VISIONS
Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint, but happy are those who keep the law.
Habakkuk 2:1-4
I will stand at my watch-post, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint. 2 Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. 3 For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. 4 Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.
Matthew 28:16-20
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’
I am going to take these passages one by one and comment on their applicability to identifying a vision for our church.
Proverbs: Prophecy is far less about soothsaying than it is about saying ‘how it is’. When we say: “If you jump off of a ten-story building, you will die”, we are both ‘telling it like it is’ and predicting a future outcome. There are natural rules in the world, and we break them at our own peril. If a person loses their ability to see natural consequences, they lose restraint and are far more likely to be hurt. When we insist, we can play football at fifty because we remember playing when we were twenty-five, we fail to recognize the limits of our own bodies. Such fifty-year-olds are usually carried off the field. When a patient forgets he can no longer feel his feet and tries to go to the bathroom by himself, the subsequent fall will likely hospitalize him. When we drink too much, we may well get away with it, but the risk of catastrophic injury goes up exponentially. In each case, the ‘why’ does not matter. The consequence does—and though not guaranteed, those consequences are predictable.
The same is true of our spiritual lives. A self-centered life leads to competitive adversarial relationships. We become entitled. We become separated from each other and from God. We become isolated and alone. We may seek solace in our wealth or position, but we do not get to keep either. The call to live lives of love carries with it the consequence of failing to do so. We are lesser and the world is lesser. Without a sense of something bigger than ourselves, death is the end. Conversely, when we hold to the spiritual value that we are all loved, we discover that our lives and our loving matter long after our names are forgotten.
We need to hear the logical consequences of our choices, and we need to trust the guidelines (law) of our faith. The law is designed to show us a better way. It leads us to remember what is most important and erects signposts to love. The law is not to be used to condemn but to show us pathways to a life that gives life.
Habakkuk: We all wait on the boundaries of our lives. We complain. We doubt. We seek answers. That is what a lot of faith is about. Over and over, we are confronted with human suffering, disregard and cruelty. Sometimes it is global. We live in a war-torn world. Nearly every generation has seen genocidal destruction. Sometimes it is national. Prejudices flourish and are often encouraged by the echo chambers of the bubbles of our living. Our political landscape is littered with name calling rather than reconciliation. We idolize and demonize. We are as likely to see Christianity dividing people rather than reconciling people. And sometimes we are desperately seeking to make sense of the personal upheavals of our living, unemployment, a lost child, a strained marriage, a threatening medical diagnosis or a deep loss.
We keep watch and we wait for what God has to say to us. Where is our God? The answer to us is the same as it was to Habakkuk. “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.” We must identify and share what we believe in. We must make it so plain and simple that limited attention spans can make sense of it. We must make what we stand for so clear that we stand for hope in broken lives. We stand for hope in a broken world. As Habakkuk points out, this clarity may tarry but it will come. We have seen glimpses of such messages in the “He gets us” campaign. Such clarity is possible. Truth be told, it is difficult to hold on to. But the Christian faith has gone viral before. God speaks in every generation.
My personal sloganeering has emerged from a dozen years in Faith in Real Life.
- Live like you are loved.
- Live like love matters.
- Live like love will prevail.
Each of these are fundamental faith claims. Each of these provide orientation and direction for ordinary lives. They can sustain you, give you purpose and give you hope. I believe in my deepest heart it is what God wants for us and what God offers us. It is my vision for the church.
Matthew 28:16-20: This is a familiar passage to many. It is the great commission for each of us. We are called to share our vision. We are called to share the Good News. Jesus offered himself whether or not he was doubted or rejected. He claimed unique authority and he promised to be with us to the end of the age.
First, note the seventeenth verse: “When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.” The remaining 11 of Jesus’s closest companions worshiped him BUT SOME DOUBTED. That is a critical detail. Even some of those closest to Jesus, doubted. Jesus did not dismiss them until their doubt was gone. I’m not sure it is even possible for all our doubts to be gone. That is not a criterion for God’s care. He gave the great commission to all of them. He gives the great commission to all of us. Jesus could and can use doubters. We need to remember that when we struggle with our faith.
Second, Jesus claimed unique authority. Jesus’ authority ultimately resided in how he lived his life. He did not rely on grand pronouncements. He walked the walk. Jesus claimed authority because his words and actions matched. Authority can come from many sources—education, wealth, political position, ordination, parenthood etc. but the real test of authority is the congruence of words and action. We believe that if you want to learn what it means to love, we should learn from Jesus.
Unfortunately, the words love and Christianity are used trivially and to advance secular position. Many people do contradictory things in the name of love or in the name of Jesus. We have people like Saint Teresa, Joel Epstein and the Christian Zionist movement all claiming to follow Jesus. But that very confusion is why we are obligated to study him. Following Jesus always has and always will require humble discernment and study. Part of our vision must always include such discernment and study. But at the core, if we are to follow Jesus, our actions must align with our words. That is not easy.
Christianity takes work and we are a flawed and broken people. We must live our faith humbly; we must be open to new possibilities, must embrace our limitations, and trust our failings do not discount us. It is always tempting to see only what we want to see and turn faith into self-service rather than service to others. We must use our faith and our tradition as guard rails against such self-centeredness. We cannot do this alone. It is why we have each other and why we have Jesus. “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age”. We need more than an example; we need a companion. It is in such relationships that Jesus lives. It is in such relationships that we become the hands and feet of Jesus. It is in such relationships that we find life.
So, remember: 1. Live like you are loved.
- Live like love matters.
- Live like love will prevail.
Learn of love through Jesus, discover his authority for yourself, and remember, He is with you always, to the end of the age”.
Such a vision is our hope and our salvation. Let it be so.
