Sermon from 16th July 2006
CHRISTIAN HOUSEHOLDS
(Colossians 3:18-4:1)
Our Vicar, Cameron Barker, talks about our responsibility as Christians.
It’s definitely time for a poll! So, put a hand up, please, if you’re married … Keep that hand up, and add another; or put one up, if you are a parent … I know this is getting complicated, but stick with it. If you’ve got both hands up, stand up; if you’ve got one hand up, add another; or put one up if you have a parent …Now this is really challenging: if you’re standing with both hands up, wave your arms if this next one applies to you; or apply the same principle & do whatever you need to show that you’re either an employer or an employee … As I thought, then: this sermon really is for (just about) everybody here! Thanks for joining in, and do now get comfortable. Today we’re going to be thinking about the next stage of what Trevor spoke about here last week. The title he gave his sermon on the passage he spoke on from Paul’s letter to the Colossians was ‘New life, new lifestyle’. The particular application last week was how Christians are to live out their new lifestyle in their social relationships. This week we’re seeing how Paul then moved on to the new lifestyle that Christians are to live out at home. Before we get to that, though, let me point out the obvious difference between the context that Paul wrote into in the 1st Century and our context today. There was a clue in the last question of the poll, when I asked who’s an employee or an employer. Fortunately, slavery is a thing of the past for us. So we need to apply Paul’s comments on slaves & masters to the realm of work today. But for Paul’s original readers, slavery was very much part of their everyday reality. Slaves were integral to just about every area of the 1st Century Roman world, & so many homes would have had them. We may not like it, but that is how it was! Of course there would have been slaves in many Christian homes, as there were in other homes. What was different, though, was that slaves were welcomed into the church on the same basis as everyone else. Paul often stressed – and meant – that in Christ all people are the same: Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave and free. That, in fact, was exactly what Paul was writing about here! It was all about the difference that being in Christ was, & is, to make to every area of a Christian’s life! That difference was – & is – to show up in a Christian’s social relationships, as we saw last week. And that difference was – and is – to show up in a Christian’s home life, as we’re seeing today. But first, a word of warning. This could ‘just’ sound like a set of rules – for which Christianity is wrongly infamous. In the early part of his letter Paul first laid down the ground-work for all this advice about a Christian’s conduct. This section of his letter is about how Christians are to live in response to who Christ is & what he’s done for us. This is emphatically not a set of rules to live by in order to make yourself a Christian. It is a set of rules to live by if you are a Christian – because of the difference that Christ has made in your life. This new lifestyle comes with a new life in Christ; the new lifestyle doesn’t cause the new life. So what does this new lifestyle look like at home – and, for us today, at work? It starts with the marriage relationship, because that’s the basis for everything else that happens in the home. And once again we have to deal with the bad press that Paul usually receives for what he wrote here. Both GNB & NIV use the word submit, which is anathema to most of us today. But I’ve got to say that it’s anathema because of the way the word has been used – yes, usually by men – rather than because of what Paul meant by it. The Greek word that Paul used describes what that takes place between two equals. It’s about the role that each person chooses to play for the benefit of both. And it must be said that Paul was being hugely radical by using such a word for what happens between a husband and wife. In Paul’s day, wives, children and slaves had no rights at all! And men had no responsibilities towards any of them! A man could beat his wife, child or slave, or sell them, or kill them, and face no consequences. Again, we may not like it today, but that is the way it was. So we need to hear how radical Paul was being by writing how and what he did. First he stated the fact that in Christ men do have responsibilities toward their wives, children, & slaves. Men were – & are – answerable to God for their conduct towards them. But then he also stated that wives, children and slaves have rights themselves! As I say, that was deeply radical – even revolutionary – in his time. And don’t forget that this deeply radical revolution was brought about by the person and work of Christ himself. He (Christ) has set the example of giving up rights & taking on responsibilities for the benefit of others. And anyone, like us, whose life and eternal destiny has been transformed by Christ, must now live a transformed life – in their home. So, if you’re a wife, in Christ you have the responsibility to submit to your husband – & you have the right to be loved in return. It may well be better to use another word instead of ‘submit’ because of its negative connotations. Other Bible translations use ‘respect’ instead – which may help. Remember this is about wives and husbands being equal. It’s not about being a doormat. It’s about what you choose to do as an equal in the context of who takes the ultimate responsibility