It’s not what a Church would do

It’s not what a Church would do, is it? There was quite a hullabulloo years gone back when Sunday trading arrived in England – I wonder whether it had the same reaction in Scotland? It was only in 2003 that workers were not compelled to work on a Sunday which seems to be effective. In England the whole world might come crashing down if shops opened. But they did, and the earth continued. People suggest that the Church attendance has fallen because of it. The wee Free Presbyterian Church may of course hold firm to their ideals of the Sabbath being of God and not for trade. So do we welcome such moves or distance ourselves from such ‘progress’? 

We arrive today in the midst of an epic tale. This whole story is a relic of the distant past, buried in different places within the Catholic and Protestant scriptures, its verses supplemented by additional verses which demonstrate some of the characters religious observance. 

The Jews are in Persia. The story dates from either 6^th C BC or 2^nd C BC. The ruler of the time, King Xerxes, is a powerful figure, leading well over 100 provinces from India to Ethiopia. It’s a place where men rule, women may only be seen when allowed. His Queen, her name was Vashti, failed to show her husband the proper courtesies and she needed to be replaced.

Who is this Esther?

One of the local civil servants at the Palace, Mordecai had an adopted daughter called Esther. The King was really bowled over by her beauty, you’d have hoped also her personality, who she was as a person, but the text only seems to refer to her beauty. Another high up official, Haman, ensured that he was at all of the right places, seen doing the right things and so got promoted to the highest office.  Esther by this point had been installed as Queen.

Have a quick scan through Esther 7: 1-6!

She has arrived as a refugee into a foreign country, and found that, by chance, she has been ‘promoted’ to be Queen. She is dining with the King and is now offered half of the kingdom. This could be a real opportunity to make it big. But she asks for life, and give her people life. As she explains everything to the King, you might feel a bit for Haman who is the instigator of the hardship for Esther’s people. He’s getting a bit hot under the collar. Spoiler alert, it doesn’t end well for Haman.

Haman’s aim is to be promoted, at whatever cost. It’s not what a Church would do but I recall this concept in the Royal Air Force. Many overtook me on that upward progression because they were willing to attend every event, be seen at the right occasions, with the right people, doing the right thing, but for what? Esther sought justice for her people. Who is the greatest here? It can be easy with such a story to side with Esther because she comes across virtuous, but often we might be faced with a predicament such that we might gain something rather than the person next door, or the local community. It can become a focal point about us, or this Church.

What are they doing?

Our passage today follows on from the discussions of who is the greatest? (Mark 9: 38-50)

Last week we might recall we heard of the discussion with Jesus and the disciples about who is the greatest? Jesus introduces a child to the conversation. The child doesn’t get to speak but the symbology is huge. But possibly we were still thinking of who is the greatest- but Jesus has reversed the whole idea. It’s about showing that the child is the least. In the next passage the disciples shoo the child away, such is their understanding of the conversation. It’s not what a Church would do, surely? Jesus is trying to say that it isn’t about who is the greatest, but can we loved the unwelcome?  

The path to God’s power is to open our arms to the powerless.

Inclusion?

Inclusion is always a difficult thing to undertake. By being inclusive to all people we may well exclude others. It has to be said that that exclusion is the result of another groups’ response, not ours. Inclusion is a very hard thing to achieve but Jesus is asking us to strive for that.

Our passage today also echoes that inclusion, but in a very different manner. Jesus says Whoever is not against us is for us. Whoever is not against us is for us.

Let that sink in a bit.

So any one who isn’t part of us but is doing what we are doing is ok? But surely they should at least be Christians? Or they should at the very minimum come to Church?

I think Jesus is asking us to welcome new relationships, new partnerships and especially here at Church. We might be thinking, but what of what we stand for, all our years of tradition and … is that being protective even fearful of what might be?

A bit different?

I recall starting up a café group in Yorkshire. Yes the core team were Christians, of various denominations, even such countries as the USA. The group wanted to meet together monthly and discuss interesting topics which related to faith. We started off with a controversial subject and many jumped at the chance to discuss something freely – it wasn’t church really but it was. We were in that space between what was expected of church and where people might typically go for a cuppa. It’s known as a third space, where people find freedom to be.

So, next month, we introduced fasting as it was Lent, but to mix it up a bit we invited a Muslim Imaam to speak. He spoke so passionately about the reason he and Muslims would fast for a month at a time for Eid, and we compared that to how Christians fast for Lent.  It’s not what a Church would do, yes?

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We asked if someone who was a Catholic in their younger years would speak about non-violent direct action and they did. Everyone learnt about Extinction Rebellion and other non-violent ways of taking action to protect our Earth. We might see others who favour this in the weeks to come as COP26 arrives here in Glasgow. Some found this disturbing, others tantalising as it seemed to echo the ways that Jesus acted in Jerusalem. But it’s not what a Church would do…?

Diverse Inclusion

Over time we had more Muslims joining us, Pagans and Buddhists would come, and at the end of each session we would have a prayer, called bridging the gap, where we together could come together in prayer. From that we worked with a local group who were using an old Unitarian Church. From here they would, every Sunday, gather volunteers together to weed areas of the town, plant vegetables in common ground, so that anyone could pick the crop – known as Incredible Edibles, and they’d keep the canal towpath looking great. They’d then come back to the Church for a communal hot lunch. One along table across the span of the Church we would eat. If they’d have a huge banner saying Praise God this was everything but Church. What’s not to like?

But it’s not what a Church would do, was it? Nevertheless, they were looking after the planet, caring for the locals, showing love when the Church was often closed for the pandemic. There was something about these people that a description of faith could easily be given which might define them. There was a reticence for anyone from the Church to join them, when in reality, this was exactly what the Church might have been doing – being with the people. It certainly wasn’t right to criticise them but to actually join in with them, encourage them. 

If others are doing God’s work, perhaps we should work with them. 

Takeaway

Just as we have found that technology has changed over our journey here on Earth, that society even has changed beyond recognition, so may our customs, our ways of seeing what is church. 

We may have seen the emergence of other faiths and even the increase in those of no-faith, but we need to celebrate what they have achieved, and join them if they are doing what God is desiring. Let Love be real, in giving and receiving, without the need to manage and to own.

We may have enjoyed our worship over many decades, but times are a-changing. Our perspective isn’t to keep what we know has sustained us, but to promote a way of life that allows people to find God, to become followers of Jesus and find that the life may flourish. That’s not easy but we know that God’s love is unchanged and God is with us on the journey always.