Monday 12 January 2008

I may have a little fun with this piece today that once again comes from Robert Bertram in " Time for Confessing."

In face of that ultimate impasse (where a confessor appeals to God's authority must do so in front of oppressors who are in positions of authority that seem to be installed by the same God), the only recourse of Christian confessors is the promise (and threat) of the Matthean Jesus: "So everyone who confesses me before human beings, I also will confess before my Father in heaven, but whoever denies me before human beings, I also will deny them before my Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 10:32-33). But those two options, and the fact that those are all there are, only underscore all the more how high the stakes are: either fidelity or apostasy, either divine acceptance or divine rejection. No wonder the situation is pictured as a case at court as if, behind and above the intimidating secular authorities of church and society, sat an unseen, still higher Authority who is waiting for the "witness'" testimony to be spoken - not into his ear secretly, as in the privacy of prayer, but publicly throughout his world, "before human beings."

We are to confess that Jesus is Lord...that the Reign of God is already upon us through the power of the resurrection...that grace upon grace is the pattern of this Reign as Jesus is already the one who judges all things by grace alone. I could go on. So to call someone an apostate is to accuse a person of not teaching and preaching this Good News of the Reign of God. Well, several years ago, a pastor in our Synod called a group of pastors apostates because they put forth a resolution that offered support to a gay clergy person who was being removed from he ELCA roster. We were labeled that not because we spoke a word contrary to the central word of Scripture - Christ, Jesus, crucified and risen Lord. We were labeled that because of how we viewed the presence of a gay pastor faithfully teaching and preaching such Good News. Nowhere was there an accusation or any evidence that showed that we were denying or changing the Good News. We were being accused of being outside the faith - because of our way of seeing how the Good News makes room for faithful saints to go about the work of God's Reign. Unfortunately, this clergy person was never made to put forth evidence to support his accusation and we were never given the opportunity to defend our actions once those words were placed before the body of the Synod. Odd. The accusation stood and was left as the last word. Any yet it is not. For now it is necessary to press the issue and make sure that such a public accusation will be met with just such a public confession.

Connection: For those of you who are like me...slow thinkers and slow actors...the time does come to act and speak...and it is never too late.

Open up our hearts, O God, that we may be encouraged to lift up your promises and let your gracious Reign burst forth among us as we live and speak within your Reign that is already at hand and already setting free your people and bringing new life to those who have been left out and forgotten. Amen.