Philippians 3:4-14 & Matthew 21:33-46
A few days ago, CNN put out a story
entitled: “A tsunami of church closings is poised to remake America.” The
article went on to predict that 100,000 church buildings would most likely
close in the next 10 years. It’s not clear how they are making this prediction.
There was a generic reference to “experts”.
But presumably they are basing this on the trends of the 21st
century, the amount of people remaining in most churches and the average age in
various churches.
There is no doubt
that Episcopal Churches would be wise to consolidate. The buildings are expensive…and many were
built in a time when there was no modern transportation and people had to be
able to walk to places. But the thing
is…people are really attached to their buildings. Obviously Christ Church is
different as we are designated as a national shrine…so no one is turning this
building into upscale condos or a brewery.
But even the churches that aren’t shrines…they love their building. They have memories there. Their family might be buried in the walls.
For many people, it’s not just a building.
It’s what the building represents.
The Gospel of Matthew was written
sometime around 70AD. The reason this
date is important is because it was after the Jewish uprising of 66AD. This was
a time when the Jewish people rose up against their oppressors and tried to rid
themselves of Roman rule. It didn’t go
well and eventually the temple was destroyed, which was a devastating loss for
the Jewish people. This was not just the
place where they worshipped, it was the heart of their identity. When this temple was destroyed by an empire
that had been oppressing them for generations, it was heartbreaking. Matthew
understood this. I think it’s why he
talked a lot about land and who owned it.
But he was also a new Christian and
Christians (even Jewish Christians) were starting to realize that they were no
longer welcome in synagogues and temples.
That seems obvious to us, but Jewish Christians didn’t necessarily
identify as Christians. Many of them
still held on to the Jewish traditions and worshipped at the temple. However, by 70AD, Jewish Christians would have
most likely realized that the temple was no longer their spiritual home. When the temple was destroyed it was a loss,
but not a loss on the same level as devout Jews experienced.
These new
Christians were discovering that they could worship anywhere. They were also struggling to understand what
their identity was if it was not with the Jewish people and the temple. That identity became their relationship with
Christ and their relationships within their community. I’m sure that was a hard transition for
them. It is really hard to shift how you
identify yourself or how you perceive yourself.
In his letter to the Philippians Paul spoke
of his confidence in his flesh…or his confidence in his identity. He said, “I
was circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, the tribe
of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a
persecutor of the church: as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” His identity was rooted in the traditions of
his faith, the family he was born into, his ethnicity, his ability to follow
the laws of his faith and his zeal for his faith….a zeal so ardent that is led
him to persecute Christians. This was a man who knew exactly who he was, what
he believed and what his job was.
That knowledge
must have been a comfort to him. And I
don’t mean that following these laws and keeping these traditions was easy. It
was not. But he had a clear script to
follow...a trajectory for his life. It’s something I think many people
appreciate. It’s stability and most of
us like stability. It’s probably what
has drawn me to historic churches. I find comfort in their rootedness.
But Paul gave that
all up for an experience on the road to Damascus. It was a profound experience, that left him
blind for days…but also with clear instructions from a heavenly voice. It still astonishes me when I think of all
that he gave up, to commit himself to this new faith, this entire new way of
being…a new identity. While his life had
not been easy before…it got exponentially more difficult when he became a
follower of Jesus Christ.
After Jesus told
the parable about the violent tenants, he quoted Psalm 118 and said, “The stone that the builders
rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s
doing, and it is
amazing in our eyes. He goes on to say, “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of
God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits
of the kingdom. I think this was Jesus reminding the Jewish leaders
who were listening…that nothing was guaranteed to them, even if they thought
this faith and this land was their birthright…it wasn’t. But it was also a reminder to his disciples
(both then and now) that Jesus was the cornerstone…the foundation of our faith.
That is where our identity has to reside…not in
our church (no matter how magnificent it is)—but in Jesus Christ. As long as we keep Jesus as our focus and our
reason for being, then we don’t need to focus on how many churches are closing
any given year. I am not minimizing the
grief that comes with a church closing. I have seen it happen and it’s horribly
painful. But I am so so weary of this
narrative that the church is dying. I
remember that came up at one of my first clergy gatherings about 20 years
ago. It was an older priest…probably 5
years from retirement and I finally said, “You need to stop. This is not helpful.”
Because the church…it’s not the building. It’s all of the people who follow Jesus or
seek to be part of a community of people trying to follow Jesus (I know some of
you are still searching and not sure what you believe, but I need you to know,
you are part of this community no matter how uncertain you may be. I assume we are all uncertain about some
things).
The stone that the builders rejected has become
the cornerstone of our faith. Someone
once rejected became the very foundation of our faith…what an incredible image
of who we can be as a Christian community…a place for everyone, even those who
feel rejected in most places. They can
find a place here.
Coincidentally, our stewardship theme this year
is “Creating Christ Church.” It’s in
honor of the 300th anniversary of the cornerstone being laid for
this very building. While the building
still needs work, I want to remind you all that when we talk about “Creating
Christ Church” we aren’t just talking about the building we are sitting in, but
how we continue to build this community---our relationships with one another,
our relationship with the oppressed and marginalized and our relationship with
God. We should celebrate that first
corner stone that was laid 300 years ago.
This building has been a spiritual home to countless people for
generations and it will continue to be so.
But let us never forget that the heart of our faith is not what we can
build, but who we can be in Christ.
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