Fruitful Congregations: Bold, Risk-Taking Mission

Matthew 5:10-12

October 11, 2015

Mark S. Bollwinkel

When the gospel writer Matthew edited our scripture lesson for today, the eighth and final of Jesus' beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, he was writing to a church facing persecution.  Jewish converts to the new faith were being expelled from their synagogues and estranged from their families.   The new Christians were losing jobs and property as a consequence of the prejudice against them by the dominant culture.  

In places, the Roman occupation government asserted loyalty to the divinity of Caesar with public rituals of the worship of Caesar's image.  Christians refusing to do so were beaten, jailed or killed.   The same would happen to those Christians refusing conscription into Rome's military on the basis of conscientious objection.  Sporadic empire-wide persecutions were sanctioned by a number of Caesars during the first 300 years of Christianity during which thousands of Christians were martyred in the most violent and degrading ways.

Ironically, the organized persecution of Christians encouraged its growth.  After three centuries Christianity was adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire. 

After all, Jesus died a martyr's death.   It was his loving sacrifice and forgiveness in the face of unwarranted suffering that inspired millions to love God and neighbor.   It still inspires us today.  We see the face of God in those who are willing to stand up to power and speak the truth in love, even when the cost is dear...especially when the cost is dear.   

For example: Over the western entrance to Westminster Abbey in London there are a distinctive and famous series of stone sculptures entitled "Martyrs of the Twentieth Century".   The ten statues include tributes to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the leaders the "confessional" church's resistance to the Nazi Third Reich during World War II, Saint Elizabeth killed in Russia in 1918 by the Bolsheviks, Baptist preacher Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who died fighting for civil rights in the United States and Archbishop Oscar Romero, of El Salvador.

As in much of Central America during the twentieth century, the United States supported military dictatorships for geo-political and economic reasons. This was the case for years in El Salvador.   As a result, during a period of brutal civil war from 1980-1992, it is estimated that 75,000 civilians died. 

Archbishop Romero, a contemplative and academic minded priest, became increasing outspoken against the capricious violence of the government sponsored death squads and the corruption of the El Salvadorian dictatorship.   The people he served were desperately poor.   Fr. Romero knew all-too-well the preferential option for the poor in our biblical tradition.  In spite of continual death threats, Romero would not be silenced.  On March 23, 1980 he preached a sermon from the national cathedral, which was broadcast on the radio, imploring government soldiers to refuse the orders of their superiors to kill civilians.  The next day, while consecrating Mass, literally as he held up the chalice over the altar of a hospital chapel in capital city San Salvador, he was shot through the chest by a lone gunman, ultimately identified as a member of the death squads.

Now we can see his likeness in stone at Westminster Abbey, testament to modern day martyrs.  We see the face of God in those who are willing to stand up to power and speak the truth in love, even when the cost is dear...especially when the cost is dear.   

Today Christian communities have been the victims of organized violence in Nigeria, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.   Protestants and Roman Catholics try to maintain a fragile peace after years of community violence between them in Ireland and Northern Ireland.    

Here in the United States where our religious freedoms are protected by law, there have been significant occasions, even recently, when the state has organized or tolerated violence against those with religious convictions speaking out against the status quo; in the 1960's civil rights activists struggling for the end of segregation, in the 1970's during the Vietnam war and the Hispanic farm worker movement organizing for fair wages and benefits.

For us "comfortable Christians" who so often view our religious behavior as just another social obligation among many, the eighth beatitude must seem especially bewildering.  Why anyone experiencing persecution would be blessed?

Eugene Peterson in his paraphrase of the New Testament in The Message puts it this way:

"You are blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution.  The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.   Not only that, count yourself blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me.  What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they feel uncomfortable.   You can be glad for that...give a cheer, even...for although they don't like it I do.  And all heaven applauds.  And know that you are in good company.  My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble."   

(The Message, NavPress, 2007)

Few of us will die a martyr’s death but most of us are given opportunities to stand up for our faith.

