Sermon Audio: Luke 11:37 - 12:12 The Woes of Religion

You would imagine that Jesus would like the religious people who were around in his day. They took the whole religion thing seriously. Yet the harshest words from Jesus' lips were directed towards the religious. Listen in to hear about the Woes of Religion, and how to answer them with relationship.

Sermon: Luke 11:37 - 12:12 The Woes of Religion

It’s almost two years since the G8 came to Enniskillen. Alongside all the extra security and the influx of journalists, one part of the preparations made headline news. Right through the centre of town (and even in Brookeborough), there suddenly appeared all these fake shopfronts. On the outside, it looked like a thriving business; they livened the street up. But inside there was a derelict building. There were reports of people not looking closely, trying to get into the ‘cafe’, but there was nothing to eat. You’d go hungry depending on the picture on the outside.

Those fake shopfronts are a picture of the Pharisees and religious people Jesus meets in our reading today. On the outside, they look the business. They’re very impressive. They look very holy, very religious, very committed. But Jesus exposes the reality behind the front. He goes below the surface to see what they’re like underneath. At a meal in a Pharisee’s house, Jesus exposes the woes of religion.

Now that might sound strange. We think that Jesus would like the religious people, and that they would like him. But Jesus shows us that he’s not looking for outward religion which looks good but doesn’t change the heart. So let’s listen in, to see what the marks of outward religion are, to make sure that this isn’t us.

Jesus is invited to dinner at the home of a Pharisee. So he comes in, sits down, and starts to eat. The Pharisee is ‘amazed to see that he did not first wash before dinner.’ (38). Now this isn’t just what you teach the kids, to wash their hands before dinner. The Pharisees had elaborate rules about ceremonial cleansing before eating, to show that they were clean and pure. But Jesus doesn’t bother with them. He takes his seat and starts to eat.

The Pharisee is amazed because this is something he always does. He always follows the rules. He always does it properly. And he expects Jesus to do the same. But this isn’t a rule in the Bible. It’s something the Pharisees made up for themselves to show how good and clean they were.

Jesus diagnoses the problem in verse 39: ‘You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.’ They make sure that they are clean on the outside, they put on a good front, but inside, they’re unclean. Like the fake shops, they look good on the outside, but inside they’re dirty and undone. They need to be clean on the inside too.

That leads Jesus to launch into the series of woes. These are the marks of outward religion. The first is concentrating on the wrong priorities. ‘Woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God.’ (42) They focus on the law that says you have to tithe, give a tenth of all you get. So the Pharisees are out in their garden, carefully counting and cutting the mint leaves so that they give every tenth one to God. They’re meticulous - but they neglect something greater - justice for the oppressed, and love for God! Religion can get obsessed with the wrong priorities, and things that don’t matter as much.

Second, religion is more concerned with position and respect. And for those of us in robes, this is something to be listened to carefully. ‘Woe to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honour in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marker-places.’ (43) Do we see religion as a way to be seen and respected, or are we serving God and sitting where it’s practical to lead the service from? It’s a heart issue. We need to see below the surface.

Third, outward religion makes other people unclean. To step on a grave was to make a person unclean. But an unmarked grave was a danger - you didn’t know you had stepped on it. Religion has a way of affecting others, leading them astray, without them realising.

At this point, one of the lawyers steps in. He’s watching the Pharisees get a hammering, and he’s offended on their behalf. So Jesus tackles the teachers of the law as well. Woe four: religion burdens people and doesn’t help them. By setting all these extra rules, it adds a burden to people trying to follow, but it doesn’t help them live for God!

Woe five: They honour the people who attacked the true spokesmen sent by God. Jesus mentions an A-Z of martyrs, Abel through to Zechariah, all of them sent by God, and all of them attacked and killed by the religious people who didn’t want to listen to what God was saying through them. It seems that there were loads of special tombs being erected for the prophets, but Jesus says that they’re really celebrating that these people are dead!

The final woe is that the key of knowledge is taken away. By making God’s word awkward and obscure, the lawyers don’t enter in to knowing God, and they make sure that no one else can either. The door is locked, and they’ve thrown away the key to stop people getting in.

