Jesus has been talking to his twelve apostles about mission. He calls them, ordains them, equips them, and sends them out. He also warns them of the dangers of the mission, as well as promising the reward of the just -- the satisfaction of doing right because it is the right thing to do, pleasing God whom we trust with our temporal and eternal destinies. How different from the rewards of our culture: the wealth, fame and power conferred by Empire and the economic engine driving it.
But what is mission? I believe Saint C. S. Lewis, one of the great Anglicans of the twentieth century, nailed it when he said our mission to make "little Christs," nothing more, nothing less.
A few days ago fell the traditional Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Now there is an "odd couple!" Peter taught that a convert must be circumcised, follow Torah (in its torqued-up version introduced by Jesus), and then accept Jesus as the newly-defined Messiah, in order properly to follow the life of a Christian. Paul, insisting on a private revelation, taught that gentiles were excused from the Law and its provisions, required only to trust in God through Jesus and thereby to be full Christians. That fundamental disagreement was painful and led to a whole lot of trouble. Peter insisted on "Temple government" which has continued in the church for almost two millenia, in the ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons; whereas, Paul's vision of "synagogue government," church rule by committees of old men, did not prevail. Yet, in 64 C.E. both Peter and Paul died in Rome, martyred for the Faith, for both had in common the conviction that God had entered human history in a unique way in Jesus Christ who brought a new radical way of living, loving, and serving others. For he challenged people to be about building the Kingdom of God on earth, so that God's will could be done here as it is in heaven. The task of spawning little Christs requires focus on basics.
A few days from now falls Independence Day, when we celebrate the benefits, prerogatives, and freedoms enjoyed by American citizens. Let us ask ourselves, as little Christs, whom are we to welcome? How does my attitude affect what I do in family, in church, in community, and in the wider world? Many churches this morning will conduct services that send the message that their worshippers are Americans who also just happen to be Christians. We must worship as Christians who also happen to be Americans! There can be no second-tier Christianity. It's like being pregnant: you are or you aren't, there is no middle state. In a culture that is focussed on suspicion, judgementalism, and division, on exclusion and kicking people out -- how will we foster the hospitality, welcome, and inclusion that Jesus practised?
In today's Tulsa World there is a photograph of our music minister, Rod Ruthrauff, along with my friend Rabbi Marc Fitzerman, and perhaps a dozen other protesters outside the Tulsa jail. I wish I could have been there with them on Thursday. I am so proud of Rod's witness as a true follower of Christ! These protesters were objecting to arbitrary deportations of people who are not criminal or detrimental to our American society in any way. I am sure some readers this morning wondered why a handful of people bothered to gather in protest, but I wonder, here in a city whose mascot is Jesus, why there weren't ten thousand Christians down there! In my mind there can be no morality, no merit in policies which target hardworking, taxpaying immigrants performing jobs no one else wants, who only need a green card, and deporting them for such as minor traffic violations, tearing their families apart, often sending people back to countries they don't even remember. What would Jesus say about that? How can such a policy be anything but immoral political pandering? We can do much better. The Gospel demands it.
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