Sermon 7th October 2012

Today, our Curate, Gill Tayleur, continues our study series on Becoming Like Christ.  The reading this week is from 1 Peter 2 verses 13-25 

One day an out of work actor was visiting the zoo and tried to earn some money busking doing mimes. But as soon as he started to draw a crowd, the zookeeper grabbed him and dragged him into his office. The zookeeper explained that the zoo's most popular attraction, a gorilla, had died suddenly. He offered the actor a job to dress up as the gorilla until they can get another one. The actor agreed.

The next day he started work, wearing a gorilla suit, and he loved it. He could sleep all he liked, play and make fun of people, and the crowds loved him. However, eventually he began to get bored. And he began to notice that the people were paying more attention to the lion in the cage next to his. Not wanting to lose the attention of his audience, he climbed to the top of his cage, and dangled over the lion's cage. Of course, this made the lion furious, but the crowd loved it. Well, this went on for several days. The actor kept taunting the lion

and the crowds grew larger. Then one terrible day when he was dangling over the furious lion, he slipped and fell.

He was terrified and started running round and round the cage with the lion running behind. Finally, the actor started yelling, "Help, Help me!", but the lion was quick and pounced. Pinned beneath his huge paws, the actor looked up as the lion said, "Shut up you idiot! Do you want to get us both fired?"

That’s a favourite joke in our family, and it’s tenuously connected with our subject this morning as we’re going to be thinking a bit about work in a moment. That’s one of the contexts we’re looking at this morning for the next instalment in our series on Becoming like Christ.

From the first few pages of Peter’s letter, we’ve heard lots about who we are as Christians, God’s chosen people,

people with a living hope, people called to be holy like God is, and a people whose lives are built around Jesus Christ as their foundation.

Now Peter turns his attention to how God’s people should live, becoming like Christ, in some of the different spheres of life. Today’s passage relates to how we live as citizens of our city & country, and as workers. Next week Cameron will help us look at how we live in marriage. And a key idea that runs through all of this section is that of submission.

Verse 13: “For the sake of the Lord, submit to every human authority.” “You servants must submit to your masters” and verse 16: “Live as God’s slaves”

Submission. How do you like being told to submit?....

I don’t like it one little bit! And I bet you don’t either. I read this week that the mention of submission makes our necks stiffen slightly – and I must admit it does. Just a slight tension in the neck and jaw as I think, “Submit? Why? Why should I? Who do they think they are? I’ll do what I want, thank you very much.” We much prefer to be in control than to relinquish control, prefer to please ourselves, than to submit.

But here we have it, several times over, in front of us in Peter’s letter. So, are we going to listen to what he has to say about submission?

Please do! Don’t switch off! Because, who we’re asked to submit to ultimately, is God, and God loves us. The bottom line on all this submission and surrender, is submission to God, who knows and loves us perfectly.

We’ll get to all that a bit later – but that’s where we’re going, and I’m appealing to you to come with me, exploring submission, with or without a stiff neck (!), in that context.

So, what does Peter say about WHO are we to submit to, & WHY?

Peter says we’re to submit to “every human authority:

to the Emperor, and to the governors

who have been appointed by [God] to punish evildoers

and to praise those who do good.”

So, first we’re to submit to those who rule over us. The Bible is clear that God puts people into positions of authority, and gives them responsibility to rule over others,

so that there can be order, for the good of all the people. Such a system can only work if the people submit

to their rulers’ authority, and that’s what we’re called to do.

We’re to be good and useful citizens of our country, our city, and to play our part and fulfil our responsibilities and duties as such. That should be the norm.

But what if those who rule have created tyranny, not peaceful order for the benefit of all? Surely there are times when we aren’t meant to submit, to an unjust or cruel authority? Yes there are. If there’s a conflict between what we should do to submit to God and his ways, and to a ruler, then as this same Peter said in Acts 5, “we must obey God, not men.” And that’s what Christ taught too. “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s”, he said. Loyalty to God comes first.

I doubt whether many of us consider the authorities over us here and now, are creating such a conflict. But this has been a very real issue with life & death consequences

for many Christians over the years. For example in South Africa under the apartheid regime; should people obey the law when it was so desperately unjust, racist and violent? And whether or not to obey the law of the land,

is still a very real issue in some countries today, where there are oppressive rulers.

But, unless there’s a conflict between obedience to the state and to God, we’re to submit to those in authority over us. We’re to pay our taxes, obey our laws, all of them, even the ones that irritate us, take part in our democratic system as that’s what we live in.  Peter says that by doing so, we’ll stop ignorant or foolish people saying bad things about us, our faith and our God.

Then Peter says we’re to submit to those we work for.

“You servants must submit to your masters and show them complete respect, not only to those who are kind and considerate, but also those who are harsh.” Other translations of the Bible have the word slave here, not servant. The Greek word doulos can mean either.

Slavery was a massive thing in the Roman Empire. It has been estimated that up to a third of the population were slaves, 60 million of them! We tend to think of them as domestic slaves, and many were, but they had lots of other roles in society as well. Many had become slaves

when taken prisoners of war, and they included skilled doctors, teachers, musicians and accountants. But whatever their roles, all slaves had one thing in common: they had no legal rights at all. They were regarded by the law as things, not people. They were completely owned

by their masters. So they couldn’t marry, and if they cohabited and had a child, the child would belong

to the master, not to the parents. The same way a lamb belongs to the owner of the flock, not to the sheep. Slaves were like animals, with no rights. And so, although some slaves were well cared for and trusted members of their master’s family, very many were brutally abused,

with no protection from the law whatsoever.

Aristotle wrote in 300 something BC, “There can be no friendship nor justice towards inanimate things; indeed, not towards a horse or an ox, nor towards a slave. For master and slave have nothing in common; a slave is a living tool.” The only difference between a slave and an animal is that a slave is able to speak.

