Preacher: Rev. Charles Scott

Preacher: Rev. Charles Scott

Bible Text: Resp. Ps. 95 & 97, John 13:31-34, Matthew 5:17-20 | Preacher: Rev. Charles Scott

Introduction

Last week we ended our meditation on the problem of integration of the Peter and John traditions when we place our emphasis on one or the other. The spirituality of John can produce an individualistic focus on self which ignores the community and worship, the corrective and service opportunities which the community can offer. It includes the prayer support, the sacraments, the encouragement and support necessary to live out our lives according to the model presented by Christ.

On the other hand a focus on the Peter tradition with its emphasis on the external can lead to a misguided focus on the outward. It often expresses itself with a commitment to using our resources to maintain structures, outmoded traditions which stand in the way of ministry and mission. In personal terms the necessary changes in our lives becomes impossible so that we are no longer open to the Spirit and the transformation helpful to live a more abundant life in Christ. I would put this question to you to consider. As we get older it becomes more difficult for us to introduce change into our lives. But if we accept that transformation is an ongoing process in our lives, when was the last time that any fundamental change occurred in your life in response to the work of the Spirit?

I would suggest that we are all prone to follow a particular route in our lives simply because our comfort zone often determines our choice. Certainly I am aware of this process in my life, but I am also aware that periodically the Spirit of Christ shatters my illusion of comfort to open me to a re-balancing of the two traditions. This is a continuous process in the Christian life. The old saying that a rut is simply a coffin with the ends kicked out often is reflected in our lives. The inner life of the Spirit evident in the solitude of prayer, worship, study and community is to be reflected in the outward life expressed by the fruits of the Spirit: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GENEROSITY, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL.

1) The Necessity of the Peter Tradition

Our text in Matthew emphasizes for us the necessary place of law and structure in our lives. We all recognize the need and place of structure in order to function. Without law no society can operate. The Psalmist puts it this way: THE LAW OF THE LORD IS PERFECT, REVIVING THE SOUL; THE DECREES OF THE LORD ARE SURE, MAKING WISER THE SIMPLE; THE PRECEPTS OF THE LORD ARE RIGHT, REJOICING THE HEART. This applies to our bodies as well as to the whole of creation. Without structure or laws of life which regulate our bodily functions we cannot exist as human beings. Without the structure of our skeletons our bodies would simply be unable to function. Looking after our bodies with proper nutrition and exercise is critical for us. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Psalm 104 expresses the necessary inter-relationship of the earth and the whole cosmos in this manner: O LORD, HOW MANIFOLD ARE YOUR WORKS! IN WISDOM YOU HAVE MADE THEM ALL. Couched in terms of Genesis God in his love and wisdom brought the order of law and life out of A FORMLESS VOID AND DARKNESS.

In Matthew Christ is the fulfilment of the law, for it guides us in living a life of righteousness, of peace and justice in which we live in a right relationship with God and all life forms. As the text tells us we are not simply to live like the Scribes and Pharisees. They tended to live in terms of externals for all to see. The law became the means by which they attempted to control and manipulate the lives of others. There have been many instances recently by which those in power have attempted to use the law to stifle legitimate descent. I have often thought that the term Party Whip is an appropriate term to control anyone from objecting to a particular party. Our present materialistic and busy age sets a great store on the outward appearance and possessions and activity. As Graham Vietch suggested we live a difficult Christian life in the midst of an all- encompassing culture which shapes our responses unconsciously. The law which in the manner of its fulfilment modelled by the Christ, is a guide and corrective for each one of us. Faithful action is a necessary ingredient of the Christian life.

Another emphasis in the Peter tradition is expressed by the church; its memory in its traditions, the sacraments and Bible, its worship and fellowship. It is like a family which in its relationships helps us to live with one another in peace and harmony. Parents are to model for their children what it is to live with the give and take of family life. The church is this family for us. It becomes a shelter and necessary rock for our lives.

