Rev Gav

Can we live the way of Christ?

Luke 12.32–40

‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

‘But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’

When it comes to deciding how we live our lives, there are a great number of influences. Our upbringing, our geographical location, our experiences and things that happen to us, and our genetics no doubt play a role, however perhaps the greatest influence of all is our culture. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard the saying, ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’? It’s used by businesses and organisations that have a strategy they wish to put in place or a plan they wish to execute, only for it to be thwarted by culture. Let me give you the first example that pops into my mind.

In one church in which I ministered, during our worship, some of the older black people who were sitting at the back of the building could not see words on the screen which was positioned at the front of the building. My strategy was to ask them to move forward. Simple? No. You see, they were so culturally conditioned to sitting at the back of the building because that’s where black people were ‘forced’ to sit, that they could not conceive of sitting anywhere else. With compassion, I and our church administrator provided printed sheets for those who sat at the rear of the building. Culture certainly ate my strategy for breakfast, however, it did not stop me from working towards changing such an ingrained culture of discrimination that seemed at odds with the way of the gospel of Christ.

The point is that culture is a great force, and changing or shifting culture, or being ‘countercultural’, is a very difficult thing to do or achieve. The way of the world — worldly culture —  is all around us and we are in it, but how do we discern the way of God — godly culture?

There are four ways that Christians discern the will or way of God. Here they are in no particular order. Firstly we use our God-given common sense. We are made in the image of God and are conscious, sentient beings. Secondly, we can learn from church history and look back and see what has worked and what has not worked. Typically, practices that work and are useful get carried down through the generations and ‘stick’. Thirdly, we read and understand the scriptures — the collection of poems, letters, history, and narratives — written and recorded by the people of God who were inspired by God. And fourthly, we listen to and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit who lives in us (importantly, something that no AI will ever be able to achieve).

Turning to today’s Bible reading we have a clash of cultures — the way of the world and the way of Christ. The way of living described by Jesus is countercultural to the way most, if not all of us, live our lives and it relates to finances and community.

The first followers of Jesus shared a common purse and lived in community under the banner of being members of God’s sovereignty — what Jesus referred to as ‘the kingdom’. They sold their possessions and cared for one another such that no-one among them was in need. Jesus opened with the phrase, “Do not fear little flock,” and comparing how they lived with how we live, it highlights two very serious aspects or products of our contemporary culture — fear and individualism.

We rarely live in community. Many of us live alone in our apartments or houses, often struggling with loneliness and isolation. We also live in fear that our finances will not be sufficient to provide for us. We are taught that the way to live is to be self-sufficient and store up for ourselves enough savings and a pension to see us through our old age and to our eventual death. Jesus said, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” and how many of us have hearts filled with the pain of sadness, the fear of insufficiency, the lack of intimacy, and a longing for connection and community? Surely, there is a better way?

The way of Christ is clear. We are not meant to live in fear and we are not meant to live isolated lives, and so the question is, given that culture is such a prevailing force, how can we live counter-culturally?

Well, if experience has taught me anything, then it’s not going to be easy and may take a long time. Culture may, today, eat my strategy for breakfast, but the good news is that I have breakfast tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that!

At FAB Church, we don’t yet have a ‘common purse’ or ‘communal living’ but that is the direction we feel the Spirit leading us. We are fostering community online, gathering those that live in fear and isolation, trying our best to look out for the needs of our members, and welcoming our guests. One day, we hope to set up a FAB Retreat, a place where people can come and find rest, free from fear, and be part of an inclusive, affirming, Christ-centred community. Will it happen? Maybe, maybe not, but that won’t stop us from trying, oh, and it won’t be strategy we serve for breakfast.

Amen.