A Pernicious Pachyderm
I wonder if you see him sitting there? You know that wrinkly, grey thing with a trunk for a nose and ears the size of bedsheets. You see him? Yes, it is the elephant in the room. Even though he is enormous we don’t like to talk about him a whole lot. Though not talking about him doesn’t make him go away.
So let’s name this guy. This guy is the elephant of “differences about how to handle the pandemic” and he threatens to divide the body of Christ, both on a local level (i.e. our body at Christ Church) and on a more global level. As churches regather or look toward regathering, this ole pachyderm is going to continue to sit right there in the middle of the room and threaten our fellowship. He is going to incite name calling such as “the reckless”, “fearmongerers”, “Trumpers”, “Liberals”, etc... He will seek to divide along cultural fault lines, the very thing that transcends culture, the body of Christ (cf. Eph 2:14-16).
So how do we diffuse this guy? We start, of course, by looking at the scriptures. Personally, I have been camping in the last section of Romans, chapters 12 to 16. Here we see a church that is full of cultural differences - Jews and Gentiles, slave and free, nobles and commoners, men and women - all encouraged to “out do one another in showing honor” (12:10), to “live in harmony with one another, and never be wise in your own sight” (12:16). It is these chapters that encourage servants of Christ not to pass judgement on another servant of Christ (cf. 14:4) and those who consider themselves strong are to bear with the infirmities of the weak, never causing them to stumble (cf. all of 14). In Corinth Paul puts this attitude into practice when he says,“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them”. A fellow pastor paraphrased the verses that follow like this “To those who wear masks, I became a mask-wearer; for those who refuse to wear masks, I became a servant. I have become all things to all people that I may by all means win some. I do all things for the sake of the Gospel that I might share with them in its blessings". (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
I appreciate each and every one of you, along with the perspective that God has given you. It may not be the same perspective as mine. I may even think that your perspective is fundamentally flawed. But you and I are part of the same body and we are called to submit to one another, love one another, and pursue truth together. So I will do my best to serve you with humility, because you are my sister. I will do my best to encourage your spirit, because you are my brother. I will always keep in mind that as we love one another we are manifesting the reality that the death and resurrection of Jesus is indeed making all things new! (cf. John. 17:23)
In the weeks to come, as we seek to fulfill our covenant obligation to worship, by gathering in parking lots, homes, parks?; as we begin to open our building on the Lord’s Day to hear his word, encourage one another, offer our shared sacrifice of praise, and Lord willing, feast at his Table; may we be filled with the mind of Christ who laid aside his rights in order to become a servant. Evangelical consumerism demands that the church complies with my desires and my views, or I will not ‘purchase’ the product. Biblical Christianity demands that we lay aside our own preferences and conveniences to embrace what is good for our soul, our brothers and sisters, our neighbors outside the body of Christ, and ultimately for the glory of God.
Friends, please don’t let your view of culture and our many crises rob us collectively of the joy of Christ. With our eyes on Him, may the mastodon of mayhem currently sharing the room with us be turned from a divisive presence into Exhibit A testifying to the power of the Gospel.
Photo by ZACHARY PEARSON on Unsplash