It can open our inner vision to creation so that we can see it with fresh eyes as God’s gift to us. In our times of loneliness and trouble we have all drawn comfort from singing the church’s hymns, saying prayers together with folk who like us, have known temptation, loss and emptiness. The church service gives voice to our yearnings for God’s goodness at the heart of humanity. When we are brought to repentance in light of the love and law of God modelled in Christ we are not turning away from ourselves to become someone different so much are we are returning to our true self to become what we are personally created to be. We are made in the goodness of the image of God.

2) The Necessity of the John Tradition

Lest we think that we can function with a primary emphasis on one tradition let me suggest an image. We recognize that structures are necessary. But as I have suggested like our own skeleton it is useless unless the life of the body is infused by the spirit of life. The Gospel lesson in John indicates the nature of this life in the new commandment that Jesus gives to us. I GIVE YOU A NEW COMMANDMENT, THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER. JUST AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, YOU SHOULD ALSO LOVE ONE ANOTHER. BY THIS EVERYONE WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

This ancient tradition is a treasury of the house of faith which enables us to discern God’s presence in all of life. Harvey Coxes, a writer of the Book of the Secular Society which I read in theology many years ago has made the comment that we are moving into the Age of the Spirit. Science recognizes and explores the interrelationship of all life both on earth and throughout the cosmos. Earth is held in its orbit a particular distance from the sun so that life can exist. It is simply one expression of this reality. Cosmonauts have recognized this fact. Our bodies are an expression of the inter-connectedness of all life. As we damage this relationship with the creation we begin to make life more difficult. The various species of animal and bird life which have been destroyed by our way of live and which continues to threaten these species warn us of danger. They are similar to the canaries which were used in the mines to warn of the release of life threatening gas. They tell us that all is not well with the creation upon which we rely and to which we are intricately related. We are dependent for life on the creation. Because this is God’s world and God is the source of all life we have an obligation to care for one another and the creation. It is the way we are TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

The John tradition emphasizes the essential goodness of all life. In the Church’s symbols and rituals they clearly point to the world which is God’s dwelling place. As we listen to the agony of the world in its people, in the creation itself we can hear the heartbeat of God, the continual suffering and pain of God. I have mentioned on occasion that none of us can carry the pain of the world, even of those closest to ourselves. But in Christ we know and recognize the God who carries this pain and suffering for us.

3) Putting the Two Together

It’s interesting that Peter and John were together at the last supper and both went to the empty tomb in response to the news of the women. Peter and John also went to the temple together in the Book of Acts in chapter 3. In each case Peter was the active one who went in to the tomb first and spoke to the lame man at the temple. John on the other hand hung back and may have reflected on what he was seeing and about to do. It was to the Beloved disciple that Jesus on the cross gave the responsibility to care for his mother. They reflect the character of Mary and Martha. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus to listen to Christ while Martha organized lunch. We need both of these traditions in our lives. We need this balance in our spirituality, believing and hoping in our God given goodness on the one hand and being wise and alert to our sinful leanings on the other.

It is like a surgical procedure. The aim of medicine is to enable the healthy energy deep within to assert itself against any disease or malaise that is threatening our well- being. This transformation from sickness to health in ourselves, others and the creation comes through love. This love of Christ wells up from life’s deepest springs, the place of God’s abiding.

Where do we listen for the heartbeat of God? For those of us who belong to the Christian household the primary source is the Christ, in the teaching and life of Christ, his joy and suffering; the stories of scripture and the life of the saints, in the beauty and pain of life, in the poor and dispossessed, in the life of creation and our own hearts. We do so through the medium of prayer in silence and solitude as did the Christ if we are prepared to listen. Both the Peter and John tradition plays a part in this stethoscope of listening.

Bible Text: John 1:1-9 | Preacher: Rev. Charles Scott

Introduction

This morning we will embark on a journey together in terms of our worship experience and hopefully an appreciation of an ancient Celtic wisdom. This ancient wisdom stirred a sense of awe and wonder in Sharon and I in the God revealed in Jesus Christ. There will be a period of silence following some Taize music opening us to a sense of the Presence of this God. Music is a wondrous gift of God given to us to enjoy but also to create a receptive openness to this Presence. I recently listened to a scientist who suggested that our music reflects the rhythms of the universe. Every culture on earth has some form of music which expresses the poetry of life, our deep pain and joy. In the Bible the psalms give voice to the music of our hearts and the creation.