The woes of religion: a focus on looking good, while being far from good. The Pharisees and scribes are furious and begin to be very hostile towards him. Towards the end of the passage, Jesus summarises the woes of religion in one word. Look at 12:1. ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees that is, their hypocrisy.’ Hypocrisy is like yeast - it spreads quickly, and affects everything it comes in contact with.

Perhaps you’ve invited people to church only to hear that they don’t want to come. That the people in church are all hypocrites. We need to hear the diagnosis of religion, to see if this is us. Are we like this? Jesus gives his disciples three ways to beware of hypocrisy; three answers to outward religion. Let’s look at them briefly.

First of all, fight hypocrisy with integrity. If hypocrisy is appearing to be one thing but actually being something else, then integrity is being the same all the time. ‘Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.’ So don’t let secrets flourish. Live in the light. Be open and honest. Let some people inside, to know the real you, not just the ‘you’ you show the world.

Secondly, don’t fear people, but fear God. Some of us live to please other people. Everything we do is for them, and what they will think of us. But don’t worry about their opinion. God is the one whose opinion matters - who can throw people into hell. But even as we fear him, remember that (at the same time) he loves you. If God knows about and cares about the sparrows, then how much more will he love you? So fear him, but don’t be afraid! Living to please God, in the light of his love transforms us.

And lastly, don’t be ashamed of Jesus. If we live as his people, if we acknowledge him; then he will acknowledge us. It’s not about being religious, and obeying a set of rules. It’s about being in relationship with Jesus, being connected to him.

The danger of religious hypocrisy is real - we can look good on a Sunday morning and be a terror through the week. But knowing God, being in relationship with him changes us, and helps us to live for him, knowing his love and care. ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy.’

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 8th February 2015.

The Orange Order: Faith Proclaimed or Feet Parading?

The other day, I was in a national shop in a local town. The assistants are always polite, always friendly, mostly chatty. Picking up and scanning the copy of The Irish News I was buying, the lady quickly made a few assumptions and asked me who would win on Sunday. I had to confess that I didn't know what she was talking about. It turns out it was the GAA Football Ulster Final yesterday between Donegal and Monaghan, which was won by Monaghan 0-13 to 0-7, although I couldn't have told you that without looking.

The assumptions were plain and obvious - buy the Irish News, be a Roman Catholic / Nationalist / Republican, and chat about Gaelic Football. It's precisely because those assumptions are in place (similarly, probably with those on the 'other side' who buy the Newsletter) that I wanted to share a couple of articles from The Irish News last week. Many who need to read them would never ever pick up a copy of The Irish News - but perhaps they'll read them here.

They are both by William Scholes, the faith and religion editor, and were published on Thursday 18th and Friday 19th July. First up, 'Faith proclaimed becoming lost to order's feet proclaiming.'

In it, he explores the 'juggernauts of religion, culture and politics' colliding for the Orange Order. Reflecting on the scenes from the Woodvale Road after they were banned from returning along the Crumlin Road past Ardoyne shops, he says, 'Sorting out where it stands on faith would seem to be central to that.' As he declares, 'Something has clearly gone badly wrong for the Orange Order, certainly in Belfast, if feet parading has become more important than faith proclaimed.'

While recognising that Belfast is a case apart, and in other places, such as Fermanagh, the Twelfth is an entirely different kind of a day, it all comes down to identity:

It seems to be a question of identity. If the Christian's identity lies "in Christ", then while flags, parades and other expressions of culture can remain vitally important, they are no all-consuming.

My thought is on how the actions of attacking the police can be a witness to the love of Christ and his concern for the lost.

The second article came a day later, entitled 'Orange Order needs to have critical friends.'

Scholes focuses on the debate in the recalled Stormont Assembly on Tuesday on the parades issue.

