In a wonderful little book called The Return of the Prodigal Son, the spiritual writer Henri Nouwen reminds us that the world often seduces us to claim a false identity. “You are who people say you are,” or “You are what you accomplish,” or “You are what you have.”
So, says Nouwen, in the eyes of the world, if you don’t do well, if you don’t look good and if you don’t have the right friends, lots of money and success, you don’t exist.
It’s an illusion that we find everywhere. It’s in the movies, on television, in social media, in advertising, art and literature.
When we believe these lies, we let the world squeeze us into its own mould (see Romans 12:2). It’s a manipulation of who we are and whose we are, a rebranding of our identity to serve a purpose other than God’s purpose. It leads to what Nouwen calls a dissipated life as we cling to the addictions that drive us to seek life where it cannot be found.
The gospel, he says, calls us to the great conversion. To return to a life in which I don’t have to have the permission or the approval of the world to live. I am not what other people say I am. I am not what I accomplish. I am a beloved son or daughter of God. I belong to God. That is my hope in life and in death; that I belong to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ (see Heidelberg Catechism, Question 1).
What is true for us as individuals is also true for the church. The world seduces the church to claim a false identity. We measure the life of the church by the standards of the world. It’s a dangerous game and it may well be the greatest challenge we confront. At issue is an important question: To whom does the church belong?
The church is not what others say it is; the church is not the sum of what it has accomplished; the church is not measured by its successes or failures. The church is not defined by numbers on a roll, by impressive buildings or by numerous resources and programs.
The church is the people of God, the company of God’s beloved daughters and sons, saved by grace, called to love, follow and bear witness to the Lord Jesus in the world.
How do we find our way as individuals and as a church without succumbing to the great temptation of forgetting who and whose we are? It’s not easy.
But in these days of Easter, I am reminded of the disciples who met Jesus on the Emmaus road (see Luke 24:13-35). They met Jesus on a journey as a company of friends. Jesus revealed himself in the words of scripture, in the breaking of bread and in prayer.
In the Reformed tradition we call this the ordinary means of grace. These are the things that God has given us to sustain the Christian life and help us mature in Christ. As we pray, study scripture and break bread we share in the means of grace and we meet Jesus. We are reminded of who Jesus is and who we are. It creates what one church leader calls the continuous conversion of the church. It is that conversion for which I pray daily, in my own life and in the life of our church.