A young adult once told me of an experience at her workplace.   In the lunch room, the social conversation between colleagues turned to the subject of "those Christians".   This informal daily ritual while eating lunch usually took on a variety of subjects with humor, teasing and comments from that day's news.  It was an occasion to blow off some steam, get away from work and maintain friendships.  Our friend enjoyed these moments, until "those Christians" became the brunt of the talk.    "Those Christians" were described as hypocrites who deny civil rights to gays and lesbians while their preachers confess to sexual infidelities.  "Those Christians" go on the TV and suggest that 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina are God's punishments.  "Those Christians" reject the science of evolution and believe the world is flat. [We can only imagine what lunch room conversations will be about tomorrow about "those Christians" who predicted the end of the world last Thursday! (The Guardian, 10/08/15)]

Our young adult friend took great exception to the group's definition of what a "Christian" is or isn't about.   She loves her church, considers herself a Christian and knows that her lunch-mates' examples of Christian behavior only define a small minority of people which the media loves to hold up as if they are the majority of those who follow Christ in this country.

She wrestled with what to say or not to say, knowing that by speaking out against the portrayal of "all Christians" as ignorant hypocrites she would break the fun and risk being ostracized.   But she was just too uncomfortable to remain silent and so she decided to take the risk and speak up, gently reminding her colleagues that she was a Christian, that she goes to "a church that isn't like that at all" and that if anyone wanted to see they could come with her some Sunday.

There was a sudden pause of silence with her friends not knowing what to say.  They changed the subject and moved on.  Only later in the day did they come to her desk, one-by-one, to apologize and say how much they appreciated her willingness to speak out.  To date none of them have taken up her invitation to come to church.   The lunch group has continued but she is the brunt of good natured teasing every now and then about her Sunday activities.

Is this persecution?  No, of course not.   Some of us know the reluctance to tell our family and friends that we are Christians and enjoy going to church.  We all know the media's portrayal of today's Christians as ignorant hypocrites.  But such is far, far different from being arrested, beaten and/or killed for one's beliefs.

Why does Jesus insist that persecution is a blessing?

The blessing of speaking your truth in love isn't that you may or may not convince another of your point of view.  Jesus calls it a blessing to be persecuted because it describes one's commitment to love God and neighbor so significant that it cannot be silenced, that it defines who we are and the world we hope to see.

That's also the nature of bold, risk taking mission.  It offers us the opportunity put our faith into action and actions always speak louder than words.  

During this sermon series on “Fruitful Congregations” we have been blessed and challenged by the vision of United Methodist Bishop Robert Schnase's book The Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations (Abingdon 2008).  His five practices describe the heart of discipleship and the fulfillment of our membership vows as United Methodists.  

Can you name the five practices?

Radical Hospitality

Deepening Faith

Passionate Worship

Bold Service and Social Justice

Extravagant Generosity

We are convinced that anyone, anywhere on their spiritual journey...from newcomer to old timer...who commits to live out these five practices will be blessed as they grow in discipleship to Jesus Christ.  By “discipleship to Jesus Christ” we are not talking about an intellectual conformity to doctrine or some new standard of piety.   We are talking about "Reaching up, reaching in and reaching out", our mission statement here at Church of the Wayfarer reflecting Jesus’ “Greatest Commandment”:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  (Matthew 22:34-40)

We don't have to go to Haiti after an earthquake or to a war zone in the Middle East to find that bold, risky opportunity to speak our truth in love.  The opportunity comes in all shapes and sizes. It can happen in the lunch room.  It may present itself as we invite a friend or family member to their first AA meeting.   We certainly make a loud statement when we volunteer to support the Alzheimer’s Walk or to tutor students in our United Methodist weekly afternoon program at Salinas Hispanic Ministries.  To make a volunteer commitment to iHelp homeless ministry or the Joining Hands benefit shop can be a bold thing indeed.   

No we won't be persecuted for such, thanks be to God!   But at least we'll raise the curiosity of family and friends who will wonder about a faith commitment that cannot be kept silent and finds itself perfected as we put it into action.

Amen.