Do you ever have the feeling that it may be uncomfortable to
reveal that you are a Christian? I confess that I have found myself in this
position on a few occasions. For pastors like me, this can take the unique form
of someone asking me what kind of work I do. When I say that I am a pastor of a
church, I know that some people will wonder how to continue on the conversation
and it may get quiet for a moment. I sometimes get the sense that the person is
now thinking about the things they have just said and wondering how many times
they swore or took God’s name in vain in the last ten minutes. They may
jokingly say something about only working on Sundays. I would like to avoid
such interactions and that is why I might sometime find it hard to tell people
that I am a pastor. But I do tell them. I usually transition quickly to asking
them what they do for work before slowly bringing the conversation back to the
church.
For you it may take the form of people having coffee or lunch together
at work and they may be talking about some variation of Christians that they
have seen. They may say something like, can you believe those Christians in the
United States, how they will support Republican/Democratic Political leaders
who are badly flawed? They may of course say this in much stronger words and
right-off anyone who is a Christian as just the same as this lot. They will
point to persons who are Christians that will refuse services to gay or lesbian
couples and suggest that this is not very loving. It can be very difficult to
say, “Hey, wait a minute, I am a Christian too; and let me tell you the
background on why such issues are important to Christians.”
Christians
used to be at the centre of our North American culture. Pastors used to be one
of the resources that people looked to. They were a source of wisdom in city
planning, they were counselors for marriages and mental health, they were
respected members of the community that were invited to significant civic
events and they would be asked to pray for community events and meals. If it
was known that a person attended church on a regular basis they were viewed as
a pillar of the community and their character was immediately trusted; they
were hired ahead of those who only attended church at Christmas and Easter. We
trusted Christians to lead us in politics and community life.
Certainly,
we now find ourselves in a different place; on the edges of society; in the
margins. We are no longer at the centre of our culture. Civic leaders no longer
come to pastors or Christians for their wisdom or help. Sometimes we find
ourselves looked upon with suspicion or as people with an agenda. We find
ourselves at odds with the values of our majority culture.
It can leave us with a lack of firm
grounding in who we are as a people. It can leave us feeling that we have lost
our identity. 1 Peter 2:9-12 says,
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen
people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result,
you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness
into his wonderful light.
“Once you had no identity as a
people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.”
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.”
Dear friends, I warn you as
“temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that
wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly
among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong,
they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he
judges the world.
Practically speaking, what does it
mean that we are a Royal Priesthood, a Chosen People, a Holy Nation, and God’s
Own Possession? It means that we will be strangers and aliens in this world. We
are not of this world, “this world is not my home, I’m just a passing through.”
When our world wants us all to conform to the ways, thoughts, and values of
this world, we will be a holy people of God. When Facebook posts suggest that
we like something or someone or some issue, we will be a holy people of God.
When the lunch conversation is about something that everyone else is agreeing with,
we will be a holy people of God. Will this be easy? No. Will we always know
what to say? No. But the holiness and love of God’s people must show through.
The band, Jars of Clay wrote a song which captures the struggle we have with
our identity in Christ. The song is called “Trouble Is” and is from the
album Who We Are Instead.
Trouble Is
(Jars of Clay)
(Jars of Clay)
My wings don't sail me to the sky
On my own these wings won't fly
Jesus told me so
Still I'm not so sure that I know
Can't find no rest for my soul
Can't find no rest on my own
Jesus told me so
Still I'm not so sure that I know
Man, the trouble is
We don't know who we are instead
I'll keep runnin' the other way
My heart ain't built to stay
My heart ain't built to stay
And the world just ain't that way
Man, the trouble is
We don't know who we are instead
Songwriters: Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen
Daniel Mason, Matt Odmark, and Aaron Sands. Published by Universal Music
Publishing Group.
When we know that we are “the chosen people of
God, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation,” then we will know who we are and
how we will live; and the clear difference in our Christian
lives will be evident to the unbelieving world around.