When Christian become Quixote

Often it occurs that Bunyan's 'Christian' is found morphing into Cervantes 'Quixote' as the cause of doing what is right is put aside to enable windmills to be tilted at and the Kingdom of God, and its unity, toppled as a result of the ensuing madness.

When this occurs it is the duty of the minister to boldly go forth and challenge the donkey before them. Sadly though, Balaam's Ass they aren't, and the words they utter are man's, not God's. Thereby hangs this cautionary tale:

We read in Galatians, chapter six, that it is the duty of every Christian to 'restore those who are caught up in a sin' in a way that the Bible speaks of as 'gently'. The 'gentle' element is the key here for it is far too easy for the observer to pass through from Christian action into negative, and even destructive, acts.

The caution that we should 'watch ourselves lest we be tempted' is a sound as anything there is to be found in the Bible. There is but a short journey from us seeking to challenge sin to us engaging in, and becoming sin ourselves.

Gossip, albeit masked as concern, is the work of the devil and it's seeds, once sown, bring forth a harvest of division and destruction.

Righteous indignation, is (as I often say) rarely ever righteous and results in two sinners where perhaps there was originally one.

Seeking to enlist others into our camp in ways that have more of the playground than of the family of God can only end in tears. Rabble-rousing has never been the means to any end that can be considered to be Christian; Neither has threatening to take our brothers to law (1 Corinthians is clear on this)!

If there is conflict then we can be sure that what we are to do is take the issue to the person and if that does not bring about a resolution then to readdress the issue with two or three witnesses and then, all else having failed, we are to take it to the Church. There is a requirement for openness and honesty on all sides and there is one who sees and knows all and will judge accordingly when the time is right (so we can cut out all the imprecatory stuff then, can't we?).

Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, the living Stone - rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him - you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe. 'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,' and, 'A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.'

They stumble because they disobey the message - which is also what they were destined for.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

So in a couple of words:

STOP IT!

Restoring the wrong

Today's readings bring the SS Sermon into port to tie up against what is one of the hallmark passages of the Bible for me and the life and ministry I seek to live. The Passage (Galatians chapter six) tells me that those of us who are 'spiritual' are to 'restore' those who are doing wrong stuff; the brilliant thing about this being that rather than give some a 'corrector's charter' it actually grounds and perhaps even restricts those who would go out seeking to correct (and there's enough of them in the world isn't there?).

The big thing about going out to put others right is that we need to be right ourselves (well that's me sitting down and not taking part I guess). Not only that but we need to be right in the way that we offer the correction as the potential for us sinning and doing it wrong is immense!

Let me explain (my paraphrase), for God says:

"Guys, if you see someone doing something wrong, those of you who know me should restore them gently; but take care in the way that you do it so that you don't end up being wrong too!"

When I see something that I think is wrong (and I gauge 'wrong' by using my Bible, the example of Christ and an innate sense of justice and fair play) I approach the person who I consider to be doing that wrong and offer a corrective along the lines of, 'Let me show you a better way!' I don't (despite the comments of some here :-) ) condemn or bully, browbeat or harangue but I do point out what is the better path as I understand it.

The potential for being wrong when doing this is to engage in 'righteous anger' (always angry and rarely righteous) or to issue an ad hominem and assault the focus of my correction verbally. Such actions causes the person who is wrong to become entrenched in that wrongness and leaves me looking nothing like Jesus (who simply and gently wrote in the dust and told the wrongdoer the truth in love).

Today is an invitation to the Church (well the Church what uses the lectionary anyway) to get engaged with the world and help those outside of the Church to see a better way to think, act and live - I pray to God that we take it up and make it ours.

And for those who act awfully towards others in the name of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) - STOP IT!

And to those who are not Church yet like to portray things as they are not, engage in flawed self-serving logic and seek to condemn those who act in love and faith - YOU CAN STOP IT TOO :-)