St. Andrew's, 6 May 2007
Cleanliness and Churchiness
Acts 11:1-18
leviticus 11: 2-28
- purity issues - fellowship issues - hospitality issues - evangelism issues - how do you tell those who are unclean good news? How do we eat with those who regard our food as unclean?
The result of Peter's vision was an understanding that all people are clean - (& all food - though Peter would still struggle with that one - see Galations)
I doubt we would have any problem that in God's eyes all people are clean - or would we?
Who is unclean?
- sexuality issues? - big issue in the churches - a sin that needs to be repented of? or a natural state that should be accepted? unbiblical? or can acceptance be read in to various texts? we are faced with sexual orientation regulations, the possible blessing of gay marriages... - how would we react?
- cohabitation issues - part of today’s life - uncomfortable issue for many churches - biblical view is an acceptance of local marriage customs - sexual, economic, social & faithful - to “live together” fulfills those criteria therefore can be viewed as marriage - but we miss the community celebration & legal protection for vulnerable. However there is still a sliding scale of cleanliness - we may accept a member living with their partner - eyebrows might be raised at an Elder - but would we accept a Minister who was not legally married to their partner?
- language - no swearing in church - or in hearing of minister - swearing is common in all sections of society yet in church is unclean, unacceptable. Summed up perfectly by Tony Compolo
"I have three things I'd like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don't give a shit. What's worse is that you're more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night."
Jesus worked amongst the unclean, the ritually unpure, the outcasts, the socially unacceptable and offered the life that all the purity regulations denied - the church emerged as a movement of the poor, the slave, the unclean, the rabble, offering new life, offering cleanliness before God even whilst still unclean within society - washing away the fear, anxiety, exclusion of purity laws - for all are clean. Cleanliness may have developed as part of churchiness - but let’s not kid ourselves that it is next to Godliness - for in Godliness a homosexual cohabiting with a sexual partner who swears like a trooper and slurps their coffee is just as welcome as someone who manages to live a life in which all the purity laws - written and unwritten are religiously observed.
If such ideas leave us feeling very uncomfortable - then so be it and thanks be to God.