There was going to be a showdown. And after a weekend of violence, intemperate words and the usual blame game, this wouldn't just be any old showdown.
It would be Achilles stepping out of his tent on the Plain of Scamander and confronting Hector at the gates of Troy. It would be King Henry V at Agincourt on Saint Crispin's Day.
But in the end, it was more like Noggin the Nog. Or was it Mike the Knight?
Tuesday's debate at the recalled assembly was the build up to the let-down, at least for anyone expecting a full-on blood on the carpet battle..
For anyone who clings to the belief that politics is the answer to our problems, there were glimmers of hope to be discerned.

The end point and conclusion of his opinion piece should provide a plan for the future:

It is highly tempting for the silent majority of the Protestant community - as if it were a homogeneous bloc in the first place - to allow its apathy towards the Orange Order in Belfast to turn into disavowal.
But that would be a mistake. If Orange ears are apparently shut to nationalists, then it is for other Proetstants to help them see another way.
Some might prefer the order to stop paying lip service to a Christianity its actions at Woodvale contradict but as long as being "Christ-centred" is part of its DNA, Church leaders in particular will have a duty to be involved.

Two important articles, albeit almost entirely hidden away from the eyes who most need to see them, because they're appearing in the Irish News. We give thanks for the peaceful parade / protest on Saturday, but the order needs to find a new way forward, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with the whole community as a matter of first priority.

Note: Both articles are used with the permission of the author, William Scholes.

Book Review: Life of Pi *spoilers*

Yann Martel's novel Life of Pihas now been made into a feature film, leading to a surge in interest in the tiger on a boat story. When it was recently on special offer for the Kindleat just 20p (and it still is), I thought I'd read along and see what all the fuss was about. My conclusion? It's a bit of a strange novel, with bits of stories that could almost sit separately, and a traumatic twist at the very end. More about that later.

The book's main character is a little lad named Piscine (who seizes the opportunity to change it from 'pissing' to 'Pi' when he changes school), whose dad owns a zoo in Pondicherry, India. The early part of the story is fascinating, as the experience of growing up in a zoo is described in vivid detail; the envy of many a reader is incited - just imagine waking up and walking to school past the elephants and the lions and everything else! The arguments for zoos are presented very strongly, as a place of safety and security for animals who have adapted to their territory and are comfortable in their space.

Alongside zoos, there is plenty of chat about religion as well: 'I know zoos are no longer in people's good graces. Religion faces the same problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both.' He describes his favourite school teacher, Mr Kumar, who is an avowed atheist, who asserts that 'Religion is darkness.' to which Pi replies in his thoughts, 'Darkness is the last thing that religion is. Religion is light.' Yet even this prompts Pi to believe that 'atheists are my brothers and sisters of a different faith, and every word they speak speaks of faith. Like me, they go as far as the legs of reason will carry them - and then they leap.'

Still on religion, Pi says: 'We are all born like Catholics, aren't we - in limbo, without religion, until some figure introduces us to God? After that meeting the matter ends for most of us. If there is a change, it is usually for the lesser rather than the greater; many people seem to lose God along life's way. That was not my case.

The development is that Pi - a Hindu - also becomes a Christian and a Muslim, all at the same time (allegedly, of course - it's the premise of the book). It's his contention that all religions are just basically the same: 'Hindus, in their capacity for love, are indeed hairless Christians, just as Muslims, in the way they see God in everything, are bearded Hindus, and Christians, in their devotion to God, are hat-wearing Muslims.'

He meets a priest, who tells him the story of Jesus being crucified, and he reflects: 'What a downright weird story. What peculiar psychology... What kind of a god is that? What is there to inspire in this Son?' Nevertheless... 'I couldn't get Him out of my head. Still can't. I spent three solid days thinking about Him. The more He bothered me, the less I could forget Him. And the more I learned about Him, the less I wanted to leave Him.' And so he returns to the priest, who declares: 'You already are [a Christian], Piscine - in your heart. Whoever meets Christ in good faith is a Christian.'

To his Christianity is quickly added Islam, a year later. Martel, through Pi, presents a religious pick n mix, a smorgasbord of spiritualities where it appears it's buy one, get two free. Why just be a Hindu when you can also be Christian and Muslim. An interesting situation, which leads to a comical episode where Pi and his family happen to bump into the pandit, the priest and the imam all at the same time. 'That was my introduction to interfaith dialogue,' says Pi. Hilarious, but ultimately unsatisfying. The truth claims of each are exclusive, it's just not possible to be all at the same time.