for the family; & that should be the husband. If you’re a husband, in Christ you have the responsibility, then, to love your wife! That may sound simple, perhaps; but think of who has set the example of how to love! It’s Christ we husbands we need to look to, just as our wife is to. We are to look to Christ on the cross, giving up his life for us. If we husbands did love our wife that way then respect (or submission) wouldn’t be a problem. We would not even dream of demanding that our wife did something that wasn’t the very best for her. Nor would we dream of being unforgiving, of holding grudges, or being harsh, with her either. Not if we live out the new lifestyle of love and forgiveness that we have in this new life in Christ. Of course there’s so much more that could be said, about the nature of both Christian submission and love between husband and wife. But we need to move on, to the next issue of life at home – & that’s relationships with children. Again, note how radical Paul was being just by writing to children as members of the church in their own right. In Christ children do have the responsibility to obey their parents. But, in return they have the right to expect not to be irritated by their Christian parent, so they don’t give up! The Greek word Paul uses for obey – of both children and slaves – is a much less equal one. That is only right, as children are not, & should not, be in a position of equality with adults. Absolutely children have rights, and they must be safeguarded – by Christians above all. But something has gone badly wrong when a 10-year-old child threatens to report a Headteacher to the police for stopping them from walking away from being disciplined. That happened recently at a school I know – and it’s far from uncommon nowadays. Children do need to obey authority, or we land up with a society that Tony Blair rightly says lacks respect. Of course, the society Paul wrote to was very different. So parents, & fathers in particular, needed to hear his advice about not irritating – or provoking – their children. That’s just as good advice to parents today. One commentary I read suggested no less than 10 ways that parents can provoke their children! They range from being over-protective, to not setting any boundaries; from being overly critical to neglect. Again we don’t have time to go into them in detail – but, children & parents, hear & remember this principle. In Christ, children have the responsibility to obey parents; in Christ, parents have the duty not to provoke children. And there’s plenty of food for future thought in both areas. The final area of Christian home-life that Paul addressed was relations with slaves. As I say, the application of these principles for us must be to the world of work – whether as employer or employee. But for Paul’s original readers in Colosse this was a real, live issue. Some people think that Paul wrote about this in greater detail because of the case of Onesimus. We can read more about that in Paul’s letter to Philemon. It’s about how a Christian master was to deal with a Christian slave who had run away & wanted to come back. As we might expect, Paul urged them to sort it out in Christ. And that’s also the context in which Paul set his advice to masters and slaves here. Again, what mattered most to Paul was who and what both masters and slaves were in Christ. Their new lifestyle had to reflect that new reality. So, slaves had the responsibility to work as loyally and as faithfully as they could – at all times. Not just when their human master was watching, but when he wasn’t. Slaves were to do their work as if they were working for Christ himself. He was – and is – the one who will reward us. It’s pleasing him that counts, no matter what sort of boss we have, or are. And yes, maybe this is partly the root of the Protestant work ethic – but there are worse ethics to have! We’re to work for Christ as our boss! If we are the boss, then Paul’s words to the masters are for us to hear. Bosses have the duty to provide what is fair and right – for their slaves or employees. No human is the ultimate authority: that is Christ’s role! Being a Christian doesn’t excuse being an unfair or bad boss any more than it excuses poor work by employees. As Paul said, God judges us all by the same standard. And so we’re all to do the very best that we can, as employers or employees. That too is part of living the new life that we’ve been given in Christ. Christ is the boss, so we’re to work for him with our whole heart, whether we’re an employee or employer. Once again, there’s so much more detail that we could go into on this area. But I hope you’ve noted the principle – & so can work out what it means for your own life. If you’re a Christian I hope you can – and will – work out what it means for you at home, and at work. These principles apply to us today as husbands & wives, as children & parents, and as employees & employers. What they tell us is how we are to live for Christ in all those situations. If we’re a Christian then we have been given a new life in Christ. Now we have to live it out – at home & at work. So, wives, do respect your husband; husbands, do love your wife; children do obey your parents; parents don’t irritate your children; at work, work for Christ – as an employee or an employer. And do it all for Christ because of what he has done for you. He has given you a new life: so now live his new lifestyle, at home and at work. Let’s pray …
(Colossians 3:18-4:1)
Our Vicar, Cameron Barker, talks about our responsibility as Christians.
