“Reflections”

Rev Dr Cathie Lambert

Readings - Ephesians 4:1-1, John 6: 24-35

Some of you will be aware that in 2018 I took a leave of absence from ministry and completed some further study. Others of you will know that this was a decision taken to avoid leaving the church altogether. At the time, a little story from chapter 8 of the Gospel of Mark spoke very clearly to me of my calling out of the village. It is the story of a blind man who Jesus took out of the village to heal. He spat on his eyes and the man proclaimed that he could see but not clearly and then Jesus healed him again and he saw clearly. This story has stayed with me as a calling to be on the edge and in preparing this sermon I got a glimpse of why this may be. I have been back in the centre of the church now for 18 months and I feel like I am seeing more clearly.

The Ephesians passage today talks about maturity and unity in Christian community. I have been reflecting on this theme a lot lately. We talk a lot about unity in the church. Growing up in the church there was a lot of emphasis put on how we all work together. I recall dramatic representations of the Body of Christ – all different but working together. I remember a lot of talk about gifts of the Spirit and how we all have different skills to offer to build up the church. What I don’t recall are the stories or lessons about disagreeing well.

Recently, I have been doing a little bit of reading and Google searching about how we lovingly disagree. I read the John Stott London Lecture from 2022 delivered by Rev Dr Christohper Landau titled, Loving Disagreement. In his talk, Landau concentrated on the passage from John 13.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

He points out that this verse follows his washing of the disciples’ feet and the betrayal by Judas. Both events caused tension and conflict. When Jesus tells the disciples that he will wash their feet Peter insists that Jesus should never wash his feet. Then after this loving, servant-like act, Jesus predicts that Judas will betray him, and Peter will deny him. The new commandment is not some fluffy, unrealistic law about loving everyone. It comes in the midst of difficult times, tensions, and disagreements.

There’s a legend which many of you may know that is often used to illustrate how Christians should live in community. The story is of a monastery where all the monks were old, tired and waiting to die. They’d lost their fire for God and had long since ceased to really care about their fellow brothers. Although they shared the same living space, prayed together, ate together, and worked together, each monk lived in his own world with heart and mind turned inward.

No one came to the monastery. There were no visitors, and no new brothers. The buildings were badly in need of repair, but the monks didn’t care. They felt it wasn’t long until there’d be no monastery at all. Everything would return to dust. Then one day, a holy man visited them. For a time, he lived with the old brothers, prayed with them, talked with them, worked, ate, and stayed with them. He was wise and loving. The brothers turned their hearts and minds outward and listened to him. When the time came for him to leave, this holy man stood before the brothers who were bidding him farewell and wished them God’s peace. Some of the monks shook their heads sadly; there’s nothing here for us now that you’re going, they thought. But the visitor’s last words to them were: “Christ dwells in your midst.”

Then he walked away. Well, the brothers were quite astonished. They looked at one another with surprise. Which one of them could be the Christ? Surely not Brother William, who never arrived at the chapel on time and never did his work either, for that matter; surely not Brother Mark, who annoyingly slurped his soup; surely not the Abbot, who was always gruff with everyone. Christ wouldn’t be late for chapel, or neglect his work, or slurp his soup, or be gruff!  Yet their visitor was a holy and reliable man who had spoken the truth to them the whole time he was in their company. This too must be true. One among them must be Christ!

So, each of the monks began to treat the other as if he were Christ, for they didn’t know who it was. They looked for ways to serve one another and were kind to one another and shared with one another. Each did his work as a gift to the Christ who was among them. Each honoured his fellow monk by listening with full attention and respect. They began to overlook little things that had annoyed them about one another and began instead to see the good that was in every person. Life began to flow back into the dying community. A vitality and joy were reborn that had been lost for many years. The people of the town nearby learned that something had changed at the monastery. In curiosity they came, and in love they were received. Each was graciously welcomed and made to feel at home. Every effort was taken to care for their needs, and each monk accepted visitors as they were. Men, women, and children came to be refreshed and renewed. The brotherhood grew as men came, even from far away, to join the community

All the visitors and the new brothers were treated as if they were Christ, for the wise monk had said, “One among you is Christ.”

This story is very simplistic and, lets face it, if it was that easy we would have tried this method years ago for church renewal. It does, however, illustrate the results of “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

The passage from Ephesians is not a call to be “nice”. It is a call to Christian maturity. We will disagree. We do disagree. And my recent experience in our church is that we often don’t do it lovingly. I believe we have lost the art.

For five years I was immersed in the academic world of theological education, a different type of Christian community. In this world, people disagree all the time. It is almost like the mantra of the community. We question each other, critique each other, argue different points of view. Why? – to push each other to deepen our arguments or correct that which, heaven forbid, might be wrong. This is a normal and expected part of the academic community. Most of the time it is done in love and respect.

Recently I was at the triennial Assembly meeting in Sydney. Here, I saw a glimpse of loving disagreement. I have been to assemblies before where this has not been the case. This assembly had a different feel. People were very aware of the differences in the room, but when people spoke to raise their point of view it was done in a loving and respectful way.

I began sharing that my calling to the edge of the church, outside the village, has given me more clarity. I am concerned by what I see. The Uniting Church in Western Australia needs to relearn the art of loving disagreement. We seem to resort to brushing problems under the carpet in an attempt to maintain “niceness” or when we do disagree it is executed in a hurtful and detached manner. We can live with difference – even debate our differences but need to learn again how to do that lovingly.

I realise I may be preaching to the converted here this morning. And so, if that is the case I bring a challenge to you. Be a community of example to the Church! Be a place where loving disagreement occurs as a matter of course.

“Roots down, walls down” is a phrase coined by Graham Cray from the UK. In my humble opinion this is the message of the passage from Ephesians this morning. Maturity in Christ is about our roots sinking deeper so that we are not blown here and there or tossed about by the waves. When our roots are deep, we have nothing to fear in the person who is different or holds an opposing view. In humility, gentleness and patience the walls between us and others can be broken down. Living side by side we can lovingly disagree without the need to defend brutally or hurtfully.

May we be a roots down, walls down community who sees the diversity in our midst. May we be a roots down, walls down community who can disagree in loving and respectful ways. May we be a roots down, walls down community so that others may know, because of our love.