ReDiscovery #5: a new approach to disagreement

The church is defined by our shared centre, not by the lines we draw.

The problem -

Have you ever noticed that people at church are different than you?

Different age or stage, different background, different experiences, different relational status or family situations, different political persuasions, different interests and passions… different.

And we’re not unique in that way. There is difference in all Christian communities. And in the Church across the globe. Different historic streams and different theology. Different practices and different traditions. And so the question is, is difference a feature of Christian community - or a bug?

Is the Church - the big C Church and our local faith community - how do we define ourselves? How do we determine who belongs?

Well, it turns out, division and disunity aren’t new. Disagreements between Jesus-followers is not a 21st century innovation. And much of their disagreement was about who could belong.

And then Paul’s letters, many of them, address issues around unity.

Paul makes the case for the inclusion of the Gentiles.

Peter’s acceptance and then … well, waffling. (Acts 10 & 11)

And then in Acts 15, Barnabas and Paul - the dynamic duo! - part company over a disagreement about who could belong and how they could belong.

In Paul’s letter to the churches in Rome - remember the letter we looked at in the spring? He summarizes this tension… and a way forwards for this church that is very much living in the tension of Jew & Gentiles belonging together to the Body to Christ - and to one another. As Stephen comes to read, will you stand?

Romans 10 

Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. 5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law...8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

The problem - We are different. And so we disagree, so what should we do about it? How do we figure out who can belong?

According to Mark Baker, a professor of Mission & Theology at Fresno Pacific in California writes and teaches about this. Many of you did a video series and/or read his book last year called “Centered Set Church” (if you want to borrow a copy, I have it here and am happy to lend it!) Baker writes about what missionary anthropologist Paul Hiebert first described in the late 1970s, borrowing a concept from math. Of bounded and centered sets.

In essence a bounded set is like saying, are these cats or dogs? It’s clear and static.

A centered set is a collection of objects all moving towards a well-defined center. This is less clear from the start, but more dynamic and includes the possibility of a group that is in very different locations still being part of the same group or set. The farther away, the less precise the definition of the center and the measurement of their direction can be.

Hiebert and then Baker (and many others) apply this to churches by speaking of bounded, fuzzy and centered set churches. So let’s look at how Baker describes these three. Warning: you may recognize some of your own church experiences in these descriptions.

bounded - A Bounded Church has a clear boundary line that is static and distinguishes Christians from non- Christians, or true Christians from mediocre Christians. The line generally consists of a list of correct beliefs and certain visible behaviors. A bounded church has tendencies toward a sense of superiority and judgmentalism. It hinders transparency and shames. It features the line - and those on the “right side” of the line are good or “us” and those on the other side are bad or “them”

fuzzy In response to problematic line drawing a Fuzzy Church erases the line. “The line must be the problem. So let’s get rid of the line.” The grounds for distinction and shaming judgmentalism are gone, but the fuzziness erodes the group’s sense of identity, lacks a sense of call to a different way of living, and inhibits loving others fully. It has a tendency toward blandness. And you never really know whether you belong or not - or what it is you belong to.

centered A Centered Church discerns who belongs to the group by observing people’s relationship with the center—Jesus Christ. As the diagram illustrates, the group includes all who are oriented toward the center. Their common direction brings unity. There is space to struggle and fail because everyone recognizes that they are in process—moving closer to the center. A centered approach remedies the problems of a bounded church that motivate a fuzzy church to blur boundaries while also avoiding the negative fruit that grows out of a fuzzy approach.

Is a Jesus-centered, in terms of a centered-set approach even actually possible? What might it look like in our church, in our lives, in today’s world?

You might remember that my friend John Hau came in the summer and preached for us on Matthew 10:2-4 (highlight Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot in the slide)

Matthew 10:2–4 NIV

2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

John pointed out that these two couldn’t possibly be MORE different… more at odds. In their beliefs, their approach to life,… and yet here they are, both called by Jesus, both following Jesus. But still with vast differences.

Matthew the tax collector - a puppet of the Roman empire, assimilated into the system, despised by most Jews because Matthew was a collaborator in oppression, even benefiting from it

Meanwhile, Simon the Zealot was part of a movement that was seeking to violently overthrow the Romans.

