The Heart of the Matter; Philippians

May the mumbling commence!

I have had the privilege of being a relative outsider in two denominations that like to play the relations game… “the Mennonite Game” and the “(Church of the) Brethren Game.  I suppose that all denominations of the Christian church have similar dynamics.  If you have a “Brethren” or a “Mennonite” surname, then be prepared to answer the questions: “Are you related to so-and-so?  How are you related? And do you know so-and-so?”

It is important for us… our ancestors.  And this is no new thing.  It was the same (and probably still is the same) for the Jewish/Hebrew people.  And we have traditions that have been passed on from generation to generation.  The older generations worry about tradition dying, and the younger generations worry more about becoming stuck in some glorified past.  The younger people want to move on with creativity.

But, in the grand scheme of things, what is most important?  What did we think about several says ago?  What is our focus?  OR better: Who is our focus?  Read from Philippians chapter three (NJB):

Finally, brothers, I wish you joy in the Lord. To write to you what I have already written before is no trouble to me and to you will be a protection.  Beware of dogs! Beware of evil workmen! Beware of self-mutilators! 

We are the true people of the circumcision since we worship by the Spirit of God and make Christ Jesus our only boast, not relying on physical qualifications,  although, I myself could rely on these too. If anyone does claim to rely on them, my claim is better. 

Circumcised on the eighth day of my life, I was born of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrew parents. In the matter of the Law, I was a Pharisee; as for religious fervor, I was a persecutor of the Church; as for the uprightness embodied in the Law, I was faultless. 

But what were once my assets I now through Christ Jesus count as losses.  Yes, I will go further: because of the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, I count everything else as loss. For him I have accepted the loss of all other things, and look on them all as filth if only I can gain Christ and be given a place in him, with the uprightness I have gained not from the Law, but through faith in Christ, an uprightness from God, based on faith, that I may come to know him and the power of his resurrection, and partake of his sufferings by being molded to the pattern of his death, striving towards the goal of resurrection from the dead. (Verses 1-11)

For the people of Paul’s day, circumcision was paramount.  It was the way to identify yourself with the God of Israel and to establish yourself as a part of the covenant.  But, Paul spoke of a deeper circumcision – one that went much deeper than the flesh, one that is paramount for both sexes, one that went to the heart and spirit of the person.

Worshiping God in the Spirit is the true circumcision.  It reminds me about the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well from John chapter four.  The geographical location of worship matters less than the Spirit in which we worship.  The bodily changing of men matters less than a changed heart and soul and attitude. 

Paul understood the heart of the circumcision rite.  Do we know the heart of the traditions that we keep?  What is at the heart of hymns and unaccompanied singing?  What is at the heart of the baptism rite?  What does it mean to be a member of the church?  We have much work to do with issues like these between the generations.  Such work is vital to the ongoing life of the church.

Another thing that is vital to the ongoing life of the church is being inclusive for the people who come from another church tradition or from no tradition at all.  Paul briefly played the “Hebrew Game”.  He says, “I am from Israel… the tribe of Benjamin… full-blooded Hebrew… vigorous in the Law… fervent for religious purity… upright in the eyes of the religious community.”

We do the same things when we say things like… My parents and grandparents and great-grandparents were all Mennonite or Brethren or fill in the blank.  I have rarely missed a church service or an opportunity to serve in the community. 

While these things are great, they’re not central.  They’re not the focus.  The focus is Jesus Christ.  Everything else  belongs to the rubbish pile in comparison.  Christ is the most important ancestor of the church, and the Spirit of Christ will help to lead us to the heart of our traditions. 

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out