It was into this situation of slavery as systematic, legalised dehumanisation, that the new Christian faith came with the message that every person is loved by and precious to God, and that Jesus Christ died for the sins of everyone, so that all could be forgiven and accepted by God. Slaves could become Christians, indeed Callistus, one of the earliest bishops of Rome, was a slave.

So the social barriers between slaves and masters broke down in the church, where they might even be in the same congregation. This was a new and revolutionary situation! Them sitting side by side in church as equals!

And it had the potential to lead to two possible problems:

if both slave and master were Christians, the slave might think he or she could take advantage and expect to work less hard. Peter says, no, Christian slaves should be as conscientious as they can.

The other potential problem was that the new - right and Godly - dignity gained by the Christian slave might make him or her disgruntled and consider serving their master beneath them. And to him or her Peter says no, instead you have a new inspiration for doing your very best, as you serve God, not just your master.

The question that may be at the back of your mind is,

why doesn’t Peter challenge the practice of slavery?

Why doesn’t he say it was wrong and dehumanising, and condemn it? Some people have used this passage to keep such injustices unchallenged, saying God doesn’t care about slavery or social change. But there are plenty of other passages in the Bible that say God is passionate about justice, and that we’re to eradicate injustice and oppression.

What various commentaries say about this passage, is that Peter isn’t addressing society here, he’s addressing the church, and writing to these people about how they live as Christians, in their situation in life, as it is there and then. I’m not sure if that’s a very satisfactory answer, but it’s all we have time for as a headline.

Peter clearly says to those Christians who are slaves,

that they’re to submit to their masters and show them complete respect, not only when they’re kind and considerate, but also when they’re harsh!

Why would anyone choose to submit to the person in authority over them when they’re harsh?! Unjustly harsh, Peter means, as he says more about suffering unjustly in the next few verses.

Why submit? In verse 13 Peter says “For the sake of the Lord, submit...”

And in verse 21 Peter spells out the reason: “Christ himself suffered for you and left you an example, so that you would follow in his steps.” We are to submit, because Christ did, and we are called to become more like him. (How’s your neck?!)

How exactly did Christ submit? Reading on, “He committed no sin, and no one ever heard a lie come from his lips. When he was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God, the righteous Judge.”

Christ committed no sin – so ALL the suffering he bore was unjust, he didn’t deserve any of it, he hadn’t done anything wrong. Nothing to deserve the insults, the beating, and finally the agony of the cross.

And he submitted to all this suffering and abuse, without retaliation. He didn’t answer back, didn’t threaten back, didn’t fight back.

He did so knowing he could trust himself to his Father God. And knowing he could trust those who attacked him, to his Father God’s justice. He knew he was being terribly wronged, but he didn’t need to take justice into his own hands, he trusted God to deal with that. He knew he was doing God’s will.

Peter says of all this, Christ left us an example, so that we should follow in his steps. The Greek word used for example is the same word used to describe the example of teachers writing letters of the alphabet, for children learning to write, for the children to copy. We’re to carefully copy Christ’s example, to become more like him. So when people see our love, they see his love.

When they experience our forgiveness, his forgiveness,

and our service, his service.

So how are we doing, in following his example and becoming like him?

Are we submitting to those in authority over us at work,

or what counts as our work?

If we’re in paid employment, are there things our boss does or demands of us, that are difficult? Will we still work to our very best at work?

If we’re at home, caring for the very young or very old, will we submit to their needs, to the very best of our ability?

And if we’re in a position of power or responsibility ourselves, at home or work – do we use it to serve others?

To bless others?

And when we’re treated harshly by those in authority over us, do we want to retaliate? To take revenge? To get our own back?

That’s not Christ’s way. He said he came not to be served

but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

He said if anyone wanted to follow him, they must take up their cross and follow him, to lose their life for his sake.

Christ’s way was and is one of self sacrifice, of surrender,

of submission, to God. To his will. To his love.

And ultimately, that’s to be our driving force too. In v 16 Peter says we’re to live as God’s slaves.

Becoming like Christ, we submit to God, we live like his slaves. We surrender to God, surrender to God’s will,

surrender to God’s love.

For God made us in love, out of love, for love. We see that supremely at the cross of Christ. Verse 24: “Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by his wounds that you have been healed.”

On the cross, Christ took our sins on to himself, he took the punishment for them, so that we might be forgiven them and live healed or free of the guilt of them, healed or free of the power of them, free of the tyranny of having to live for self. That’s how much God loves each one of us,

that Christ died on the cross to free us from sin and its consequences.

And here’s the extraordinary thing. That it is in surrendering to another, to God, his perfect will and his perfect love, that we find freedom. That being a slave of God, brings freedom.

Living for God, living his way, what Peter called dying to sin and living for righteousness, doing his will, is ultimately freeing.

David Benner, a North American professor of psychology & spirituality, says in his little book Surrender to Love:

 “[God] invites us to come to him and relinquish the control of our life. He invites us to give up our desperate and illusory striving after autonomy. He also invites us to abandon the isolation and rigidity of our egocentricity, [our self centredness]. And in their place he offers rest, fulfilment, and the discovery of our true and deepest self in Christ. When we take this step of surrender, we discover the place for which we have been unconsciously longing. Like a tool seized by a strong hand, we are at last where we belong.”

Surrender to God is how we become like Christ. It’s how we become our truest free-est selves, as God designed each one of us to be. And although the word submission may still make our necks and jaws stiffen, let’s embrace that submission and that freedom. Let’s do it this morning as we come up the front here for Communion, or for a blessing; let’s come and surrender to God, and to his extravagant, lavish, affirming, safe, love.

And so let’s pray...