Christ Church Riverdale

7 Easter/Sunday after the Ascension                                          June 1, 2003

Acts 1:15-26; PS.68:1-20; 1 John 5:9-15; John 17:11b-19

Ascension Day was on Thursday.  It probably passed without much notice from most of us.  But it is an important moment in Luke’s chronology of the early church.  The ascension of Jesus into heaven represents both a high moment of exaltation and a somber moment of reflection for his followers.  The readings for Ascension Day describe Jesus going into heaven as the disciples watch in amazement.  Then, after he disappears, the disciples continue to look up.  An angel appears and says, “What are you looking at?  He will return the same way he came.”

I think what the angel implies is, “What are you wasting your time with?  There are things to be done right here on earth, and gazing into heaven won’t accomplish much.”

And so they soldier on.  Today, we hear of the replacement of Judas, who had abandoned the cause by betraying Jesus.  Soon, the Holy Spirit will descend on the disciples, and a new era of the Spirit will begin.  We celebrate that descent of the Spirit at Pentecost next Sunday.  The disciples went forward, slowly at first, then, after Pentecost, with energy and determination, empowered by the Spirit and preaching the good news of God’ love.

In today’s gospel, we hear part of Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer from John.  It is the prayer Jesus gives for his disciples, that they be one, and that they abide in his love.  He tells them that they have a special relationship to the world.  They are “in the world” but not “of the world.”

What might this mean?  It seems to me that Jesus, like the great prophets, was a constant force for good in the face of evil.  This meant that he was never an unthinking or complacent advocate of the status quo.  He was fully a human being, but his motivating force was not his own self-interest.  His motivating force was love.  He was counter-cultural, even radical, when the evil powers were part of the established order.  This is why he was executed.  He was, you might say, inconvenient.

Christianity has a duty to be in the world as an agent for change.  This requires distance, standing back, looking critically.  It requires, to whatever extent possible, being objective, not allied with the rulers of the world.  The mission is to bring the Kingdom on earth closer to the Kingdom of heaven, so that God’s will is done.  This can and will cause conflict.  This is, inevitably, political in the broadest sense.  It can also be profoundly counter-cultural.

One of our members asked me a very interesting question the other day.  I can’t recall the exact phrasing of the question, but it concerned Christianity and capitalism.  If we are in some sense either a Christian country, or, at least, a country with a history and a beginning in Judeo-Christian ethics, how can we affirm the cruelties, the inequalities, the very Darwinian nature of unbridled capitalism?

The simple answer, I think, is that Christianity should never be identified with a particular political system.  American capitalism is not totally unbridled, but layered with laws which are intended to protect the helpless and cushion the blows of the cyclical nature of the economy.  Some of these laws and regulations are in line with Christian ethical thinking.  But that doesn’t make capitalism Christian.  And it doesn’t necessarily make our system adequately responsive to human need.  Christianity cannot be equated with any political system but is constantly in judgment of the system, if it is to be truly responsive to the gospel.

In the early days, Christianity was co-opted by the Roman Empire.  Constantine declared it the official religion, and then was able to use it to his own purposes.  For centuries and centuries, the struggle went on between the church officials and the Kings of nation states, over authority in religious matters.  Toleration of other religions was not even considered.  Today, there are Christians who want to call the United States a Christian country.  This effort is not only not based in reality, it threatens to limit the free expression not only of other faiths but of Christians themselves.  Whose Christianity would the nation identify with?

If we learn anything from the abuses of the past, we learn that no system based on who’s on top is going to bring in the Kingdom.  If capitalism in a country of Law is the closest we can get to realizing a fair society, it is still not the Kingdom of God.

Being a follower of Jesus is not the same as being a citizen of a country.  Being a follower of Jesus, like being a good citizen, often means calling everything into question when justice and peace and love are being undermined.

In our local churches, in the national Episcopal Communion, and in the worldwide Anglican Communion, we often disagree over how to live out the gospel.  To be a follower means to live with integrity.  It often means to disagree.

St. Paul wrote, “If at all possible, live in peace with your neighbor.”  And in Romans, he advised, “Obey the ruling authorities.”  But there are times when being true to the gospel means following Jesus in a righteous path divergent from the norm.

When the war with Iraq loomed over us, there were many divergent views on the course of action to take.  This has not really changed in the aftermath of the invasion.  At St. Bartholomew’s Church, a large and diverse congregation, which has recently emerged from decline, the rector was concerned that the differing views on the war would cause a split in the congregation.  His response was to encourage the differing views, pointing out that no particular view represented the position of St. Bartholomew’s Church, Park Avenue, but of the individuals expressing them.  I think he was right.  He didn’t try to hush the radicals or stroke the conservatives or agree with those who wished the issues would all go away.  Those who follow Jesus had to speak out.  Their conclusions on how to live the gospel of love were not the same.

What about Christ Church Riverdale?  We are a diverse congregation, an open place.  This is one of the great strengths of this place.  Just two days ago, a woman came to speak to me, and said she had come because her friends had told her, “Go to Christ Church.  They are a welcoming place.”  It happens all the time.

About a month ago, when I thought things had calmed down after the trauma of the invasion of Iraq, one of you brought me a petition to impeach President Bush.  I thought, “Wow!  This is some interesting parish.”  It didn’t disturb me a bit that someone had this idea.  After all, it’s a remedy set forth in the constitution.  It doesn’t threaten me to see a petition.  But it did disturb some people.  They were afraid that someone would think that the petition, if it were placed on the welcome table, would indicate that this was a position of the church, not just one point of view.  And they were concerned that it would cause strife, or pit one group against another, or give a false impression to newcomers.

Then, wonder of wonders, just a couple of weeks ago, there was a petition sponsored by the Fellowship of Reconciliation to indict George Bush in the world tribunal for war crimes.  I thought again, “Wow.  What a church!”  Again, I wasn’t threatened.

The vestry of Christ Church wants the congregation to know that the church does not sponsor these efforts.  Each one of you is responsible for your political views, based in the gospel of Love, and forged in the crucible of thought and prayer.  The Fellowship of Reconciliation is one point of view, and it is worth the time of every Christian to understand their positions on such issues as active non-violence.  The recent petition is more thoughtful than it might at first seem.  It does not represent a position of this church, but of thoughtful members who may be right and may be wrong to pursue it.

The minutes of the vestry are now posted on the bulletin board.  Last month’s minutes reflect that some members don’t know much about the Fellowship of Reconciliation.  For this reason, a flier, which has long been available, is inserted in the bulletin today.

What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?  What does it mean to be in the world but not of the world?  What do justice and love require?  How is the kingdom of heaven to be brought closer to earth?  What does it mean to love Jesus as he loves us?  In the arena of national and world politics the answers are fraught with complications.  Here at Christ Church, the law of love should be less so, as we speak our own truth in love, seek to serve Christ in all persons, and humbly acknowledge that ultimate truth will win the day, in spite of our failings and missteps.

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