The Truth Will Set You Free

Today is Reformation Sunday.  It’s actually been 509 years since Martin Luther started to publish his ideas for church reform.  He didn’t intend to start a big split in the Catholic Church.  He only wanted to talk about decisions that the Church leader was making, especially about how the church addressed guilty consciences.  All very well and good to examine ourselves and admit where we have gone wrong, but if that doesn’t lead to changes, and we keep doing the same thing over and over again, we are still enslaved to our hurtful and sometimes habitual bad behaviours.  Luther became convinced that penance after a confession, in the way of buying indulgences, was not the way to a full relationship with God.  Indulgences were Pope Leo’s way of raising money and relieving 15^th century minds of the fear that they were going to Hell.  The practice was wildly popular, and Luther had people tell him they no longer had to obey laws for they had purchased their freedom and could do whatever they liked.

Luther saw this as a spiritual question; can you buy your way to freedom?  Of course, some people do, they buy a ticket from Russia or Somalia and hop on a plane to Canada, and they find they have more freedom, including the freedom to vote in elections and referendums once they’ve become Canadian citizens.  Which is not easy by the way.  Even back in the days of Jesus, if a slave managed to save money, they could buy their freedom, but not all slave owners were willing to let their slaves go.  Jesus didn’t put barriers or price tags on freedom; he saw freedom as a side effect of a relationship with God.  Not something to buy or earn, something that came as an afterthought.  That when we learn to love God first, practice praying to God ourselves like God is a loving parent, freedom follows naturally, something that Luther noticed in Paul’s writings on Grace.  Grace comes not with a price tag but as a gift when we do our best to be honest with ourselves and with God.  When we see God not as a judge and a punisher but as someone who is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, and start to relate to God in that way, we experience freedom from all kinds of woes or anxieties that enslave us now.

We still are enslaved to things like anxiety, gambling, and conspiracy theories. We crave being successful, we think that being tough is better than being vulnerable and that asking for help is a sign of weakness.  Nothing could be farther than the truth.  In an RCMP chaplain training session this week, chaplains were reminded that good mental health for RCMP officers is when they accept that vulnerability is actually a strength, and asking for help is a sign of leadership.  Police officers who embrace those truths are more resilient, more emotionally stable, more successful in their careers and able to have better relationships with their partners and their children.  Vulnerability and truth sets even the toughest, most cynical people free from their prisons.

Luther didn’t only want individuals to experience freedom from fear or unethical acts; he wanted the Church to also reflect on its doctrines and practices.  To look at the theology behind things such as indulgences, measure them against the biblical teachings, and ask if the institution needed to repent and change.  And the Catholic Church did eventually rethink the theology of indulgences.  Just as it and the United Church and the Anglican Church rethought the theology around residential schools, and a host of other issues from time to time.

In the United Church, we recognize that the world has changed in the 100 years since we were established as an act of the Canadian Parliament.  We no longer ride horse-drawn wagons to church; we no longer take the gender of leaders in consideration for ordination.  But the culture of many Canadians is vastly different from when we were founded, and it is impacting us.  In 1992, we had 767,055 members, in 2023 we had 321,054. In 2035, if nothing changes, we’ll have 111,000.  The average attendance in 1992 was 324,222, 2023 was 110,877, and in 2035, it’s 8,174.  And in 1992 the number of congregations operating with a deficit was 11%, in 2023 it was 44%, and in 2035 it may be 61%. Interestingly in 1992 there were 2423 charges, in 2023 there were 1976 charges and 2035 is predicted to have 1633.  So we have a big drop in people but not in the number of congregations. 

It may seem a gloom and doom scenario except that when we tell the truth, the truth will set us free.  By admitting that we have a problem, we are taking the first step towards a new reformation.  We are prayerfully and intentionally looking at ways to hear what God is calling us to.  The National Church is planning and invites us to plan too.  We are remembering that asking for help is a sign of wise leadership, and we have growth animators like the Right Rev. Dr. Jordan Cantwell to turn to for advice.  We are asked to shift away from focusing on maintenance into a deep exploration of our mission, our big why.  And to look at ways that we can engage and invite our neighbors into freedom.  Whether its through supporting food pantries or our affirming love and support of people feeling imprisoned by society’s expectations and beliefs or coming up with creative ways to use our picnic tables to engage people in hospitality and outreach, the United Church is asking us to enter into a time of reflection, prayer and listening.

It dreams that “in 2035, resilient, inspired, diverse, contextual United Church communities of disciples, coast to coast to coast, urban and rural, continue the story of Jesus by embodying Christ’s presence in the world.

