Yikes! Where Was (Is) the Church?
I have been reading a historical novel about Deitrich Bonhoeffer,
a theologian who struggled with what God was calling the church to be and do in
the years leading up to World War II and throughout the war. He was imprisoned
toward the end of the war and executed just weeks before the surrender of Nazi
Germany. Deitrich studied the Sermon on the Mount and other Scripture and
called the church to wake up and not stand by in apathy watching the Jews first
lose their right to work and then their right to live. The church in Germany at
that time chose to exist by turning their faces away from the things that were
happening and supporting the government under the leadership of Hitler. To
speak out against the government was putting oneself in jeopardy of
imprisonment and death. A church division yielded a “Confessing Church” that,
after an attempt to stand up to the government and having leaders imprisoned
and executed, became nearly as apathetic as the state church.
So why am I compelled to write about this? I have watched
the struggle of the Church in the last number of years. The political ties to
both extremes have become very divisive. And that is precisely what gives me cause
for concern – not just the divisiveness, but the energy invested in politics. I
hear hate speeches coming from both sides condemning the other side, the right
condemning all the “sin” being allowed in the church and the left condemning
the apathy and/or apparent blindness to the hatefulness toward anyone who does
not fall within the expected behaviors of the church.
And I wonder… Where does Jesus fit into this mess? Is there
a “Dietrich Bonhoeffer” of our day trying to speak out and wake up the church?
Is the church apathetic enough to allow atrocities to happen around us and are
we turning our face away from them and continuing life as usual, seeking
comfort in our existence and refusing to confront anything so that we can
remain safe and untouched by the atrocities? What are the atrocities of our
day? Slave trade? Sex trafficking? Racial discrimination? Annihilation of
people groups by other people groups? Opioid epidemics? Abortion? Broken
families? Suicide among teenager? Starvation? HIV epidemics? Oppression by
governments or people groups over other people groups?
In the Bible, the book of Matthew has so much to say to us. In the Sermon
on the Mount (chapters 5-7), Jesus calls us to be salt and light, to follow and
teach Scripture, to not be angry with each other but to seek reconciliation, to
stay away from anything that causes us to sin, to speak truth and have
integrity, to love our enemies, to give to those in need, to pray, to store up
treasures in heaven rather than on earth, to not worry about how our needs will
be met but to trust God to provide, to not judge others, to love others as
ourselves, to bear good fruit and recognize others who are bearing good fruit,
and to build our lives on a solid foundation. Jesus promises to send His Holy
Spirit to guide us into Truth.
So how is all of this applied to the world we live in? When
I read through the Scriptures and especially in the Gospels that speak directly
about Jesus’ life here on earth, it seems that Jesus is calling us into a deep relationship
with God. And as we spend time with Him, our hearts and our thoughts will be
more and more conformed to who He is. The things we do – where we choose to
spend our time and our money, what we say – will begin to look more and more
like Him. His concerns will become our concerns and He will place us in
circumstances where we have the opportunity to choose if we will be sheep or
goats as described in Matthew 25:31-46. We won’t have time for politics or
throwing cheap pot shots at people who don’t meet our expectations. We will be
working for His Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. We will become salt
and light, permeating our society around us with the Good News of the Kingdom
of God by being the Church God has called us to be.
Holy Father, arouse the Church from its slumber. Wake us up,
Lord! Draw us close to Your heart and teach us how to act as Your children,
knowing that we are loved by You and sharing Your forgiveness and redemption
with those around us. Help us to encourage faith to grow in each other as we seek You. I ask this in the precious and holy name of Jesus, Amen.