It’s definitely time for a poll! So, put a hand up, please, if you’re married … Keep that hand up, and add another; or put one up, if you are a parent … I know this is getting complicated, but stick with it. If you’ve got both hands up, stand up; if you’ve got one hand up, add another; or put one up if you have a parent …Now this is really challenging: if you’re standing with both hands up, wave your arms if this next one applies to you; or apply the same principle & do whatever you need to show that you’re either an employer or an employee … As I thought, then: this sermon really is for (just about) everybody here! Thanks for joining in, and do now get comfortable. Today we’re going to be thinking about the next stage of what Trevor spoke about here last week. The title he gave his sermon on the passage he spoke on from Paul’s letter to the Colossians was ‘New life, new lifestyle’. The particular application last week was how Christians are to live out their new lifestyle in their social relationships. This week we’re seeing how Paul then moved on to the new lifestyle that Christians are to live out at home. Before we get to that, though, let me point out the obvious difference between the context that Paul wrote into in the 1st Century and our context today. There was a clue in the last question of the poll, when I asked who’s an employee or an employer. Fortunately, slavery is a thing of the past for us. So we need to apply Paul’s comments on slaves & masters to the realm of work today. But for Paul’s original readers, slavery was very much part of their everyday reality. Slaves were integral to just about every area of the 1st Century Roman world, & so many homes would have had them. We may not like it, but that is how it was! Of course there would have been slaves in many Christian homes, as there were in other homes. What was different, though, was that slaves were welcomed into the church on the same basis as everyone else. Paul often stressed – and meant – that in Christ all people are the same: Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave and free. That, in fact, was exactly what Paul was writing about here! It was all about the difference that being in Christ was, & is, to make to every area of a Christian’s life! That difference was – & is – to show up in a Christian’s social relationships, as we saw last week. And that difference was – and is – to show up in a Christian’s home life, as we’re seeing today. But first, a word of warning. This could ‘just’ sound like a set of rules – for which Christianity is wrongly infamous. In the early part of his letter Paul first laid down the ground-work for all this advice about a Christian’s conduct. This section of his letter is about how Christians are to live in response to who Christ is & what he’s done for us. This is emphatically not a set of rules to live by in order to make yourself a Christian. It is a set of rules to live by if you are a Christian – because of the difference that Christ has made in your life. This new lifestyle comes with a new life in Christ; the new lifestyle doesn’t cause the new life. So what does this new lifestyle look like at home – and, for us today, at work? It starts with the marriage relationship, because that’s the basis for everything else that happens in the home. And once again we have to deal with the bad press that Paul usually receives for what he wrote here. Both GNB & NIV use the word submit, which is anathema to most of us today. But I’ve got to say that it’s anathema because of the way the word has been used – yes, usually by men – rather than because of what Paul meant by it. The Greek word that Paul used describes what that takes place between two equals. It’s about the role that each person chooses to play for the benefit of both. And it must be said that Paul was being hugely radical by using such a word for what happens between a husband and wife. In Paul’s day, wives, children and slaves had no rights at all! And men had no responsibilities towards any of them! A man could beat his wife, child or slave, or sell them, or kill them, and face no consequences. Again, we may not like it today, but that is the way it was. So we need to hear how radical Paul was being by writing how and what he did. First he stated the fact that in Christ men do have responsibilities toward their wives, children, & slaves. Men were – & are – answerable to God for their conduct towards them. But then he also stated that wives, children and slaves have rights themselves! As I say, that was deeply radical – even revolutionary – in his time. And don’t forget that this deeply radical revolution was brought about by the person and work of Christ himself. He (Christ) has set the example of giving up rights & taking on responsibilities for the benefit of others. And anyone, like us, whose life and eternal destiny has been transformed by Christ, must now live a transformed life – in their home. So, if you’re a wife, in Christ you have the responsibility to submit to your husband – & you have the right to be loved in return. It may well be better to use another word instead of ‘submit’ because of its negative connotations. Other Bible translations use ‘respect’ instead – which may help. Remember this is about wives and husbands being equal. It’s not about being a doormat. It’s about what you choose to do as an equal in the context of who takes the ultimate responsibility for the family; & that should be the husband. If you’re a husband, in