Readings
for Proper 7C:
Zechariah 12:8-10; 13:1; Psalm 63-18; Galatians 3:23-29; Luke 9:18-24
June 20, 2004
The Rev. Mary B. Blessing
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
Paul says, "…the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came...but now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith….There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." [Galatians 3:24-28]
Paul writes to the churches of Galatia--churches in what is now Turkey, an area that was occupied by Celtic immigrants from Europe! Hence the name "Galatia", to signify the Gallic influence in the region. Celtic immigrants in Asia Minor in the First Century, intermingled with Romans, Hebrews and Greeks. All were now hearing the good news of Jesus Christ, and being baptized into a new faith called Christianity. Multi-culturalism is not new to Christianity.
During the season of Pentecost, we hear stories of the birth of Christianity. We hear of conflicts such as the one described in Paul's letter to Galatia. A conflict rooted in this question: in order to be a follower of Christ, do you have to be subject to the Jewish Law (Torah)? Do you have to practice food restrictions? Do men need to be circumcised? In other words, do you have to be Jewish before you can be a Christian? Peter, James and John, "Pillars of the Jerusalem church", say yes. Paul, Barnabus and Titus, converters of the Gentile mission, say no. (Anchor Bible Dictionary, p.870) Most of us are grateful that Paul's influence won this argument, as we enjoy eating pork and find little evidence that to be circumcised is better than not being circumcised.
What is the theological significance of Paul's statement, we are "children of God through faith"? He says we no longer need a disciplinarian, a ruler, a law-maker, forcing us to obey, to not cross the line between what is clean and what is unclean. To require gentile believers to be circumcised is to revert to the era "before faith came," it renders the death of Christ pointless, says Paul. Christ's sacrifice made on our behalf is lost if we revert to the narrow path Judaism required before Jesus lived and died for us. We no longer need to be guarded under the law to prove our covenant with God, for in Jesus we received a new covenant, a covenant of love. Faith in Jesus Christ is all we need to prove our covenant membership with God.
Paul's warnings to the multi-cultural population of Galatia, that they need to abandon their old, narrow idea of a "disciplinarian" God, remind me of a book written by an Anglican priest in the 1960's. J.B. Phillips' little book, entitled, "Your God is Too Small", Phillips systematically debunks the various narrow views humans have regarding who God is. It is our narrow view of God that keeps many of us from having any faith in God at all. Who wants to worship a God who is a "Resident Policeman," watching our every move, waiting to ticket us when we slip up, or a "Grand Old Man" bearded, sitting on a cloud, or the "Meek and Mild" "Pale Galilean", all pasty white and aloof, or the "Managing Director" of a large corporation, too removed from the struggles of our everyday life to know our ups and downs, or the God who disappoints us by not fulfilling our wishes. We foolishly put "God in a Box", conjuring up a God who can only be attained, as some churches say, by jumping through particular hoops, worshipping in a particular style. Some force us to "sign on the dotted line" before we are even introduced to God. (Phillips, p. 37)
Paul realized Judaism placed "God in a Box", requiring followers to perform various rituals, worship in particular ways in particular places, sometimes wearing particular clothes, making God accessible to only a few. Paul understood that the revelation of Jesus Christ was God's opportunity to break out of that box-Paul did not want early church founders to simply create a new, bigger box, to put God in. Paul believed God is accessible to all persons--Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female-by faith alone. One did not have to do the work of the Law of Moses to find Christ; men did not have to maim their bodies as a sign of their faith. One simply needed to choose to receive the power of the Holy Spirit to bring the presence of Christ into one's heart. Or, as Jesus tells us, those who "lose their life for his sake will save it." (Lk.9:24)
J.B. Phillips argues that we have limited our understanding of God by our unconscious tendency to build up a mental picture of God from our knowledge and experience of observing humankind. We place limitations on God based on the limitations of man. Even Jesus' closest disciples wanted to label him according to human understanding, naming him "Elijah" and "John the Baptist." They were even disappointed with the form "Messiah" turned out to be.
In the life of Jesus Christ, Paul would say, God has revealed God's self as living "outside the box". God is radically compassionate, radically accepting, radically willing to meet each person right where they are. God does not expect us to jump through hoops to find him. God does not expect us to speak a certain language, eat particular foods, send our kids to particular schools, sing particular songs, or worship in a particular way, to find God's presence. God meets us where we are: whoever we are, where ever we are.
Our Vestry has been working hard to discern what God is calling us to do in response to the changing demographics of Cupertino. We know this area has had an influx of immigrants. More than 50% of Cupertino is now Asian. Our school district reports 57% Asian, 38% of our students are white, and over 45 languages are spoken. We ask: How is the message of Jesus Christ to be communicated to this diverse population? I have spent much of the last year moving out into the community, interfacing with the Asian population at our doorstep. It has been a joy, filled with rewards of new insights into how God is doing amazing work in the name of Christ here in Cupertino. I'd like to share one of many wonderful encounters I have had.
This Spring I attended an Asian Leadership Conference at DeAnza. At one of the workshops I met a Japanese girl who had only been in the U.S. for 8 months. As part of her talk, she placed a Shinto shrine, similar to one that would be placed in a special place in a home in Japan. However, in this shrine, which normally would have a scroll with the names of ancestors placed in the center to say prayers of respect, there was an Icon of Jesus. She explained that prior to WWII the people of Japan were required to "worship the Emperor". They were allowed these little shrines in their homes to venerate their ancestors. Some people were in fact already Christian, but in a secret way-they hid their pictures of Jesus behind the scroll listing the ancestors. But since WWII, as she put it: "we were told the Emperor is only a man." Now they have the freedom to choose Christ. Many families who were Shinto continue to place their ancestor's names on scrolls next to the shrine, even as they place Christ at the center of the shrine. They do not worship their ancestors, they merely show them honor and respect by remembering them this way. When I admired the Shrine and thanked her for sharing, in typical Japanese fashion, this young girl gave me the shrine as a gift. She said it was created for display purposes, and asked if I would like to take it to my church for display. I display it on my desk as a reminder that Christ will make His presence known to sincere seekers in ways they can understand with their limited experience. And I need to be open to accepting Christ's presence in new and different ways through the lives of the people I meet.
One question I have for the people of St. Jude's: "Is our God too small?" Do we attempt to put God in the "Anglican Church box" and try to keep him there? Or can we begin to think "outside the box"? Can we deny ourselves for Christ, and follow where His cross leads, even if it means leading us into an awareness that in Christ there is no longer Anglo or Asian, no longer Episcopal or Shinto, no longer native or immigrant? For all are One in Christ Jesus.
AMEN.
| Updated 6/23/04 |
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