Part Two of the book moves from his ultra-religious upbringing to the amazing journey. The family zoo is moving from India to Canada, and they're travelling on a cargo boat when suddenly, the ship is in trouble, and Pi lands in a lifeboat with a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena, and a tiger. Through the waters of the ocean, Pi recounts his travels as the zebra and orangutan are quickly disposed of, the tiger eats the hyena, and Pi is left with the tiger - to train, or be killed.

The survival story is like something from Bear Grylls, with lots of reflections on fear, on doing what is necessary, on gaining the upper hand against a wild tiger, changing dietary habits and fishing while avoiding sharks and so on. Through the carnivorous island, the hunger and thirst, the perils of storms, the disappointments of losing equipment and having barely enough to survive, eventually Pi and Richard Parker (the tiger) land on solid ground in Mexico.

That brings us to the third part of the book. It's perhaps the funniest of the whole book. It's a series of interviews (which had been recorded and transcribed) conducted by officers from the Japanese Transport department, investigating the sinking of the cargo ship. Most of it is in English, but we're also treated to the translated comments which they share in Japanese. Very funny stuff! They fail to believe the story of the tiger and so on, and eventually pressure Pi into telling another version, a story without animals. Now in the Kindle, you don't have page numbers, but you do have percentage of the book you've already read, and we were in the high 90s. What would be the twist? And it's simply this - there were no animals. The half of the book has been an invention, a fabricated story to remove himself from the horror of the true events of the lifeboat, in which a member of the crew, the cook, his mother and Pi set off on the lifeboat, but only Pi survives the butchery and drive to survive. Gruesome, so it's little wonder the Japanese report goes with the tiger story.

The author's note at the beginning (which was almost by-passed by the Kindle going straight to the start of chapter one) declares that this is a book to make the reader believe in God. I'm not sure he does that - unless it's in his all-encompassing way of insisting that it doesn't matter what you believe, you're in. Perhaps though, he means the miracle that Pi survived so long in the boat, but again, I'm not convinced. It's a memorable story that will long stick in my mind, but it's not a book to bring belief.

I'm not sure how they've transferred it to the big screen. I'm not sure how faithful to the book it would be. It might just be worth seeing or reading for some escapism, but, as the 39 Articles of Religion says of the apocrypha (paraphrasing) - interesting to read, but don't use them for doctrine.

Life of Pi(Kindle)

Book Review: The Bookseller of Kabul

Growing up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles was, at one and the same time, both very strange and yet remarkably normal. While the outside world watched the TV news coverage of bombs and bullets, most people in Northern Ireland lived fairly ordinary lives, even while being subjected to tremendous pressures. What was normal seemed very stressful to those looking in - something we realised when a few of us were in London on the day of the 07/07 terrorist attacks of 2005 and coped without panic, while a Scottish friend was extremely stressed wanting to get home and away from the madness.

Beneath the headlines, though, are ordinary lives; births, marriages and deaths; work and rest and play; fallings out and makings up; news and gossip; hopes and dreams.

Afghanistan is one of those places that is never off the news. Famous or infamous because of the ongoing placement of British and American soldiers, and the rising death toll of the effort to bring peace and security to that war-torn land. Yet, just like Northern Ireland, within Afghanistan there are many ordinary families with their own fascinating stories. In The Bookseller of Kabul, Asne Seierstad tells just one family's story.

The Bookseller of Kabul is a wonderful portrait of life in Afghanistan, with Seierstad a masterful painter of sights and smells and scenes. The reader is transported to Kabul, and given access to the family of Sultan Khan, his two wives, his matriarchal mother, his children, brothers and sisters, and extended family. Having spent three months living with them, Seierstad tells plenty of stories, following the customs and rituals of proposal, engagement, and wedding - through negotiation between the families without the couple meeting or expressing an opinion.

