How did you go filling out the census last week? I’m looking forward to hearing the results when they are released but particularly I want to see the section on religion and what percentage of the population still consider themselves to be Christian. I know we get quite concerned when we hear about the numbers dropping in church attendance. I’ve heard some concerns over this year’s census because Lutherans didn’t come up as a pre-printed option but you have to add it in under “Other” probably because our numbers have declined to such an extent. And because of our business models in the world influencing our church model we naturally see decline in attendance as a sign of failure – and that we have to arrest this fall and do something to bring people back. We feel that we need to make the Christian faith more palatable in order to fix our declining numbers.
Some of the suggestions have been: Be less judgmental. Be more user friendly. Focus less on sin and more on love. Focus less on law and more on gospel. Whereas I don’t disagree that at times the church has probably spoken in ways that has divided people unfairly,
I don’t think we should necessarily see that declining numbers is a sign of failure. In fact as early as the very first churches we read in the book of Hebrews that this was a challenge then too: In Hebrews 10:25 it says: Do not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day of Judgment approaching. And if declining numbers is a sign of failure then we must put Jesus in that camp also.
For the last 3 weeks we have been reading the discussion that Jesus has had with the Jewish leaders who complained because he said he was the bread of life that came down from heaven. Isn’t this Joseph’s son who lives among us – how can he say he came down from heaven? Now, we can understand the controversy this caused among the Jewish leaders who didn’t understand God’s plan for the Messiah, but what we see in our Gospel reading today is something remarkable:
It wasn’t the Jewish leaders but when many of his disciples heard Jesus say this, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it? Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. Jesus’s numbers declined – is that a failure? It doesn’t seem to be as Jesus didn’t waiver or change his teaching but stuck to the core message and he even offers his chosen 12 disciples to also leave him:
Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” What was it that kept Peter and the other disciples following Jesus when others could not understand or accept what Jesus was teaching them? Because they knew that Jesus had the words of eternal life and ONLY Jesus had those words. Nowhere else could they find what Jesus was offering them – sure hope of eternal life in Heaven. We need to ensure that what we offer the world is something the world cannot find anywhere else. And what he have to offer isn’t found anywhere else. We have the words of eternal life.
But are those words sometimes hidden behind our politics, our arguments over theology. We have the words of unconditional love by a God who created us – who loved us so much that he sent his Son to die for us so that when we die we will live in Heaven forever. Sometimes that’s still a hard decision to make because to follow Jesus may mean leaving behind those other things that brought you some security and comfort in the immediate term. It may mean extending the same love to others that God extends to us – even the unlovable – as we remember that God’s love is shown in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. It means forgiving the unforgivable as Jesus cried out from the cross against those nailing him to the cross – forgive them Father for they know not what they are doing. Have we refused to forgive someone over something much less that what we did to Jesus?
This can be a hard teaching for many – maybe for you. But what God offers is not security in the immediate term but eternally. And sometimes we have to accept that for some people this is the choice they make – to walk away. But remember, God never walks away from them.
Even at his ascension in Matthew 28 it says that the 11 disciples (remember Judas had also now walked away by betraying Jesus) – it says they worshipped Jesus but some doubted. But it was also at that ascension that Jesus made the promise – I am with you always till the end of the age. Don’t ever underestimate what it means to follow Christ. This is not a club. This is not a charity. This is the gathering of God’s children – the body of Christ.
Likewise we hear that Joshua puts it on the line with his people as they are about to embark on their journey into the Promised Land: And there they will be tempted to follow the false gods that the previous tenants worshipped. God’s that satisfy their immediate needs through physical desires. Joshua says: choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
We need to remember that following Christ is not like following a football team where memberships go up in good times and go down in bad times. This is staying firm and strong in the difficult times trusting in God Paul himself says how challenging following Jesus means because in following Jesus we are rejecting all other gods.
Paul says: Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the cunningness of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
The devil is working hard in the hearts of the people to turn them away from Jesus. So our fight is not against the people but against the devil. This is spiritual warfare and we need to pray like we’ve never prayed before for all those who are struggling in their faith, particularly at this time as the effects of the pandemic and lockdowns and restrictions take a heavy toll.
Let us not see the decline in our numbers in the church as a sign of failure but as an opportunity for mission. We have the words of eternal life. And as our world continues to prove less and less hope let us be prepared to give the reason for the hope we have with gentleness and patience. The decline in our numbers means an increase in the mission field – a mission field where the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. So let us pray to the Lord of the harvest and stand firm in our faith in the whole armour of God.
