St. Paul’s Church in
Bergen, Jersey City NJ
February 23, 2014
Year A: The Seventh
Sunday after Epiphany
Leviticus 19:1-2,
9-18
Psalm 119:33-40
1 Corinthians
3:10-11, 16-23
Matthew 5:38-48
Trying Difficult Christianity
So,
have you ever wondered what clergy talk about when they get together?
Oh,
we talk about all the same kinds of things as everybody else: for example, the
latest styles of vestments, which communion wine tastes best, the benefits of
using whole wheat wafers, and so forth.
Seriously,
one topic that comes up a lot is church attendance.
Since
I’ve been rector here a number of my clergy colleagues have been checking in with
me.
“How
are things going?” they ask.
And
some bolder and, yes, nosier colleagues ask, “What’s your average Sunday
attendance?”
Now,
since, thank God, we’re growing, I don’t really mind be asked about our
attendance, though it really isn’t any of their business. But, some people are
very uncomfortable getting asked that kind of question because a low or
dropping average Sunday attendance, or ASA, unfairly indicates some kind of
failure on the part of the priest, the vestry, and even the congregation itself.
The
disturbing truth is that church attendance has been dropping in the Episcopal
Church and in most other denominations for years. The decline has begun to
affect the Southern Baptists and even the nondenominational mega-churches, whose
growth not too long ago seemed unstoppable.
So
we clergy and others church people puzzle and worry over the decline.
Why
don’t people come to church like they used to?
Well,
there are lots of reasons, of course.
Over
the years the Church has lost credibility with a lot of people because of
various scandals – usually either sexual or financial or both.
And
then some supposedly Christian leaders have hurt all of our reputations,
stained us all, by the hate that they spew from their pulpits and over the
airwaves and on the streets.
Some
people get turned off or even rejected by the church they grew up in. Rather
than looking for another Christian community where they might be welcomed and
fed, they drop out, or dabble in another religion or create their own religion
or describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious.”
And
then in this age of skepticism there are lots of people just don’t find our
claims about God and Jesus and life to be believable and so they fall away.
And,
then we all know that in recent years, for better or worse, American culture
has changed a whole lot.
For
example, for many Americans Sunday used to be set aside for church and family –
even here in Hudson County.
I’m
old enough to remember the days of the Blue Laws, strictly limiting shopping on
Sundays. (Most of you probably know that Blue Laws are still in place in Bergen
County.)
Not
too long ago, the idea of schools or athletic teams scheduling Sunday morning
practices or games was practically unthinkable.
I’m
not really sure how it is here in the city, but certainly out in the suburbs
church has a lot of tough competition from soccer, football, ice hockey, field
hockey, lacrosse and all the rest. Out in Grace Church in Madison I saw many
parents really torn by having to make the choice between sports and church.
Some would just figure out a way to do both, coming to an early service for
example. But, others would reluctantly give in and drive their kids to the
field or the rink.
And
then there are people who are simply exhausted. Sunday is maybe the one morning
they get to sleep in; the one morning they get to have a real breakfast; the
one morning they get to spend with family and friends.
So,
you see we’ve given some thought to the decline in church attendance.
But,
I wonder if there might not be another reason why not as many people show up
for church.
Christianity
is difficult.
Now,
Christianity isn’t so difficult if you’re just going to go through the motions,
if you’re just going to come here and say the words and sing the songs, eat the
bread and drink the wine and then go out into the world and live just like everybody
else.
That
kind of Christianity is easy.
But,
of course, that’s not real Christianity.
Real
Christianity is hard.
Thinking
about how hard it is to be a Christian reminds me of a famous quote by G.K.
Chesterton, a writer who lived about a hundred years ago.
He
wrote: “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found
difficult and not tried.”
I
think that’s absolutely true. Christianity – real Christianity is difficult and
is usually not even tried.
And
this Sunday and last Sunday we’ve been reminded just how difficult Christianity
is – this Sunday and last Sunday we’ve heard the highest expectations that
Jesus sets for us.
Those
of you who braved the ice and were here last week may remember that we heard
Jesus dig down into the roots of God’s law – we heard Jesus dig down to the
heart of the Law.
Jesus
teaches us that in his view, in God’s view, hate is as bad as murder and lust
is as bad as adultery.
Jesus
teaches us that we are to keep our promises and commitments – and we are to be
absolutely honest.
Jesus
sets the highest expectations for us.
And
then today difficult Christianity gets just a little more difficult.
Jesus
calls us not to resist the evildoer, but to turn the other cheek.
Jesus
calls us to give away to those in need not just our coat but our cloak as well.
That may not sound so tough except when we realize that in the First Century if
you gave away you coat and your cloak, you were naked.
Difficult
Christianity.
In
the Roman Empire soldiers could force civilians to carry their stuff for one
mile. Jesus calls his followers to go a second mile.
Jesus
commands us, “Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who
wants to borrow from you.”
Very
difficult. So difficult that I’m surprised some people haven’t begun to make
their way out the door!
Jesus
demands that we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.
And,
finally, Jesus calls us to be perfect as God is perfect.
G.K.
Chesterton again: “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It has
been found difficult and not tried.”
And,
yet.
And
yet we need to try to live this difficult Christianity because Jesus’ way of
love, forgiveness, and sacrifice really is “The Way.”
We
need to try because Jesus’ way of love, forgiveness and sacrifice is the way to
true joy and fullness of life.
We
need to try because Jesus’ way of love, forgiveness and sacrifice is the way
things were always meant to be, the way we were always meant to be.
But,
real Christianity, the way of the Cross, the way Jesus, sure is difficult.
So,
as I said last Sunday, that’s why we come back here week after week.
That’s
really why we get together here each Sunday – to get the support we need to
meet the highest expectations that Jesus has for us.
That’s
really why we get together here each Sunday, to receive forgiveness for the
many, many – too many times to count or remember – times that we fail to meet
Jesus’ highest expectations – that we fail to follow the difficult way of
Jesus.
That’s
why we come to church, to receive the help of God’s grace, the help of God’s
grace that we receive in and through the Scriptures, our prayers and songs, our
fellowship, our service to one another and to the wider community, and most
especially in the Body and Blood of Christ that we take into our bodies and
into our hearts.
We
may wish otherwise, but Jesus has set the highest expectations for us, his
disciples and followers.
Jesus
has called us to his way, the way of the Cross, the difficult way of love,
forgiveness and sacrifice.
And,
together, with God’s grace, we can begin to rise to Jesus’ highest
expectations.
Together,
with God’s grace, we can actually, finally, try this difficult Christianity and
take even just a few small steps towards perfection.
So,
actually, yes, our average Sunday attendance is pretty important after
all. Amen.
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