few books.  We visited one such school, set in the countryside, serving local villages and farms.  The teachers are clearly doing their best and have even voluntarily started offering secondary education to a few youngsters who otherwise would not have that opportunity – but facilities are very limited.  Another school struggles to keep good quality teachers as many of its parents default on the fees of $US30 (£20) a term.  This means that the school cannot pay teachers’ incentives as other establishments do.  Even the best of church schools, like the boarding school we visited that always tops the results table for the three Presbyterian secondary schools struggles with the lack of facilities, and cannot offer science to ‘A’ level because there are no labs.

I preached on the two Sundays that I was in Zimbabwe.  On my first (the second Sunday in Advent) I first went to St. Andrew’s Uniting Presbyterian Church, Bulawayo.  There the service is in English and the congregation almost equally split between black and white.  From St. Andrew’s I went on to Njube Uniting Presbyterian Church which was packed for a united service with lots of lively music.

On my second Sunday I preached at Kuwadzana Uniting Presbyterian Church, my third visit to that congregation.  Kuwadzana is a high density township on the outskirts of Harare.  My sermons are not often applauded but it was good to be affirmed in that way and to join in worship in a church where I recognised a good number of people.  The lively service included a good deal of music and, as we left in the typical Zimbabwean style of everyone shaking hands in a chain so that you end up shaking hands with everyone, I was particularly struck by the number of young people.

After the service I met with the leadership of the church and had the opportunity to address them on some of the challenges of Advent.  We closed our time by singing ‘God be with you till we meet again’ – in Shona!