NOTES FOR REFLECTION

November 13                         NOTES FOR REFLECTION             Remembrance Sunday

Texts: Micah 4:1-5; Romans 8:31-39; John 15:12-17

Theme:  A number of possibilities this week.  For those with a love of irony, what about The Church Militant (if not Triumphant)?  Or if ambiguity is more our thing, we might be tempted to go for The Cost of Obedience.  [Think Conscientious Objectors here.]  On balance, my pick would be, The Church in Conflict.

Introduction.  We have only to glance at the suggested Sentence of Scripture for today to see that my comments on the theme above are hinting at.  The Church does not know where to take its stand on issues like this.  The 'prescribed' sentence for today is John 15:9: 'As the father has loved me, so I have loved you.  Now remain in my love.'  What has that to do with Remembrance Sunday?  Why not a verse from the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God?"  Or "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you?"

Equally we might query the choice of readings.  While the wonderful vision of Micah is appropriate, the choice of the other lesson, and of the gospel passage, is less obvious.  If we should have something from Romans, why not 12:17-21?  As for a gospel passage, what about Luke 6:27-36?

Yet there is enough in these readings to ponder if we will but scratch the surface.  First Micah gives us a vision of universal peace almost in spite of himself, as the verses seem to alternate between universalism and narrow nationalism.  St Paul writes in the plural "us" and "us all".  But who does he have in mind?  Only the believing community, or all humanity?  For whom did Jesus give his life – only those who believe in him, or all humanity?  And our gospel passage also takes this bob-each-way approach.  The time-honoured 'Anzac Day' verse about laying down our lives for our friends is nicely balanced by Jesus' advice that to remain his friends we must obey his commands, which include, of course, the commandment to love our enemies, turn the other cheek, etc.

Background.  It is undeniable that the Early Church was pacifist in its teaching and practice, even during periods of horrendous persecution.  Men and women of faith accepted martyrdom, rather than resort to violence in self-defence; and there are documents from the very early days of Christianity making it clear that Christians could not be soldiers, and vice versa.  While it is unlikely this 'purist stance' remained unsullied right through the first three centuries, the adoption of Christianity as the official faith of the Roman Empire in the fourth century brought a complete change of attitude into the Church.  Suddenly the Church found itself in a favoured position, protected, and given great privileges, by the Imperial Authorities, which could only be due to the grace of God.  From there it was a small step to recognising the Empire as the Kingdom of God on Earth, surrounded by the forces of darkness outside the borders of the Empire.  Therefore, it was now God's work to serve in the Imperial Army to defend the empire against its pagan enemies.  From forbidding its members to take up arms, the Church began its centuries-long role as the State's chief recruiting agency whenever the nation declared it was at war.  In 1940 a Methodist Minister, the Reverend Ormond Burton, was arrested at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, for standing on a wooden box and saying, "Our Lord Jesus Christ said, 'Love your enemies'.  On a charge carrying a maximum sentence of 3 months' imprisonment (disturbing the peace!), he was sentenced to nine months and refused a right of appeal.  Far from defending its minister, the Church threw him out, and he wasn't allowed back in until the 1950's.

Are there signs of hope today?  For me, there is one great sign coming out of Europe.  Less than 100 years after the start of the First World War the countries of Europe are once again in economic turmoil.  Yet not one of them has suggested that the only way to defend its national interest is to resort to war.  War on a massive scale has become literally unthinkable in Europe.  In its absence, despite all the nationalistic instincts in each country, there is a general acceptance that co-operation is the only hope of coming out of this situation in reasonable shape.  Britain, Germany, and France are leading the charge to protect their own interests by promoting the interests of the others.  There's a very long way to go, but we can take heart:  Europe has moved a big step forward towards realising Micah's vision in the last 100 years.

