Being Renewed

9.30am Sunday 30 September 2007

Readings: Matthew 5:17-30; ?Matthew 9:14-17; Colossians 3:5-17

The Moderator, the Rt Rev Pamela Tankersley, spoke at Presbytery this month on the theme she has adopted for her term as Moderator - 'Christ centred: Community facing.' In essence she was saying that New Zealand is a very different place to what it was fifty years ago. In the '50s and '60s new congregations were being formed up and down the country. Churches were growing wherever they were planted. Sunday Schools were bursting at the seams, and at one time this congregation had the biggest Sunday School within the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand. Christianity was the most widely held belief in our society. They were the 'golden years' of the Presbyterian Church. 1960 marked the watershed. With the increasing secularisation of society, the introduction of Sunday sport and Sunday trading, Sunday is no longer the special day it once was. The truth is that we are now living in a 'post-Christendom' society. What was effective for the church's mission fifty years ago, does not work anymore. Parents wanted their children to attend church and Sunday School, to have the upbringing they themselves valued. But that is not the case anymore. As the Moderator has visited Presbyteries up and down the country she has found that congregations that are growing or holding their own are those that have had the courage to change and adapt to the changing environment. The clear message is that if what we have been doing is not working and we are not prepared to change, then we will not be here many years from now. The church needs renewing.

One of the things the Moderator referred to in her talk was that as we come to terms with what has happened over the past fifty years, we may well experience grief, and all the things associated with a great loss in our lives. When we think about this in the light of the ten stages of grief that Granger Westberg's talks about in his book Good Grief, there are many parallels. The first emotion we experience in grief is Shock, which can be like a temporary anaesthesia, as it keeps us from having to face the grim reality all at once. It can also evidence itself in denial, a refusal to acknowledge that the loss has happened, which is unhealthy if it goes on indefinitely. Secondly, there is Emotional Release. This comes when the extent of the loss begins to sink in. It is very important at such times to allow ourselves to express our grief. Sometimes unexpectedly the tears flow, which can be embarrassing when we are with others. We need to remember that God created our tear ducts for this very reason. They are there to help us express both joy and sorrow, and we should not be embarrassed to let them flow. Then follows Depression and Loneliness. It is at these times we are tempted to think that God does not care, or maybe that he is not there at all. It can last for some time, but just as the sunshine eventually breaks through after the rain, so, too, the dark clouds of depression will break and we feel hope once again. Physical Symptoms will then begin to evidence themselves. It is our bodies reacting to the loss and no amount of medication will significantly change the situation. Sometimes people need help to work through this stage. Another thing that can be experienced is Panic when we realise that we have to cope on our own, and we think how on earth will I manage. This affects our concentration and we may want to run away from it all. There can be a Sense of Guilt, feeling that in some way the loss is our fault, and that if we had only done things differently it would or may not have happened. Here it is important to distinguish between 'normal' guilt and 'neurotic' guilt. The latter is feeling guilty out of all proportion to our own involvement in the problem. Grief can make us feel Anger. It is quite normal to feel hostile and resentful about what has happened. However, it is important not to let it take over as it can lead to bitterness. The Bible strongly warns against this.[1] Another stage is when someone is Unable to Return to Usual Activities. As a congregation we can help one another by keeping the memory of loved ones alive and thus sharing their burdens with them. Then comes the gradual awakening of Hope. We begin to see light at the end of the tunnel. We sense a new day dawning and begin to feel that we have something to live for. Finally there is Readjusting to Reality. We at last come to terms with the changes we have experienced and are able to resume a normal life again. At the same time we need to realise that we have been changed in the process. Westberg says, "When we go through any significant grief experience, we come out as different people." He says, (We do not) "become our old selves again." "Depending on the way we respond to this event, we are either stronger people that we were before or weaker, either healthier in spirit of sicker."[2] We are not the same as before the loss. If we had a choice, we would prefer not to experience grief. It takes us out of our comfort zones and can leave us very vulnerable. But at the same time we know it is part and parcel of life, and that it can provide an opportunity for growth.

With the changes we are experiencing within the church we can experience a number of these emotions. We can be in 'denial' about the changes that have taken place and just want to continue as if nothing as altered in the way we go about church. We can get 'depressed' and even experience 'panic' and 'anger' about the church's current situation. We may even feel guilty, that somehow we are responsible for the decline of the church. The important aspect is a willingness to readjust to the reality of our situation and be willing to make necessary changes.

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This necessity to make changes is common to the natural realm. The Word for Today recently used the analogy of the hermit crab as an example of the need to be willing to change if you are to develop as a person. As a hermit crab grows it must exchange its shell for a larger one. Another problem it faces is that gastropod shells are not in unlimited supply. There is frequently strong competition for the available shells, which can often lead to fighting over shells. For its survival, however, the hermit crab must make a decision. A hermit crab with a shell that is too tight cannot grow as fast as hermit crabs in well-fitting shells, and is more likely to be eaten. The decision it has to make is whether to stay in the shell that has become too small for it and probably die there, or to step out of its comfort zone, leave its old home, and find a new one? Its future survival is dependent and determined by that choice. And it is not only once, but many times throughout its lifespan that it must do this. It instinctively knows it must continually leave behind the old and look for the new. In a sense it must 'put off the old' and 'put on the new.'