The meditation period will comprise one sermon spread over 2 Sundays. After each Sunday morning worship, I will be in the Library to receive your comments, positive or negative, about the worship experience. As many of you know Sharon and I journeyed to Scotland and France to participate in the Taize and Iona communities. The former introduced us to a form of singing, very simple but lovely tunes focused on Biblical texts and periods of silence. We participated with the Brothers of this ecumenical community along with some 800 young people. When we travelled to Iona, off the west coast of Scotland, we received lectures on Celtic Spirituality best expressed by the Gospel of John. Along with this tradition we will also consider the Peter tradition revealed more by the synoptic Gospels.

It was an interesting and transforming juxtaposition between the 2 experiences. Taize wedded together sung biblical texts and silence. They focused on the presence of God in the Christ through the Spirit which became apparent in these moments. I recognize that many of you experience the loneliness of silence when you experience the loss of a loved one with whom you have lived and known life together over many years. This silence, particularly in the evening time can be devastating; no one with which to share the day and lie within the intimacy and vulnerability of sleep. But there is a silence of presence as expressed by the story in I Kings. A SOUND OF SHEER SILENCE. This is what Sharon and I experienced in Taize.

1) The John Perspective

I have always been drawn to John’s Gospel. In some respects it is quite different from the synoptic Gospels; of Matthew, Mark, Luke. John is a much more reflective type of Gospel with the intertwining of the great themes of Word, Light, and Life in the Prologue. These will be joined by Water and Bread as an expression of what is absolutely necessary for a life in God in this world and the next. In the story of Nicodemus the Spirit becomes the primary person who is absolutely necessary for the Life as God intends, not only for His human creatures but all life. The text in the Book of Revelation reads: THEN I SAW A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH, FOR THE FIRST HEAVEN AND THE FIRST EARTH HAD PASSED AWAY.

The image which informs and shapes Celtic spirituality is the picture of John, the Beloved disciple, leaning toward the Christ at the last supper, to listen to THE HEARTBEAT OF GOD. This image is understood in the context of the Prologue of John which reflects the unique and intimate relationship between Christ and God. IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD, AND THE WORD WAS GOD. HE WAS IN THE BEGINNING WITH GOD. ALL THINGS CAME INTO BEING THROUGH HIM, AND WITHOUT HIM NOT ONE THING CAME INTO BEING. WHAT HAS COME INTO BEING IN HIM WAS LIFE, AND THE LIFE WAS THE LIGHT OF ALL PEOPLE.

Notice that John uses the text directly from Genesis to indicate that not only is earth an expression of this life but the whole cosmos is integrated into this understanding. All, the whole cosmos reflects the reality of God in Christ by the Spirit. Christ is the creative Word that brought all life into existence. Here is a free translation of this text. IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH. BEFORE THERE WAS ONLY EMPTY DARKNESS AND THE DEEP ETERNAL WATERS. BUT IN THE DARK A WIND BEGAN TO STIR. IT WAS THE BREATH OF LIFE. IT WAS GOD SAYING, ‘LET THERE BE LIGHT.’ It affirms that the voice of God in Christ is to be found in all living things. This has profound implication for us who recognize this reality in terms of our relationships with one another and the creation. In some respects we who live carefully protected from the elements of nature have forgotten this memory. It points to who we ought to be and to whom we belong. This truth, that we are created in the image of God, is hidden in the depths of our soul.

John reflects a spirituality that sees God in the whole of life; that understands all things as inter related, in relationship. God is recognized in all life forms in the creation. What is deepest within us is not opposed to God but reflects this God. As we know we may ignore this reality but we cannot escape it. We are innately good, not evil, because of this image. The Scriptures suggests that we are to search out this reality in ourselves and others. We are to treat others as if they house the Christ at the centre of their life, certainly not easy to do. This is John’s universal perspective; a perspective in which Christ is the source of all life. A type of cosmic Christ.