“In diverse expressions across the country, contextual to their neighbourhoods, inspired communities embody all aspects of the denominational Call—Deep Spirituality, Bold Discipleship, Daring Justice. Resilient communities have sufficient stability and sustainability to prevent them from being just one or two crises away from closure. There is a sense of having and being “enough.” “Being The United Church of Canada means better reflecting the increasing diversity of Canada. “The church has a distinct Indigenous and francophone presence, and includes the presence of all generations, notably children, youth, and young adults.”^[1]

It all starts with prayer, part of that call to deep spirituality that the National Church has been inviting us to.  Because when we commit to the truth that without God, we are slaves to the temptations of the world, we will find ourselves freed by God to build a resilient future, not for this week, this month but even this decade and beyond.  Join me in the prayer the National church has written for us all:

Gracious and loving God You called into being This United Church of Canada, one expression of Jesus’ Beloved community, here in the particularities of our place and our time. For the past 100 years You have guided and sustained and called us back when we have erred. Now, as we look back, we also look forward, daring to believe that even among us, even in this very place, You are doing a new thing. We long to perceive it like a way through a wilderness for the sake of our neighbours for the sake of this world of beautiful and broken things Yearning to be made whole, yearning to be made new, may we perceive and live into it. And may this new Reformation set us free to be your people, and set us free to share the good news to our neighbors that all can know true freedom and grace. Amen.

[1] Toward 2035_congregational conversation

How to get away with Insurrection

Have you been watching the news lately?  It’s hard to escape the constant stream of debate on the referendum in Alberta.  Whether you are for or against separation, you are probably thinking that there is a lot at stake in tomorrow’s vote.  Many have already voted in the advanced polls or with mail in ballots.  It is good to see so much engagement in the political system that has been plagued in the past by low voter turnout.

This is a delicate topic that has ethical impacts for Alberta residents.  Catholic and Anglican Bishops have weighed in, as well as the Moderator of the United Church of Canada.  But surely churches should stay out of politics, right?  Religious leaders shouldn’t have opinions on the referendum?

This idea of the separation of church and state is important.  And that is the question that the scribes and Pharisees are asking Jesus.  It’s a clever philosophical trap; would he side with the Roman Empire and enrage the folks who were struggling with high food prices, low wages, poor jobs and physical abuse from Roman soldiers?  Or would he speak treason against the Emperor, a crime punished by execution?  The temple leaders must have smiled at the clever problem they had dumped in his lap.

Jesus, as usual, turned the question back at them.  What did they have in their pockets? Temple coins or Roman coins? A Roman coin, with a graven image of a man, in the most holy of holies, threw into question the real loyalties of the leaders.  Let’s not forget that both they and Jesus wanted to be freed of the occupying army and having to worship the Emperor, who had declared that he was a God. They wanted to be able to worship YHWH as commanded in the first of the 10 commandments.  “You shall have no other God before me”.

So, the question of paying taxes had political implications.  But Jesus turned it on its head.  “Pay to Caesar that which is Caesar’s and pay to God that which is God’s.”  In other words, pay your taxes.  But also remember your first loyalty is always to God.  This is not about taxes; it’s about dealing with oppressive government. Which is at the heart of the referendum question.  Some see the Federal Government as the heart of all oppression, others see the Provincial Government as the source of all problems.  Chances are that we will never fully agree.  But Jesus reminds us of our core loyalty.  That we are to focus on loving God, loving neighbor and loving self.  Or as the United Church says, live with deep spirituality, bold discipleship and daring justice.

The Roman Empire was not toppled by withholding taxes.  Nor was it stopped by violence.  In fact, about 40 years after Jesus was executed, Roman forces ransacked Jerusalem, killed citizens and destroyed the Temple for the last time.  Much of the New Testament was written after that event. Christ followers and Jewish faithful alike were thrown into confusion and conflict in the aftermath.

Wait a second, if it was so strong and resilient, why don’t we speak Roman or even Italian around the world?  Was there a successful tax revolt?

Taxes have often triggered revolutions.  Robin Hood is a story of oppressive taxation.  The start of the Protestant split from the Catholic Church was over indulgences, a form of excessive taxation.  Taxes are at the heart of the referendum too.  The government of Canada transfers equalization payments to help provinces provide, and I quote, “reasonably comparable levels of public services at reasonably comparable levels of taxation” end quote so that people of Canada from sea to sea to sea have similar services.  The provinces do not give the federal government transfer payments; the federal budget comes from taxation based on income.  So, people making $40,000 in Newfoundland pay the same level of federal income tax as their Alberta counterparts.

Boycotting taxes seems like an easy way to take power, but Jesus knew it wouldn’t work.  What would work was to focus on what they did have power over, their relationship with God and each other.  Our reading from 1 Thessalonians shows the result of ‘giving to God what is God’s’.  Staying focused on God grew the church of Thessalonica to the point that it was getting talked about in the rest of the country.  It was the first church outside of the Middle East, and the first church in Europe.  It was small, no more than one or two dozen people.  Yet its reputation was spreading, and the letter Paul wrote is the oldest one in the New Testament, the first to be written.  It even predated the gospels by 20 years, because there was no need to write about Jesus when they could learn from eyewitnesses like Peter and the disciples.

