Listen to the Cynical (take 2)
(Luke 2413-35:)
Sunday, May 5, 2013, Windsor UBC, J G White
I end this little series of sermons today on listening to various voices around us, with the cynical, the critical, those who doubt what this is all about. And for the second half we will have Q&A - questions and answers about listening to people who don’t believe, don’t follow Jesus.
I've been reading and hearing a lot, in recent years, about the trends in Canadian society, and the falling away from religious faith that is prevalent. A lot of Christian study has gone into what the younger generations think and believe and do in North America. There is a lot of doubt about organized religion, criticism of Christianity, and skepticism about God and Jesus.
For instance, David Kinnamen has a book, YOU LOST ME: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church... And Rethinking Faith. He quotes John Sullivan, former Christian, and writer for GQ magazine: The hell stuff - I never made peace with it. Human beings were capable of forgiving those who'd done them terrible wrongs, and we all agreed that human beings were maggots compared with God, so what was his trouble again?
I'm getting to be a firm believer in listening long and hard to the questions people have. Holding back my reaction, my answer, my correction, my instant Bible-study for those who doubt what I believe about Christ. I'm a believer in this patient listening, though my actual listening has far to go. So I've been looking to Jesus to see if He wants to train me and you in this.
I see my Lord, newly resurrected, meeting with his closest friends and followers. One month ago we heard the story of so-called "Doubting Thomas." Jesus comes to meet Thomas, as He had the others, and Thomas rejoices.
Today, Liz read that compelling story of two other disciples that Easter day walking to a town, and Jesus walks with them, yet they don’t recognize Christ. He interprets the Old Testament for them to confirm the stories they’d heard about Him, alive again. Only when they stop for the night, and eat together, do they realize it is Jesus! Then, He’s gone.
"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe" said Jesus once.
You can read all the books you want about our secular culture, post-modern culture, and digital culture; but the rubber meets the road with those who are in West Hants, on your street, in your family. As I talk with local folk - people you also know - about God and faith, some are cynical, they doubt, they critique God and our claims about God. One young person speaks of problems with the Bible and what is in the Bible, and how we use it. A middle aged person talks of not fearing death and hell, while church people seem to think he should fear. A senior, who’s actually a "churchgoer," dislikes the talk at funerals of life after death; she can't quite believe in that, doesn't want that at her own funeral.
These are all the confessions of people whom I have seen in the past in these very pews. Which helps me wonder if we are all more alike than different, we 'believers' and we atheists and skeptics.
We canbe safe with God. I believe in a Jesus who can handle doubts, disagreements, questions, critiques. He sends His Spirit to visit, and show Himself. Matthew's record of Jesus' final departure comforts me. As the disciples gather where Jesus told them to, for His farewell, Matthew tells us, "When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted." (Matthew 28:17) Some of those few who were the very closest to Him still had doubts. "Is this real?" "Is He real?" There was worship, and doubt, together. And Jesus blessed them in that moment with an amazing mission statement, the great commission.
So now, let’s have some conversation: questions and answers about how to respond to people who are cynical, discouraged, scientific, or sad...
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