The image of 'taking off the old' and 'putting on the new' is also true of the eagle. The eagle has one of the longest life-spans of all birdlife. It can live up to 70 years. But to reach this age it must make a hard decision. When it gets to about 40, its long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey to feed itself, its sharp beak becomes bent, and its old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become stuck to its chest and make it difficult to fly. Then the eagle is left with only two options: die, or go through the painful process of change that lasts up to 150 days. The process requires that the eagle fly to the safety of its nest, away from predators. There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it breaks off. The eagle then waits for a new beak to grow. Once it has regrown, one by one it will pluck out its talons and its feathers. In time these will regrow. After five months, the eagle can once more takes its flight of rebirth and live for thirty more years. It is a painful process, but its survival depends upon it.

Let us look now at how this applies to what we read in Colossians 3. In the verses immediately preceding our bible reading, Paul speaks of the mind-focus of those who have been raised with Christ. He says, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."[3] He is saying that you must no longer let your mind dwell on earthly things once you know Christ. Your minds now have a new and higher focus, that of God's purposes for the whole of creation as they have been revealed in Christ. It is big-picture material. It has to do with the reign and rule of God over all things. It is about living our lives in the light of eternal realities and our eternal destiny, for God "has ... set eternity in the human heart."[4] The verses read for us this morning tell the affect this must have on how we live in the here and now. It brings out the implications for us in this present time. Paul says it requires us to shed, put off the old way of living that was part of our lives before we met Christ. That is now to be left behind. It is of no further value. For those to whom Paul was writing it meant a radical and dramatic change in their way of life. We may not readily identify with the list of sins Paul mentions here, "Put to death ... sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed," followed by the further list of "anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy (abusive) language. Do not lie to each other..."[5] However, when we consider these sins in the light of Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, there are few that we are not guilty of in some way or other. For example, Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment."[6] Jesus is saying that anger is just as bad as killing a person. Jesus also said, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I tell you anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."[7] For Jesus, looking at a woman lustfully is the same as committing adultery. Who of us has can say that we have never been angry with someone? Who of us can claim that our thought life has been absolutely clean? That level of purity is something that escapes us all. We need to do what Job did. He said, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a virgin."[8]

The list of sins Paul gives in Colossians 3 have no place in a Christian's life. There is a complete turnaround when you walk God's way and live according to his standards. Being citizens of the kingdom of his Son calls for a radically different lifestyle. God's new society is one in which there are the personal qualities of purity and godliness. Neither can there be the deep social and cultural divisions that exist out side of Christ. The old prejudices and hatreds must be put aside, and we must embrace and nurture the unity we now have in Christ. Paul says the divisions between Gentile and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, slave and free are no longer appropriate, because "Christ is all, and is in all."[9] There is a new call upon our lives, a call to be holy and to holy living. "Therefore," Paul says, "clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."[10] These are all Christ-like characteristics. You are to act towards one another as God in Christ has acted toward you. You are to be forbearing of each another, willing to forgive as the Lord has forgiven you. Love must motivate and permeate all you do. You are to "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts."[11] "Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly..." Christ's words are to impact and transform your lives. You are to encourage and exhort one another in these things through teaching, worship and expressing your gratitude for God's grace to you in his Son. This is the outcome of your allowing yourself to be renewed in knowledge in the image of your Creator.[12] It is the same thought that Paul expresses in Romans where he says, "...be transformed by the renewing of your minds."[13] This new life in Christ requires a whole new mindset. The old way can no longer be accommodated in the new way of living and thinking. However, it does not happen all at once. It is a process that takes time, but it begins with what you believe about Christ. As you allow this to permeate the way you think about life, it naturally moulds your conduct and your character.

How does Pauls' message of 'taking off the old' and 'putting on the new' apply to you, today? What application does it have for your life? Are there thing that you need to be discarding, removing, leaving behind that are holding you back, preventing you from growing, are sapping life from you, and preventing you being or becoming all God wants you to be? We love what we are familiar with, and are reluctant to let it go, but in many cases our survival in this life requires that we relinquish our hold on some things so that we may grasp that which will provide a future with hope.

Thinking through what has been shared this morning take a moment to ask yourself, how does this apply to me personally, and How does it apply to St David's in the Fields? Is there something you need to do, or maybe something you have had to do. Think about it for a moment or two and then share with the person beside you.

It is important as we go through this time a change that we do as Paul says here, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts..." and "Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly..." for as you "Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track."[14]