Micah.  The tension that in some ways is at the heart of our humanity runs through this short passage.  It seems to be innate in our human nature to think in terms of "us and them", "friends and enemies".  We might (somewhat reluctantly) accept in our heads that there is only one human race, one human family, that we are all children of the one God; yet that is denied by just about every belief system we hold, including our religious, political and economic ones.  In the same way, while Micah's vision is universal in scope, it is still clouded by narrow, nationalistic spectacles.  Verse 1 lays claim on God's behalf to universal sovereignty; but in verse 2, Jewish hubris takes over.  The Lord becomes "the God of Jacob"; the law emanates from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.  In verse 3 the wonderful vision of universal peace and the cessation of warfare is spelt out in glorious detail.  In verse 4, the vision includes peace within the nation, as each citizen is assured of the means of economic security.  But in verse 5 the idea of one world under the sovereignty of the one and only God, gives way to a sickeningly modern liberal outburst of politically correct religious pluralism.  What evidence is there that peace will ever come about in that way?

Taking It Personally.

·        What is your most fundamental identity?  Are you a human being, who happens to be a particular gender, born in a particular country, speaking a particular language?

·        Is your first loyalty to "your country" or to the world? 

·        Do you agree that Europe is showing some signs of moving beyond war as a means of resolving disputes?  Does that argue in favour of globalisation or against it?

·        Is patriotism a virtue or a vice?

·        Are such institutions as the U.N. and the International Courts of Justice in accordance with Micah's vision or not?

·        Is Micah's vision an Old Testament version of the Kingdom of God, which we pray for every time we pray the Lord's Prayer?

·        Would you like to end today's session by praying, 'Our Father in heaven...Micah's vision come to be, on earth as in heaven...?

 

Romans.  We must remember that this is an extract from a letter written by St Paul to his fellow Christians – that is, it is intended for in-house dissemination only.  Any lapse from the purity of universalism may be attributed to this.  St Paul says that God is "for us".  We are used to the Christmas proclamation that God is with us – Emmanuel – but what does it mean to claim that God is for us?  If we understand it to mean that God is for all humanity – that God loves all humanity and seeks what is best for us all, then we can say a grateful Amen to St Paul's teaching.  But the danger of this phrase becomes all too apparent in times of war.  A God who is for us becomes a God who is on our side and against our enemies.  Verse 32 should act as a counter-balance.  Christ died for the sins of the whole world, and not just for the sins of those who believe in him: 1 John 2:2.  Yet St Paul in the very next verse talks of "those whom God has chosen", implying that some are "in" and others are "out".   We can forgive him this lapse in the light of the magnificent verses 37-39!

 

Taking It Personally.

·        Do you believe that God is for you?  What experience can you recall on which to base this belief?

·        Has someone brought an accusation against you – a word of criticism of some sort?  How did you react?  How do you feel now as you recall the occasion?  Does this passage help you to deal with that episode?

·        Remind yourself that right now Christ is interceding for you with the Father?  What would you like him to ask for on your behalf?  Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for Christ's prayers for you.

·        Ponder verses 37-39 over and over again.  Come back to them many times during the week – perhaps even memorise them.  Repeat them to yourself whenever you need some "divine therapy".

 

John.  Presumably this passage has been chosen for verse 13: Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.  This and the even stronger passage in John 10:17-18 are often dragged out for "war service" despite the fact that they were never intended to be used for such a purpose.  While there have been individual cases of extreme heroism involving the sacrifice of one's own life to save the lives of others, the vast majority of deaths in wartime are "accidental" – a case of sheer bad luck.  Far from wishing to lay down their lives for their friends, real servicemen (and women) have the usual desire to live and to get home in one piece as soon as possible.  Moreover, the stumbling-block for those who wish to misuse this passage in this way remains huge.  Jesus says that the way to remain friends with him is to obey his commands.  These commands, of course, have a very "pacifist" tone: they include loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us.  And we have the example of his own behaviour when the armed Temple guards came to arrest him.  He refused to put up any resistance, and ordered Peter to put away his sword.  Everything he taught and did can be summed up in that one command with which this passage ends: Love each other.  War is the ultimate negation of love.

 

Taking It Personally.

 

·        How do you feel about the pacifist tone of these notes?  Does it annoy you?  Do you agree or disagree that Jesus was a pacifist?

·        Do you consider yourself a peacemaker?  In times of personal conflict are you the first to seek a peaceful resolution?

·        If Jesus means that we should lay down our lives in service to others, how do you measure up?

·        Would you describe yourself as a friend of Jesus?  Would you describe Jesus as a friend of yours?  Reflect on verse 15.  How do you feel about your "change in status".  Use this verse as the basis of your prayer today as you talk with Jesus as one friend to another.