In a real sense John represents the way of contemplation, of prayer and reflection. Obviously it is not the whole meaning and implication of story of John but it is a major theme. It is also reflected in the Epistles in which John as an old man addresses the congregations he loves as his LITTLE CHILDREN. In the Book of Revelation he addresses the ANGEL OF THE CHURCH or in another translation THE SPIRIT OF THE CHURCH. He ends with his understanding the transformation of the cosmos with the words: THEN I SAW A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH; FOR THE FIRST HEAVEN AND THE FIRST EARTH HAD PASSED AWAY, AND THE SEA WAS NO MORE. Revelation is an affirmation of this comic theme. John writes from the Island of Patmos where he was imprisoned encouraging the church to remain faithful to the end of time when there will be NO MORE MOURNING AND CRYING AND PAIN.

2 The Peter Perspective

As I suggested the Synoptic Gospels have a somewhat different slant on things. The Gospel of Matthew written for a Jewish audience is much more focused on a particular understanding of Christ. Here Peter is to be the ROCK ON WHICH THE CHURCH IS TO BE BUILT. This tradition in some senses has become the predominate understanding of the church historically. This tradition sees God in relation to a particular people. Thus the Gospel of Matthew begins with a genealogy. AN ACCOUNT OF THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS THE MESSIAH, SON OF DAVID, SON OF ABRAHAM. Jesus brings salvation to the world through a particular line of descent. He belongs to a particular family and heritage with a history and prophetic tradition. It is always necessary to particularize our response to God in our time and place, our history and culture, our traditions and rituals. This is what Matthew does for us. He relates the Christ to a particular people, in a particular time with a particular religious culture.

The strength of the Peter tradition is that it enshrines the light of truth within the life of the church, in its tradition and sacraments. It is indeed the rock and shelter especially in times of stormy change. It allows us in times of personal confusion and crisis to turn to the familiar house of prayer where our mothers and fathers in the faith found truth and guidance.

The Peter tradition also underlines our capacity for sin and warns us to be on guard against this tendency in ourselves and others. This reality is also reflected in John when it says HE CAME TO HIS OWN AND HIS OWN DID NOT RECEIVE HIM. In the Gospels Christ is the One who fulfils the law and is the model for this corrective in our lives. His body, the Church, is to be the embodiment of this corrective. While its leadership and people often fail in this regard it still has this responsibility. As Graham Vietch pointed out some weeks ago our culture is often so dominating that we are reluctant to confront it in our own lives and the lives of others. But it was something that Christ often did in his ministry and which was a major reason for his death.

The Peter tradition emphasizes faithful action.

3) Separate Entities

The reality is that if we do not work to balance these perspectives and traditions in our lives the culture in which we are a part soon overshadows and directs our understanding of the Christ, shapes our response to the social, political and economic crisis of our time and misdirects our use of the gifts and resources that God gives to us.

For example, to emphasize the spiritual nature of the John tradition without the Peter tradition can produced a spirituality which is no longer connected to the corrective of the Church and is cut off from its truth and the guidance it provides. It can produce a individualistic, narcissistic, spirituality which focuses on self. It may well produce a psychological peace but is disconnected from the social realities which confront us. It is a type of contemplating one’s navel and reflects a disconnect between our spirituality and the social context to which we belong and must minister. It can become a community of like-minded people with a particular mindset with which we agree. In this social context there can be a loss of honesty, openness, and transformative growth.

One the other hand an emphasis on the Peter tradition which is more focused on law and structure can mean that our gifts and resources are poured into these structures rather than ministry and service. I remember well serving one of our churches in Edmonton which had a rather large sanctuary and organ. One particularly cold month it cost $5000. to heat the building. Congregations are struggling to keep such building operational but it strikes me that some way is going to have to be found to deal with this problem since it is diverting a good deal of money into structures rather than ministry and mission. I read an article by last years Moderator of the General Assembly in Scotland. He mentioned that as soon as the churches run our of money we will return to the times of the early church with its zeal and sharing, depending on God for our resources. I am sure that in our context this would be considered foolish, certainly not prudent. Yet this is the manner in which the early church began.

Next week we will consider the balance and relationship which is necessary between the two traditions and perspective