Is The Call Of The Church Universal Still Relevant?

Good Morning Friends,

Today’s lectionary passages have some interesting similarities and some striking differences that give guidance for the called-out assembly of God today. One is about Moses at the entrance to the Promised Land and the other about the gateway through the cross to the Kingdom of God. Both have references to rocks as a shadowing of Christ on the cross. But perhaps we should read here Christ as the Cornerstone when contemplating the Church and its fate beyond the pebble of Peter. You see, Traditional Church attendance is slipping. Interest in church has fallen. And we may wonder if the church is still needed in our culture and relevant. But the harsh reality is that the Church is just one generation away from extinction in our culture and that is disturbing. What do you think? Is there a better way than determinism and existentialism in making choices? Is The Call Of The Church Universal Still Relevant?

Scripture: The Israelites, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam died there, and was buried there. Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and against Aaron. The people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had died when our kindred died before the Lord! Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to bring us to this wretched place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; and there is no water to drink.” Then Moses and Aaron went away from the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting; they fell on their faces, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and your brother Aaron, and command the rock before their eyes to yield its water. Thus you shall bring water out of the rock for them; thus you shall provide drink for the congregation and their livestock. So Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he had commanded him. Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels, shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff; water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me, to show my holiness before the eyes of the Israelites, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and by which he showed his holiness.

Numbers 20:1-13 (NRSV)

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? “For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Matthew 16:13-28 (NRSV)

Message: Near the end of the 40 years wandering in the wilderness. Israel was camped at the entrance into the Promised Land and the springs that provided them water were drying up. They blamed Moses. And what is relevant for us in this story is that each new generation faces the same temptations and challenges in carrying on the faith as did the Israelites at the entrance of the Promised Land and this same message is relevant for the disciples with the Keys to the Kingdom in our Gospel reading as well. The thing is that new generations do not necessarily learn the lessons of their parents and new methods are needed for new generations even if people will still complain. The challenge is in bringing the problem to God and that is what the Church of today must do. We live at a time when the whole world is in a bit of a problem. There are mass shootings and climate change and economy trade wars, pandemics and it is easy to get discouraged and think we are creating chaos in this world. And maybe we are. Nations are in debt; ecological disasters abound and with every terrorist attack there is more evidence that the world is moving from civilization into chaos. We are between a rock and a hard place. And with this as the challenge we people of faith must figure out, with God as our guide, how the Church Universal can still make a difference during these difficult problems. One can easily conclude that it is too late for the church to act, and we just must wait for Jesus to come back to resolve the problems, but that attitude could easily make the situation even worse. If we understand the Call of the Church, it should be clear that we are to act by helping to make disciples for the next generation both locally and in unity with others throughout the world. We are not to get distracted from this goal but never at the risk of gaining worldly success but lose our souls in the process. You see, there is no cross without some suffering. There is no love without giving up something good for something better. So, don’t you wonder what answers, if any, the Church will come up with to address the world’s problems. Friends, we have a radical freedom and an awesome responsibility. It was the cross that defined the Call of Christ, and it is the cross that defines the call of the Church. Choose wisely. The people of today have so little resistance to endure pain and typically attempt to save themselves by making life comfortable. And it is very sad that way too many have become so selfishly confused. The way to love passes at the feet of the cross.

And So, Moses like Peter gets distracted and though it does not seem fair Moses suffers the consequences and Peter gets a second chance. The message is that for some situations there is not a second chance. If we destroy ecosystems, if we languish in our faith to its extinction do overs are not an option. But it does not profit a person to gain the whole world and forfeit one’s soul in this endeavor. So, withstand the devil’s distractions and have a clear sense of the mission God has for you. Deny yourself in the excesses of life so that others might just live. Carry the cross of forgiveness and obedience and discipline in making disciples. Look forward to the rewards of the Kingdom of God. Awaken in each other the Love Incarnate as witness to the promises of God and the Kingdom of Christ in each of us. Trust Jesus with your life because He knows what you need, and he will provide it. Jesus is the Church and is always relevant.

Pray we invest time and energy in serving God and others with the Gospel message. Pray we value the Church as it carries out its purpose of making disciples so that more people might have second chances. Pray we carry the Cross of discipline in order to avoid the pain of regret. Pray we trust God to be holy even when we are not. Pray we carry the cross of doing God’s will. Pray the rock of our faith is used for Kingdom purposes. Pray we establish new habits to address new needs. Pray we do not go around blaming people but work responsibly to address the challenge of the next generation, the Church, and the world. Pray we never stop listening to God. Pray we never submit to the devil’s distractions. Pray we have a clear sense of God’s mission. Pray we deny our less than Godly desires and carry the cross of obedience. Pray we look forward to the rewards of God’s Kingdom in us now. Pray we rejoice in the communion of the Saints seeking unity with Jesus now and forever.

Blessings,

John Lawson