But about being righteous!
This week has been one of those ups and downs weeks where people have wanted to engage with me over the CofE's statement on same-sex marriage and generally wanted to put the world right in oh so many ways that it has left my head spinning. What was odd though is the fact that the general tone was a 'well done' and not one of the 'ordinary folk' I engaged with saw the position taken as anything other than right. Still they probably weren't gay or members of the clergy!!!
I have engaged with people who appear to be resigned to a declining church and are looking to cut their cloth accordingly. Better to have what we can pay for that something big and missional that might pay for it but will take energy, effort and faith appears to be their (oh so frustrating) subtext. We appear to live in this happy world where we speak mission but live maintenance and have put aside the word of God for the Gospel according to Excel. I go out speaking of MAPs (Mission Action Plans) and walk places looking at the potentials for mission and fresh expression whilst others plot to live as they always have and conspire to sell stuff to balance the books until the day dawns when, family silver gone, they merge or move away. This is the stuff my nightmares are made of (well that and clergy (and others) who can't get off their bottoms to do stuff!).
I have met people who complain that 'the church' isn't doing enough in their area of need and yet, in the same breath, have told me that 'people' (this generally means someone other than them and is often transformed into 'the state') need to be paying for us to be doing if we can't. Then the conversation turned to ways of getting money to do stuff. Amongst the many suggestions (none of which included them putting their hands in their pockets) were the local council, the government, charities, the bishop and the pinnacle of all suggestions, the Queen. "After all," they said, :She is the head of the Church of England so it was only right that she should pay! I said it then and will say it now, the funding should come from the people and if it doesn't perhaps we need to ask where their heart is (for that's where we will find their treasure I'm guessing!).
The previous conversation makes the next one rather interesting as they took time to tell me that 'the church' is "A bunch of ponces!" Seems we are always out there with our begging bowl or making people feel guilty about little starving black kids and building wells. They told me all this in order to ask if I might be able to let them have some money as they were skint. Of course whilst I gave them no money I did buy them a coffee and received the almost obligatory cry of those who are in need: "Thank you Vicar, you aren't like the rest of them hypocritical money-grabbing B's!" (Thanks be to God :-) )
The prize encounter of the week had to be the person who told me that being 'religious' was irrational and that such people needed to be locked up as they were delusional. They went on to explain that in the secure unit they'd been in there were 'loads of religious nutters'. I merely agreed that this was my experience too and left them to go on their (to be honset, rather menacing) way.
The key to the many encounters we have as Christians is to not struggle to be right but to keep our feet firmly on the rock. The urge to defend when we need to listen and respond by action and prayer, loadsa prayer, is often overwhelming but we need to be able to turn cheeks, bless when a curse would be easier to find on the shelf of the life and faith store that is us. To be reason where there is no reason, love when there is hatred and bitternes, and a listening ear when we feel the need to stick our fingers in our ears and sing (loudly).
But it is the way we listen, engage and show love that makes us look, smell and act like Christ - that ability of putting off being right and become righteous in the face of all we encounter.
Pax
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