Christ you have the responsibility, then, to love your wife! That may sound simple, perhaps; but think of who has set the example of how to love! It’s Christ we husbands we need to look to, just as our wife is to. We are to look to Christ on the cross, giving up his life for us. If we husbands did love our wife that way then respect (or submission) wouldn’t be a problem. We would not even dream of demanding that our wife did something that wasn’t the very best for her. Nor would we dream of being unforgiving, of holding grudges, or being harsh, with her either. Not if we live out the new lifestyle of love and forgiveness that we have in this new life in Christ. Of course there’s so much more that could be said, about the nature of both Christian submission and love between husband and wife. But we need to move on, to the next issue of life at home – & that’s relationships with children. Again, note how radical Paul was being just by writing to children as members of the church in their own right. In Christ children do have the responsibility to obey their parents. But, in return they have the right to expect not to be irritated by their Christian parent, so they don’t give up! The Greek word Paul uses for obey – of both children and slaves – is a much less equal one. That is only right, as children are not, & should not, be in a position of equality with adults. Absolutely children have rights, and they must be safeguarded – by Christians above all. But something has gone badly wrong when a 10-year-old child threatens to report a Headteacher to the police for stopping them from walking away from being disciplined. That happened recently at a school I know – and it’s far from uncommon nowadays. Children do need to obey authority, or we land up with a society that Tony Blair rightly says lacks respect. Of course, the society Paul wrote to was very different. So parents, & fathers in particular, needed to hear his advice about not irritating – or provoking – their children. That’s just as good advice to parents today. One commentary I read suggested no less than 10 ways that parents can provoke their children! They range from being over-protective, to not setting any boundaries; from being overly critical to neglect. Again we don’t have time to go into them in detail – but, children & parents, hear & remember this principle. In Christ, children have the responsibility to obey parents; in Christ, parents have the duty not to provoke children. And there’s plenty of food for future thought in both areas. The final area of Christian home-life that Paul addressed was relations with slaves. As I say, the application of these principles for us must be to the world of work – whether as employer or employee. But for Paul’s original readers in Colosse this was a real, live issue. Some people think that Paul wrote about this in greater detail because of the case of Onesimus. We can read more about that in Paul’s letter to Philemon. It’s about how a Christian master was to deal with a Christian slave who had run away & wanted to come back. As we might expect, Paul urged them to sort it out in Christ. And that’s also the context in which Paul set his advice to masters and slaves here. Again, what mattered most to Paul was who and what both masters and slaves were in Christ. Their new lifestyle had to reflect that new reality. So, slaves had the responsibility to work as loyally and as faithfully as they could – at all times. Not just when their human master was watching, but when he wasn’t. Slaves were to do their work as if they were working for Christ himself. He was – and is – the one who will reward us. It’s pleasing him that counts, no matter what sort of boss we have, or are. And yes, maybe this is partly the root of the Protestant work ethic – but there are worse ethics to have! We’re to work for Christ as our boss! If we are the boss, then Paul’s words to the masters are for us to hear. Bosses have the duty to provide what is fair and right – for their slaves or employees. No human is the ultimate authority: that is Christ’s role! Being a Christian doesn’t excuse being an unfair or bad boss any more than it excuses poor work by employees. As Paul said, God judges us all by the same standard. And so we’re all to do the very best that we can, as employers or employees. That too is part of living the new life that we’ve been given in Christ. Christ is the boss, so we’re to work for him with our whole heart, whether we’re an employee or employer. Once again, there’s so much more detail that we could go into on this area. But I hope you’ve noted the principle – & so can work out what it means for your own life. If you’re a Christian I hope you can – and will – work out what it means for you at home, and at work. These principles apply to us today as husbands & wives, as children & parents, and as employees & employers. What they tell us is how we are to live for Christ in all those situations. If we’re a Christian then we have been given a new life in Christ. Now we have to live it out – at home & at work. So, wives, do respect your husband; husbands, do love your wife; children do obey your parents; parents don’t irritate your children; at work, work for Christ – as an employee or an employer. And do it all for Christ because of what he has done for you. He has given you a new life: so now live his new lifestyle, at home and at work. Let’s pray …
posted by Parish Administrator at 1:17 pm
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