Growing their reputation and influence by living out the teachings of Jesus, to care for the weak, the hungry, the sick and the lonely, was why the Thessalonians were lifted up as shining examples of a Christian community.  They put into practice the command to love God, love neighbor, love self.  Deep spirituality, bold discipleship and daring justice.  How might we, like the Thessalonians, be so filled with these three things that our reputation also goes out through the land as people of God filled with the hunger to be the Message?  To be an example to an angry world that feels like there’s not enough?  To send a counter message that God’s love overwhelms and undermines all oppressive systems?  I invite you today and in the days ahead, to dive deeply into prayer for our neighbors, our province and our country, regardless of how you voted, that our witness to love and compassion be inspiring to all who know us.  And may we know the love God had for all creation, the courage Jesus showed in the temple, and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit to give us hope in these contentious times.

Invite, Invite, Invite!

Ever plan a big event, and send off the invitations in the mail in hopes that everyone you had invited would come?  Planning a wedding is like that, and even setting a number was full of negotiations.  My mom wanted a small wedding with about 8 guests including the wedding party.  Our wedding was much bigger, Tim had 4 brothers and they had partners, children, a grandparent, and that made 11, never mind my brothers and assorted aunts, uncles, and cousins and there were friends we wanted to invite.  One thing that the wedding books said was that it was okay to invite more than what you wanted.  The decline rate is about 10%, and if you want a group of 50, you can invite up to.  Of course invitation lists tend to grow and grow and grow.  That’s why wedding invitations include rsvp details, even in this modern day and age.

But there’s nothing to beat a personal invitation.  It’s one thing to get a pretty letter in the mail, but it’s another to get that letter hand-delivered by a living, breathing human being.

And back then, an invitation from a rich land owner would be like getting the Order of Canada, a once in a lifetime event.  The hospitality code of the day would be very clear; this showed the person that they had been noticed and seen as worthy of respect.

People with Jesus at this dinner party would know that the invited guests would have dropped everything in their eagerness to attend.  Dinner invitations were serious business.  They had to be reciprocated, they had to pander to the rich man in return.

It was a complex back and forth, calculating and measuring who had been honored by whom, who owed who a dinner and favors, and back and forth.  So the shock of this story would have had everyone listening to Jesus scratching their heads in surprise.

First, he’s telling about a dinner while being at a dinner.  He was invited by the top Pharisee to a special supper, which showed that the Pharisee was interested in hearing him, and showing Jesus he could gain some status.  But Jesus turned around and gave him a lecture on how to run a dinner, how to invite guests.  That’s some nerve!  It would be like being invited to the Mayor’s breakfast and then telling the Mayor that he had done it all wrong.  And Jesus had, in the part of this chapter we didn’t read, lectured the guests to not assume they deserved a seat close to the host, but to take a lower seat until the host told them otherwise.  Because even the seating arrangement showed a pecking order.

The twist in this parable is that first there’s the shocking rejection of the invitation.  That it happened once might be understandable, but when none of the guests rsvp, that would have been seen as a dreadful insult.  If someone offers you the Order of Canada or the Nobel Peace Prize, there must be a pretty strong reason to turn it down.  It would have been a real slap in the face, a dishonor to the host that said much about how the people saw him.  Here’s a man that we disrespect so much that we refuse his invitation.  We don’t care if we lose status by attending, we’d rather lose than come for a free meal.

So Jesus describes the landowner inviting the riff-raff instead, the people without status, the people without wealth, the people who will not kiss his ring, the people who cannot invite him back, the people who are sick and desperate and lonely and poor.  They come.  The servant brings them until the banquet hall is full and everyone is fed.  The other people, the high status people who are wealthy enough to be able to marry or buy work animals or land, they are left out in the cold.

Don’t invite people like ourselves, Jesus taught.  Invite everyone who is hungry for something that maybe they don’t even know they are hungry.  We have a very hungry world right now.  People are hungry for their fair share, people are hungry to get ahead, people are hungry for more.  Some of the rhetoric we are hearing around the referendum is around entitlement, like how there are a lot of people talking about how much immigrants are taking from regular Albertans.  Or how there’s a blanket assumption that people on AISH are defrauding the system.  The actual statistics are very different than what people fear.  The number of fraud cases is small, the amount of money spent on immigrant healthcare is small too. Yet people are hungry for someone to blame for how they feel they are not getting ahead as fast as they should.

But they are also hungry for hope.  And hope has been in short supply these past few years.  They are hungry for equality, justice and kindness.  Those things are worthy of hungering for.  But there are better ways than working for justice for only me and my household, but to work for justice for everyone.  This is what the United Church, the Anglican and Catholic bishops are asking us all to think about what is the common good not just for myself but also for my neighbor.  The Common Good is making decisions that show kindness and empathy for people whose stories we haven’t heard yet. That is what Jesus was inviting the Pharisees and dinner guests to consider.  Not who had the highest status, but need to be fed with enough.  The Common Good is here we practice gratitude and generosity and love.  Where we remember to practice gratitude for our needs being filled.  Where we include everyone, even the sick and the lame and the poor.  Where we invite everyone, regardless of their status, to be fed with God’s abundant grace.  May we keep inviting, inviting and inviting our neighbors to feast and know that God is good.  Amen.