There are more differences in that list - but these two really represent two ends of a spectrum that must have seemed ridiculous to most people… maybe even to the people in the list. “Jesus, can you tell Simon the Zealot to TONE IT DOWN?!” “Jesus, are you really going to let that tax collector [spits] into our group? He is one of THEM. Not one of US.”

But Jesus doesn’t seem to even deal with the bounded set thinking that would have zealots and tax collectors form their own separate denominations where they could just pretend the other doesn’t exist.

Instead, He calls them both to orient their stories in His story. Just like He calls us to orient our stories - our actual stories that are full of difference and even division - in the story of Jesus birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension and promised return.

THAT is our clearly defined center. And anyone - anyone! - who decides to make that their orienting point is welcome to participate as a full member of our community.

When we discover differences around other things, or how we work out secondary things, we will not cry, “Oh no! There’s a problem here. We disagree!” because difference in Christian community is not a bug, it’s a feature.

Rediscovering the Gospel

The church is defined by our shared centre, not by the lines we draw.

What if, instead of belonging to one another because we all draw all the lines in the same places, we instead belong because we have the same orienting point?

What if, instead of agreeing on every last interpretation of scripture, or seeing every ethical issue the same way, we are drawn towards the same centre?

What if, Jesus is the deep well that draws us and promises so much more than the safety of making sure we’re only around people who agree with us - or pretend to - for the sake of belonging?

What if we belong here because we have made Jesus our center and are committed to living our lives with Him as our trajectory point.

(Is Jesus your orienting point? Is the story of Jesus - His birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension - the Story that gives your story its context and meaning? Are you drawn to Jesus? Now is a great moment to affirm that if it’s already true, or to just say to Jesus, I want to face You. I want to walk towards You. I want my trajectory to always be towards You.)

Leading to the Table

A Table where ReDiscoveries are made:

This is where we tell the Story that is our Centre, where we feast at a Table hosted by the One who is our Centre and our orienting point. Where we re-align ourselves, come empty to be filled, and sent to offer what we’ve found to others. To point others to the One who is our Centre, our destination, our everything.

Jesus the Word shows us who God is what God is like

Where we remember that Jesus demonstrated for us that evil is overcome by the power of suffering love.

Here we find the story of God not coming to rescue one human at a time, but to renew the whole creation. And we, as Jesus followers are invited to live into that future reality of all things made new… now.

And, we are empowered by the Spirit to partner with God in that reconciliation of all things.

Which is why, here at the Table we take ordinary things… bread and juice. Ordinary people. You and me.

And we ask the Holy Spirit to come upon these ordinary things and these ordinary people. Just as the Spirit came upon the meal in that upper room, came upon that group of disciples… including Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot.

So pray with me:

Creating and redeeming God, we give you thanks and praise for your covenant of grace: a covenant expressed in sinful people who know forgiveness, the weary who are refreshed, the hungry who are nourished, the captives who are set free and the oppressed who experience liberation. Thank you that you chose to make us a part of your story.

Thank you for Jesus Christ who revealed your love in his death and resurrection and who continues to share his life with us through bread and wine.

Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit who sustains us in our walk together, helping us to watch over each other, to pray for one another, and to work together for justice and truth.

As we eat this bread and drink from the cup, (signs of hospitality and grace), may we be empowered to serve boldly wherever you may call. Accept these prayers and our heartfelt thanksgiving in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

WE SHARE

The bread

One people, one loaf, a sign of our common faith and testimony to the generosity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Take this loaf, food for faith, and feed on it with thanksgiving.

The wine

One people, one cup, a sign of the new covenant poured out for you and for many. It is a covenant sealed by his blood. When we drink we must be thankful and agree together never to forget.

[serving instructions]

[song: Be The Centre]

WE JOURNEY - prayer after communion

Holy God, we have been nourished and had our thirst quenched, through bread broken and wine poured in thanksgiving for your Son Jesus Christ. Send us out to be as generous to those we meet this week, that we might show through word and deed that he is not dead, but risen and present among us. Hallelujah! Amen.

BENEDICTION