June 29, 2008

Clay Nelson

Pentecost 7     Matthew 10:37-42

On occasion I make a foray into the blogosphere to see if our Progressive Christian message at St Matthew’s is generating any discussion. I am rarely disappointed, nor was I last week when I had a serious case of work avoidance behaviour.

I came across this gem from blogger A.J. Chesswas from Taranaki, in which he expressed concerns about Canadian bishop Victoria Matthews, the newly elected bishop of Christchurch:

From what I've read Matthews… is labelled a "theological conservative". … I assume the label of conservative means she is committed to the doctrines of the Nicene Creed, such as the divinity of Christ, his virgin birth, the atoning power of his death on the cross, the new life afforded us by his Holy Spirit, and his promise to come again. Some may wonder how these basic theological commitments alone could make one a conservative, but when compared to the true liberals of Canada, or even our own Kiwi examples like Glynn Cardy and Clay Nelson, she definitely looks conservative. Somehow it is quite possible to retain one's position as a vicar in the Anglican Church without even being a Christian!!

I wasn’t sure if I was relieved to learn that Glynn and I don’t fit Mr. Chesswas’ narrow definition of being a Christian or annoyed.

While we find the theology of many who hang on to the metaphors of the 4th century for the nature of God and the personhood of Jesus beyond useless and often destructive and shake our heads in bewilderment at those with a literal understanding of those parts of Scripture that support their worldview, it never occurred to us to suggest they weren’t Christian. While I do confess embarrassment at being grouped with them, I long ago accepted that there is nothing monolithic about Christian thinking. There are countless flavours. In the end that is probably a good thing. Worthy theological arguments will prevail and the not so worthy will fall away like Limbo and Transubstantiation. Until they do, we will continue to squabble. Squabbling appears to be a trait instilled early into Christian DNA, as Paul’s stern letter of protest to the contentious Corinthians attests. Upon reflection, being contentious may be what it means to be Christian.

Or perhaps not, but these ruminations led me to wonder what exactly it is that defines a Christian? And this question leads to another more important question why is it so important to some to determine who is and who isn’t?

In our sacramental tradition our baptism defines us as Christian. As most of us are infants on the occasion we are unaware that we have been so labelled although we may protest the unexpected bath. It is a freely given unconditional gift of the church. Our assent is neither asked for nor required. When the priest marked our foreheads with a cross of oil, the church states we are indelibly marked as Christ’s own forever. Even if we never again enter a church we are still part of the fold. As in families, members may become estranged but they still belong to Jesus.

However, infant baptism is not sufficient to define who is a Christian. There are traditions that believe that baptism is reserved only for those able to make an adult statement of belief. Does that mean they are not Christian until then? If so, what about traditions, like the Salvation Army, that do not have a sacrament of baptism? Are none of them to be considered Christian?

In those traditions baptism may or may not be important but it is not more important than accepting Jesus Christ as your lord and saviour. This flavour of Christianity believes that is the only road to salvation. Those who are saved and stay saved is their definition of a Christian. The problem for these traditions is that being a Christian is not an unconditional gift that you may use or put away in a cupboard and forget. Those of this mindset argue if you accept Jesus you also accept a certain set of beliefs grounded in their literal interpretation of Scripture. They are not dissimilar to Mr. Chesswas, who argues that an unconditional gift still requires life long literal agreement with a 4th century creed and its less than helpful metaphors to remain a Christian.

My beef with such understandings of being a proper Christian is that they perpetuate division within not just the Christian family but also the human family. These views are grounded in the old separating-the-sheep-from-the-goats question: Who will God elect to be saved? To those who reject the concept of an external personal God, the very question is nonsense. Those who think the answer is important can still only guess as to whom has and hasn’t been saved. Their God isn’t saying. Not surprisingly, those who still think this way are always certain they are amongst the sheepish elect.

Today’s Gospel has Jesus giving his disciples some instructions about how they are to represent him. He doesn’t baptise them first. He doesn’t have them memorise a creed. He doesn’t give them an animal husbandry manual so they can identify sheep from goats. He doesn’t give them assurance of salvation. In fact he tells them it’s not about them at all. He suggests they have to have a right attitude. As important as family is, they need to understand that what Jesus represents is more important. What he represents is even more important than life itself. He tells them their task is to represent him and in doing so they represent whom he represents.

I can hear the disciples saying, “Huh? How do we that? Do we wear special clothes? Do we need a collar? Should we lug the Torah around and quote it chapter and verse?

I can see Jesus shaking his head with a bemused smile. “No, just welcome people into your lives. Welcome everyone, but especially welcome those no one else does. Don’t look so shocked. Even if all you do is give them is a cup of water, you will find that most gratifying.”

“Is that all,” they query.

“Yep. That’s it. Be hospitable and everything else will follow.”

Hospitality it turns out is at the heart of our faith. A Christian is simply someone who is hospitable. Sounds too easy until we think about what is required.

It is easy to be hospitable to birds of a feather: people we identify with, who strike us as interesting; who might be useful to know. It’s no problem to invite them to our homes for a few drinks and a meal. Those occasions are their own reward. It is another story to invite those of a different feather: people of a different culture, class or race who can offer no obvious advantage to us. Being well-bred we might invite them and make them feel at home, all the while wishing they were… I don’t think that’s what Jesus had in mind.

But why did Jesus make hospitality the basis for his ministry? Perhaps because it is essential to building relationships. It is the first step to overcoming fear, finding understanding, and giving respect. Ultimately it is the foundation of bringing about a peaceful world. It is the source of harmony.

If you doubt it I challenge you to think of a time when you were shown unexpected hospitality that at least improved your day and may have changed your life.

I don’t have to think back too far. It was about three years ago. I’d been in New Zealand a week. While he might have some regrets now, Glynn took a chance on an immigrant with an unusual background and opened his heart and the doors to St. Matthew’s to me. It couldn’t have been more unexpected. His hospitality changed my life and his and even some of yours. Mr. Chesswas, what could be more Christian?