Psalm 8, Matthew 28:16-20, and 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Among the various news stories from last week, the passing of Elder Donna Richard’s husband and Elder Barb Cormack’s resignation were a shock to me. Barb has been discussing with me over the past month how to proceed wisely with this process for herself and the church. I hope she continues to fulfill, in part, the role she has been fulfilling so far. However, I respect both her life and her choices. Also, the news of Ernie Richard’s passing, whom I met a few months ago, reminded me of God’s calling that comes without warning. I am simply asking for your prayers for Donna and her family.
Beloved, I often ponder the role of a Christian. “As a person of faith, is my life close to the life of a disciple?” I ask myself. The theological education I received in my 20s led me to respond actively to social issues. So, during my undergraduate years, I served as my department representative. I frequently participated in parades, and at the graduate school of theology, I actively engaged with a gender equality club on campus. However, I faced a dilemma. It was precisely the fact that discussing various issues within the church sometimes makes the church community uncomfortable. One group within the church preferred to interpret social issues from the perspective of the Bible and theology. However, another group did not want pastors to address social issues. They wanted that responsibility left to individual church members. I understand both sides. This is because the ministry environments of the churches I have served have included conservative, progressive, and moderate areas at times. Of course, I still believe that the foundation of my pastoral direction and philosophy is to look to God, respect my members, and find the path of faith—that is my role. Today, Jesus’ final words and the Apostle Paul’s final exhortation help us to feel Jesus’ clear will and the Apostle Paul’s comfort.
The first is Jesus’ words of exhortation. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Jesus’s exhortation to His disciples is very simple and clear: Go and baptize the people of all nations in the name of the Triune God, and preach My teachings. Some theologians criticize this Bible verse as Christian nationalism. Of course, some churches in the past made mistakes by engaging in aggressive and hostile missionary work in Third World countries. Other churches are still striving to send missionaries to all nations and peoples to keep this verse. Currently, mainstream Canadian denominations have changed their missionary policies compared with those of the 19th and 20th centuries. We are sending collaborators to established churches around the world and developing local communities to build the foundation of the Gospel. In fact, I think these two methodologies should proceed simultaneously. I am saying that we must preach the gospel to every corner of the world exactly as Jesus said, and strive to continue administering baptism.
One of the things I have often heard since coming to Canada is the criticism that North American society is becoming more liberal and that the church is experiencing a crisis within Religious Pluralism. Due to the church’s past mistakes, we have become cautious about spreading the gospel to Third World regions, including Indigenous people. Secularization and various problems, both large and small, inside and outside the church, have lowered the church’s credibility. Conversely, regarding Religious Pluralism, while we respect other cultures and religions, we have reached a situation where Christianity faces reverse discrimination in communist countries, Islamic countries, Buddhist countries, and Jewish-majority regions. There are currently numerous countries that persecute Christians, and this is an undeniable fact. Turkey and Egypt, which have now effectively become Islamic regions, were places where Christianity flourished in the past. The Coptic Church of Egypt and the Orthodox Church of Turkey boast a long history dating back to the 1st century. The churches in North Korea and China experienced a great revival in the 18th and 19th centuries. Christianity distributed the Bible to them, enabled citizens to learn the language, allowed women to enter society, and contributed to the advancement of equality and rights. However, under the current authoritarian regime, freedom of religion is being severely restricted. Conversely, what is it like within Canadian society? From the nation’s founding until the 1950s, Bible study and recitation of the Lord’s Prayer took place in schools. In response to this, starting in the 1980s, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was amended to guarantee freedom of religion. Still, the sharing of religious discourse in public places began to be restricted. I feel that a solemn social atmosphere has emerged where one cannot even ask about religion among close acquaintances or colleagues. I encourage you to find a wise way to make disciples in this situation. This is because the Lord has called us to this work and wants us to continue this ministry.
The following is Paul’s final exhortation to the Corinthians. We can read Paul’s heart as he looked upon the Corinthian church of that time, which had not yet overcome the wounds of division. “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace.” The exhortation to encourage one another, be of one mind, and dwell in the peace of the Lord serves as evidence that the church at that time failed to do so. The groups within the church could not be at peace with one another. They excessively prioritized their own thoughts and even attacked the Apostle Paul. Only their own thoughts and righteous values existed within the church, and the love and peace of Jesus were lost. However, such a sight can still occur today, 2,000 years later. I, too, often face the temptation to run the church according to my own thoughts and will. Therefore, to humble myself before the cross, submit, and live a life of humility, I ask myself: “Am I a disciple of Christ right now? Am I fulfilling my responsibilities and roles before God as a Christian?” I hope we can answer this question with an Amen. I want us to build a community filled with God’s peace and comfort with even greater humility, just as the Apostle Paul gave in his final exhortation. And I pray that we may faithfully go forth with one heart to preach the gospel of Christ. Amen.