PostScript: Who are we? Really.
Who is Jesus? And who are we in relation to Jesus: as individuals, as a church, as a nation (John 2.13-22)?
Introduction
Jesus is presented as the Temple, the place where God resides. This is a challenge to consider who Jesus is for us, and what this means for us now as the body of Christ, the Church. Alongside these issues of identity are set stories of what kind of people we want to be as a nation, and the identities that others choose that will affect us. Even the political stories have religious and spiritual ripples.
This week's news
Various threads in the news pose questions about identity, both national and religious. For example:
Pegida UK held its first British anti-Islamisation rally in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on Saturday 28 February. 400 people turned up to raise awareness about extremism.
Nearby, over 1500 people attended the counter-demonstration under the banner ‘Newcastle Unites’ celebrating diversity and multi-faith cooperation.
The identity was revealed of the British man who had appeared in videos of beheadings of western hostages, followed by many stories about the person remembered by those who knew him.
The reaction to the murder of the Russian politician Boris Nemtsov is a challenge to the kind of Russia promoted by Vladimir Putin.
Russian politics may seem a bit remote, but an ex-MI6 boss has warned of a danger from Russia.
The way other countries perceive themselves affects the rest of the world.
These stories raise questions about who we are, as individuals, as communities, as nations, and what kind of a people we might want to be.
Reports of investigations into systematic child sexual abuse in Oxford and the deaths of babies and a mother at Morecambe Bay NHS Trust are making those responsible think about what kind of institutions they are and what they need to be.
Reflection
The identity of the Jewish people in Jesus’ day and in history was tied up in their shared story, in their relationship with God, of which the Ten Commandments were a symbol, and in the Temple, the place where they could meet God. These symbols of identity touched the heart: Psalm 26.8 expresses a great love for the place where God dwells, while Psalm 119 repeatedly speaks of love for God’s law.
We, too, are defined by our relationships with each other and with God, and the rules and places that bind us together. People tell me of the special feeling they experience in some churches or holy places. The risk is that we hide behind the rules and the sacred places and our worship together when our outward behaviour does not match up to our profession of faith.
Marcus Borg interprets the incident of the turning of the tables in the Temple in Mark’s Gospel, as Jesus’ protest against the way that the Temple had become the sanctuary of those who refused to pursue justice.
In John’s Gospel, the story is treated very differently. By placing this story at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry rather than the end, John is making the point that Jesus is someone who will turn the tables on the Establishment, who will challenge ‘the way we always do things here’. It is very much a political act.
John then turns the emphasis to Jesus himself. Jesus is shown identifying the Temple with himself. In other words, he – not the building – is the place where God dwells and the focus of faith. And now, we are the body of Christ, the church (1 Corinthians 12.27). Christ dwells in and through us. We have the responsibility of carrying and representing the image of Christ. That is part of our identity.
We often say that the church is the people not the building, but in practice we treat the building as our centre, the focus of our identity. We hide in our churches. We wait for people to come to the building rather than take the body of Christ to where they are, to the places where Jesus needs to be.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
you came among us challenging our ways, our assumptions,
our politics, and the way we treat each other.
Help us to hear your voice crying in our wilderness,
to see your light shining in our darkness.
Help us to become the people you made us to be,
your body in the world,
carrying both your wounds and your love.
Bring us to the places where you need us to be,
serving all your children.
Amen.
Questions
- What are the things that holds us together – as a nation and as a church – that help to create our identity?
- What is special about your own community that makes it just a little bit different from other places round about?
Action
As a group (or as an individual) walk round your church, inside and out, as an alien, looking at it for the first time. If you were coming into the church as a stranger, as a person with disabilities, as an asylum seeker or refugee – what would you see or experience? Would it be welcoming or off-putting? How easy would it be to join in and be part of the church community? Or would the signs and signals make it clear that you did not belong? What is the work of God that is happening in this place?
Young People
Put together a collage of images:
- of yourself
- of your church, school, or other institution,
that show something about your identity and the identity of the church or school. This could be to do with style, image, interests.
Is this the identity you want for yourself or for your church/school/etc?
What identity might Jesus be wanting for you?
Meg Gilley is an Anglican parish priest in Gateshead. She tweets @MegGilley1 and blogs sporadically at ramblingrectorbensham.wordpress.com.
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