This morning, I have what I hope are some easy questions for you.
Hands up if you are a Christian!
Okay… now – Hands up if you understand what that means…
And now: hands up if you think a non-Christian would answer that the same way.
Ah. Fewer hands are being raised there… and I think that’s common. Because there are a lot of different understandings of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
And… not all of them are positive.
A quick internet search of what non-Christians think about Christians shows quite a variety of replies. Here’s a sampling:
Christians are judgemental.
Christians are against a lot of things, and not FOR a lot of things.
Christians can’t tell me why they’re Christians.
Christians say one thing but do another – they’re hypocritical.
Christians are only interested in other Christians.
Christians are only interested in me if they can convert me.
OUCH. That’s not what we were raising our hands for earlier, was it?
Well here’s a few more of the responses.
Christians talk about love a lot.
Christians try to do the right thing.
Christians could teach me about the Bible.
Christians could help me be a better person.
Christians help our community.
Well now – that’s a bit more comfortable, isn’t it?
So. Based on those two extremes, how are you feeling about being a Christian?
And – what are you going to do about being a Christian?
Because these two questions address two VERY different realities of the same situation:
First, the feelings. The emotions.
Secondly, the response. The resultant actions.
And while both are important, it’s helpful for us to remember that they are different – and that they are not unconnected.
So let’s talk first about the emotions.
Emotions happen. They *are*. They just *are*. The majority of us have them, every day. If we don’t have any emotions, there are some medical conversations that might be helpful. But for most of us: we feel. This is our heart space: and there’s no judgement for what we feel. We can feel happy, sad, angry, peaceful, amused, fearful, awed – there’s a lot of emotions.
And we all have them. They’re natural, and usually happen in our bodies before we’ve started thinking about what’s happened. So, emotions on their own are neither good nor bad; nor right nor wrong. They just are.
BUT: that doesn’t mean that we can just take action however we like and presume that it’s okay.
Because our actions – the second part of the equation: that’s a whole different story. What we do is different from what we feel. There are different responsibilities and accountabilities to our actions.
This is where our maturity is important – we are not just reactive beings, slaves to our emotions. We are sentient beings – as God has made us – and so we can choose how we will use our actions.
How we conduct ourselves in the world demonstrates the foundational essence of our being. Let me say that a different way: our actions – what we do and don’t do – show the people around us a lot about who we are.
So: when we joyfully raised our hands to this morning’s first question – are you a Christian - we were okay showing the people around us that we have that belief system in our lives. Wonderful!
So I’m going to invite us to ponder then, what that means to us when we go out in the world. When we engage one another in non-church situations. When we’re out getting our groceries… or debating local politics… or disagreeing with a neighbour about late-night music volume… or doing anything else that we do.
Because when we’re out and about in the world, it can be easier to let the emotions take over. It can be easy to just roll our eyes at the twerp that cut us off in traffic… or call them a twerp (or worse) because name-calling seems harmless enough… or complain to our friends about the twerp in the car, because they’ll never know anyway…
You see where the slippery slope begins – and where it continues. We are being given, every day, an invitation to try and do better – to use our actions in ways that are constructive, helpful, positive, kind even. And we know that we can. We *can* act in a way that the world may see us as the Christians that we try to be!
But that means not letting that knee-jerk emotional reaction get the better of us.
And that’s not always easy, but it’s the right thing to do.
It’s not always popular – but it’s authentic.
It’s not always what our emotions say we want to be doing – but it is the Christian action.
And we’re not new to this: this is not just something that came into society recently. We can’t blame this on television or Sunday shopping or even COVID (as much as we may like to blame the virus for everything!) This has been part of the Christian journey from the very beginning of the Christian journey – and even before.
It was in David’s time, when he had to suffer the consequences of his actions, and recognise that what he wanted wasn’t always what he got – but that he was responsible for the kingdom regardless – and called to act in ways that reflected his faithful rule and position.
It was in the Psalm, whose pray-er called for help from the depths with the desire for forgiveness, and the acknowledgement that this salvation comes only from God – and is worth waiting for!
It is in the Gospel, where the religious authorities seek any justification to ignore Jesus, who responds not with anger but with compassion and grace and extends to all – including his haters – the gift of eternal life.
And it is most beautifully in the letter to the Christian Community at Ephesus, who are just learning what it means to be Christ followers, and who are intentionally changing their entire lives to reflect the glory of God in their midst: they are putting aside their old ways, so that they can re-direct their actions to show the world their faith, beyond just their emoti0onal reaction.
And so it is with us. Our emotions are just that: our emotions. We experience them, and we are responsible for what we do with them. No one else can control how we respond to our emotions.
And so we can choose, as did the Ephesians – to respond to the world, not just react. To re-direct the energy we feel from the emotions away from selfishness toward community; away from greed to generosity, away from making room for the works of evil towards the amazing grace of the love of God.
So if you are angry, be angry: but do not sin; use that energy instead to work against the world’s injustices.
And if you are happy, be happy: but do not be flippant; use that energy to brighten someone else’s day.
If you are afraid, be afraid: but do not be cruel; use that energy to journey alongside someone else in their fear.
If you are spiteful, be spiteful: but let no evil talk come from your mouths; use the energy instead to build one another up.
If you are lonely, be lonely: but know that you are not alone, for you are named and claimed in the name of the Triune God, and marked with a seal for the day of redemption.
If you are feeling malice or bitterness or wrath or anything else, feel that: but then put it away – and be kind to one another, be tender-hearted, and forgive one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Whatever your emotion: recognise it; identify; consider where it comes from: and find a way to channel that energy into actions that show the world that you are a Christian.
Actions that reflect what your faith means to you.
Actions that are seen by non-Christians as faithful expressions of your Christianity.
And be known for the Christian that you are, acting with love, acting with faith, acting as Jesus has taught us.
Hands up if you’re a Christian: Amen.
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