There are insights into their hopes and fears; their loves and hates; their religious experiences; and what life was like during and after the reign of the Taliban. While there were some assertions I wouldn't necessarily agree with on Islam, it was interesting to hear what they make of it, and what it is like to go on pilgrimage, and what they hope to gain from it.

All in all, this was an enjoyable book, which you would particularly like if you've read either of Khaled Hosseini's books (The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns). Well worth a read to experience another culture.

Book Review: Christianity and Liberalism

For a long time, I'd been told that I had to read J Gresham Machen's 'Christianity and Liberalism.' The book was written in 1946, yet no matter who talked about it, the consensus was that it could have been written this week. So when I recently got a Kindle, and discovered that the book was just 77 pence, I downloaded it and got stuck in. And I have to say, it does seem to be very relevant to the situation we find ourselves in these days.

Machen's thesis is simple: that Christianity and Liberalism are two different, distinct, separate religious systems, despite using similar words and phrases. Through the six chapters of the book, Machen develops this theme, as he considers the importance of and distinct approaches and beliefs about doctrine, the relationship between God and man, the Bible, Christ, salvation, and the church.

In each of the chapters, Machen demonstrates the difference between orthodox Christianity and Liberalism, which clarifies the opposing worldviews and beliefs and hermeneutics battling for the mind and future of the church:

'Christianity is battling against a totally diverse type of religious belief, which is only the more destructive of the Christian faith because it makes use of traditional Christian terminology.' (Loc 17-18)

'In trying to remove from Christianity everything that could possibly be objected to in the name of science, in trying to bribe off the enemy by those concessions which the enemy most desires, the apologist has really abandoned what he started out to defend.' (Loc 90-92)

'According to the Christian conception, a creed is not a mere expression of Christian experience, but on the contrary it is a setting forth of those facts upon which experience is based.' (Loc 240-241)

'Here is found the most fundamental difference between liberalism and Christianity - liberalism is altogether in the imperative mood, while Christianity begins with a triumphant indicative; liberalism appeals to man's will, while Christianity announces, first, a gracious act of God.' (Loc 583-585)

'At the very root of the modern liberal movement is the loss of the consciousness of sin.' (Loc 810-11)

'The truth is that the life-purpose of Jesus discovered by modern liberalism is not the life purpose of the real Jesus, but merely represents those elements in the teaching of Jesus - isolated and misinterpreted - which happen to agree with the modern program. It is not Jesus, then, who is the real authority, but the modern principle by which the selection within Jesus' recorded teaching has been made.' (Loc 974-977)

'But one cause is perfectly plain - the Church of today has been unfaithful to her Lord by admitting great companies of non-Christian persons, not only into her membership, but into her teaching agencies.' (Loc 1998-99)

Stirring and strong stuff. For some, it may seem like fighting talk, yet there is a lot of what he says that seems to ring true. At times, there are allusions and references to the situation he's writing in to in his own denomination and setting, but these aside, the main thrust is easily understood. Machen's low cost Kindle book may well be the wake-up call we need to hear and heed.

Every Day a Holi-Day

Belfast is becoming a cosmopolitan city. The influx of new people groups has led to a rise in the number of community festivals. Indeed, rather than just orange and green, the city explodes in a rainbow of colours for lots of feasts and festivals.

At the weekend, there was the celebration of the Hindu festival of Holi (the Festival of Colours) at the Kings Hall. Icedcoffee had a report and lots of pictures, but it was the description of the festival that caught my attention:

In most areas, Holi lasts about two days. One of Holi’s biggest customs is the loosening strictness of social structures, which normally include age, sex, status, and caste. Holi closes the wide gaps between social classes and brings Hindus together. Together, the rich and poor, women and men, enjoy each other’s presence on this joyous day. Additionally, Holi lowers the strictness of social norms. No one expects polite behavior; as a result, the atmosphere is filled with excitement and joy.

As they celebrate the beginning of spring and throw paint at each other, these Hindus experience for a day or two the reduction of the strict social structures. It seems that once the festival is over, the old barriers are back in place again.

How different for those in Christ - where every day is like a Holi day:

'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.' (Galatians 3:28)