Church Is Who We Are

“Church is not something we do; it’s who we are.” So says Neil Hudson in his book “Imagine Church”. He also says this: “The goal of disciple-making is not to make us more adept in church life, nor even more alert to the theological debates that may be raging in church circles. The goal is to enable us to live our lives in a way that reflects our Master’s intentions for the world around us.” So, how on earth do we do that? How do we reflect Jesus’ intentions in the world which we inhabit? How, putting it fractionally differently, do we walk the way? How do we live the life of Jesus today?

It is always good in our thinking to look for a Biblical clue, and I love the account that Luke gives us, in the final chapter of his Gospel, about that bit of walking that took place on the road to Emmaus. That was a walk those two were never going to forget – and I find all sorts of interesting things come spinning out of that story to challenge and encourage me.

Can you imagine walking along that road?  What a range of emotions those two disciples must have felt!  In a sense it was a pointless walk.  Everything must have felt pretty pointless to them just then.  Yet, in another sense, it was a walk loaded with purpose – because of what was going to happen.  I suppose they would never have known what they had missed if they had decided to stay an extra night in Jerusalem – but how much poorer we all would be, not just this pair, if we didn’t have this story.       

I could say lots, and much of it would apply to our thinking about what walking the way means to and for us.  But let me just say two things.  First, they went because they knew where they were going.  Second, but actually they didn’t know where they were going – because the journey was about to be transformed, and extended.

They were on this walk, in the first place, because they were going home.  There was nothing left for them in Jerusalem.  There was no point in staying.  All sorts of things prompt our journeys, are reasons why we choose to walk to a particular place.  As we consider the way that God may be calling us to walk, don’t discount the obvious.  Don’t discount the routine.  Don’t ignore the fact that God may be calling you to what you consider very ordinary.  Sometimes the extraordinary things of God are found in the otherwise extremely ordinary.  God may well want us to engage with the familiar.  Indeed, almost always, it is a good place to start.

But, and here is the other aspect of this story, we also need to be ready to be surprised.  It was maybe not that surprising for them to be caught up by a ‘stranger’.  That sort of thing would happen – but what followed was far beyond their wildest dreams.  Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road?  Well, actually, it would appear that they weren’t – because they clearly didn’t have a clue, until they saw him break the bread.  As we look to walk the way, are we ready to be surprised?  Are we ready for the unexpected?  Are we willing to grab the opportunities that come our way?  And, of course, are we ready to be pushed a bit further?  A walk of about seven miles is suddenly doubled.  It becomes fourteen.  They had made their weary way to Emmaus.  But now the news can’t wait – and they rush back to Jerusalem, not in the least concerned at the prospect of retracing their steps.

We know all about walking second miles.  But this is a far more significant doubling up.  Seven becomes fourteen. 

Do you remember how Isaiah thought that he had done pretty well for God?  He had served God with energy and commitment.  He had done his bit, or so he thought.  Only God had a very different idea of things.  God had just the thing lined up for Isaiah, a new and bigger task.  It is there in Isaiah 49, verse 6 – (God) says, ‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.  Isaiah thought that he had done well by taking God’s message to the Israelites – but God suggests that to be just the beginning.  Isaiah is to take the message not just to the Israelites, but to the nations. 

Lots of times God will just want us to walk a little way, and that’s good – but are we ready for the big thing, if that is what God is calling us towards?

As we consider the challenges and opportunities of walking the way, it is helpful to think again of the notion of developing holy habits.  Our holy habits, whatever they may be, can help us to be in tune with God.  There are, of course, many approaches we can take as we consider just what are the holy habits to which God is calling us, at the moment.  There are many different ways of describing what it is that we are called to do and be.

The classic list of ten is to be found towards the end of Acts 2, and it is a helpful list.  There is probably more than enough there – but I like thinking about different approaches which might just strike a helpful note.

One approach is to think about what might be called ‘ancient practices’ and to consider how they might help us in the challenge of developing good holy habits.  The fact is that we need God’s help as we seek to be the people God wants us to be.  As Brian McLaren puts it: “You can’t take an epidural shot to ease the pain of giving birth to character.”  He also says: “You can construct a great way …. a path, a road, a hallway, a passage … but unless it leads to the right destination, what good is it?”

I am sure that there are different lists of ancient practices, but I want to suggest a list of six – and two on that list, prayer and celebrating the sacred meal of Holy Communion, are in the Acts 2 list of ten, so I am going to pass over them for the moment – but that leaves us with four that I want to mention.

The first of these four is the ancient practice, the holy habit, of pilgrimage.  It links closely to the notion of walking.  A pilgrimage is a walk to a special place.  The walk might be long, or short – that is not important.  A pilgrimage does have an arriving, but the journey is just as important.  Is there somewhere that God wants you to go on a regular, or occasional, basis?  Would the holy habit of pilgrimage enhance your spiritual life?

The second of these is the practice, or habit, of tithing.  This links to generosity, which is one of the ten, but is more specific and, I suspect, more challenging.  This is about a particular level of giving.  How do we view giving?  Would we class it as a holy habit?  If so, what does that mean for our giving?  If not, why not?

Then, third, we have the practice, or habit, of fasting.  This links to prayer, but it would be wrong to simply identify it as prayer.  It is an idea that is perhaps not particularly prevalent these days – but the idea of detoxing, on the other hand, is gaining popularity.  We take part in dry January or ‘go sober for October’.  We give up chocolate or some other treat for Lent.  And so on.  Is that not a twenty-first century form of fasting?  And what do such things do?  Well, all sorts.  It is certainly worth considering whether to make fasting, in some form or another, a holy habit.  Apart from anything else, and there can be many benefits, it can help us to consider our priorities.

And so, fourthly, and finally, and where I want to put a little bit of emphasis, there is the ancient practice, or holy habit, of sabbath.  We are so good at making ourselves busy.  We are so good at rushing around.  There is so much to be said for pressing the pause button.  The principle of sabbath is fundamental to all that the Bible offers us.  Genesis 2, verse 3 – so God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.  We need to rest.  We need to relax.  We need times of refreshment. 

Taking time just offers so much possibility.  As Dan Allender has it: “Delight doesn’t require a journey thousands of miles away to taste the presence of God, but it does require a separation from the mundane, an intentional choice to enter joy and follow God as he celebrates the glory of his creation and his faithfulness to keep his covenant to redeem the captives.”  I like that idea of sabbath opening us to such possibility, such joy.  The Old Testament scholar, Walter Brueggemann, also helps to discover the amazing impact of sabbath, which he describes as representing “a radical disengagement from the producer-consumer rat race of the empire.  The community welcomes members of any race or nation, any gender or social condition, so long as that person is defined by justice, mercy and compassion, and not competition, achievement, production or acquisition.”  I think there is so much to be gained from developing sabbath as a holy habit.

So what way is God calling you to walk today?  What holy habit does God want you to take up?

(Address given at the Synod Meeting of the Eastern Synod of the United Reformed Church, October 2018)