Thoughtful Leadership
Acts 15:1-11 and Selected Readings from the New Form of Government
July 1, 2011 ~ Preached by Linda Jo Peters
Three part Sermon series on Being Presbyterian
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana
INTRODUCTION TO READINGS
Acts 15:1-11
Is the church about innovation or maintaining dogma? One writer points out that
“…the church itself promises the world an all-embracing innovation: the vision that the entire creation will finally become new, in communion with God.” That is a pretty big innovation. Our reading today comes from just such a challenge to believers. Is the dogma of circumcision more important than the innovation of welcoming all people to Christ? Today when Rosetta Haynes will be leading a discussion of her book, Radical Spiritual Motherhood, where five African American women during a time of intolerance to women especially women of color’s leadership; these woman were called by God and often had to challenge the dogma of the church as Paul and Barnabas do in this reading.
Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders. 3So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they reported the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the believers. 4When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. 5But some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses.”
6The apostles and the elders met together to consider this matter. 7After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers. 8And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; 9and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. 10Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?
Today July 10, 2011 the new Form of Government (FOG) takes effect. The 219th General Assembly and a majority of the presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have approved amending the Book of Order to include the this New Form of Government.
Trinity Presbytery, in western South Carolina, voted June 7 to approve FOG, making it the 87th and last necessary vote for passage. It seems a good time to reflect on this new form but also what it means to be Presbyterian.
F-1.02 JESUS CHRIST IS HEAD OF THE CHURCH
F-1.0201 The Authority of Christ
Almighty God, who raised Jesus Christ from the dead and set him above all rule and authority, has given to him all power in heaven and on earth, not only in this age but also in the age to come. God has put all things under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and has made Christ Head of the Church, which is his body. The Church’s life and mission are a joyful participation in Christ’s ongoing life and work.
F-3.0202 Governed by Presbyters
This church shall be governed by presbyters, that is, ruling elders and teaching elders. Ruling elders are so named not because they “lord it over” the congregation (Matt. 20:25), but because they are chosen by the congregation to discern and measure its fidelity to the Word of God, and to strengthen and nurture its faith and life. Teaching elders shall be committed in all their work to equipping the people of God for their ministry and witness.
F-3.0203 Gathered in Councils
These presbyters shall come together in councils in regular gradation. These councils are sessions, presbyteries, synods, and the General Assembly. All councils of the church are united by the nature of the church and share with one another responsibilities, rights, and powers as provided in this Constitution. The councils are distinct, but have such mutual relations that the act of one of them is the act of the whole church performed by it through the appropriate council. The larger part of the church, or a representation thereof, shall govern the smaller.
F-3.0204 Seek and Represent the Will of Christ
Presbyters are not simply to reflect the will of the people, but rather to seek together to find and represent the will of Christ.
F-3.0205 Decision by Majority Vote
Decisions shall be reached in councils by vote, following opportunity for discussion and discernment, and a majority shall govern.
F-3.0206 Review and Control
A higher council shall have the right of review and control over a lower one and shall have power to determine matters of controversy upon reference, complaint, or appeal.
F-3.0207 Ordination by Council
Presbyters (ruling elders and teaching elders) and deacons are ordained only by the authority of a council.
F-3.0208 Shared Power, Exercised Jointly
Ecclesiastical jurisdiction is a shared power, to be exercised jointly by presbyters gathered in councils.
Sermon:
We are a deliberate lot, we Presbyterians. We like to take our time and think things through. Prayer, discussion, even heated debate is the accepted process for change with in our denomination. Over all of our own opinions and beliefs there is the guiding principle that Jesus is Lord of the Church.
One of the speakers at the Big Tent Event I attended last week was Mark Labberton who said:
He met a man in his church’s neighborhood who had attended numerous churches in the area. He was tattooed along his neck and face. He said “I have been to churches that talk a lot about Jesus and not much about the world and I have been to churches that talk a lot about the world and not much about Jesus. Your church seems to talk about Jesus and the world, but I am not looking for a church where I can meet people like me, I want to meet people like Jesus. Do you have people like Jesus in your church?”
Leadership in the Presbyterian Church is about being like Jesus. Such leadership uses a thoughtful process of discernment/decision-making; study and prayer; personal testimony like Peter’s that opens the mind to imagination and love. Once Jesus ascended into heaven the church needed leaders to help when there was conflict such as what Paul and Barnabas brought to the council in Jerusalem. What conflicts have you seen our or another church struggle to discern God’s will. Was there resolution? Did you grow from the experience or just get hurt?
It is the attitude that the winner takes all that hinders the church modeling the life of Jesus. Most of our polity has challenged this attitude through the years. But it is never a perfect representation because rules and laws will never replace what is lived out in people’s lives.
There is a hungry to meet people like Jesus. You can encourage this in your own life by developing a habit of not always winning. When our daughter Esther was little, she loved to race. We had a young teenager living next door. He was over six feet tall and every time they raced he let Esther win. He was being Jesus to his neighbor. If we could practice not being critical or corrective of everything others do, we will free ourselves to be more loving as Jesus our Lord is with us. Are we going to disagree with each other? Of course we will, but it will not end our relationship with one another. Besides doing everything in decency and in order, Presbyterians in their polity and their discipleship seek to live together even when they disagree. Picking up the marbles and going home, when life does not go our way is not Presbyterian. Presbyterians are here for the long haul with brothers and sisters in Christ that push all their buttons and then turn around and bring a basket of cookies by their house. Some Presbyterians are as easy to be with as Jesus was. Some Presbyterians are as hard to be with as Jesus was. Do we have people like Jesus here at Unity? You bet we do and we love them all. Amen.
Resources
"The Language of Church and World," Athanasios N. Papathanasiou, Ecumenical Review, 1999.
Here are the full descriptions of the church living under the authority of Christ found in the new form of government (FOG).
F-1.0202 Christ Calls and Equips the Church
Christ calls the Church into being, giving it all that is necessary for its mission in the world, for its sanctification, and for its service to God. Christ is present with the Church in both Spirit and Word. Christ alone rules, calls, teaches, and uses the Church as he wills.
F-1.0203 Christ Gives the Church Its Life
Christ gives to the Church its faith and life, its unity and mission, its order and discipline. Scripture teaches us of Christ’s will for the Church, which is to be obeyed. In the worship and service of God and the government of the church, matters are to be ordered according to the Word by reason and sound judgment, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
F-1.0204 Christ Is the Church’s Hope
In affirming with the earliest Christians that Jesus is Lord, the Church confesses that he is its hope, and that the Church, as Christ’s body, is bound to his authority and thus free to live in the lively, joyous reality of the grace of God.
F-1.0205 Christ Is the Foundation of the Church
In Christ all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Christ God reconciles all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross (Col. 1:19–20). In Christ’s name, therefore, the Church is sent out to bear witness to the good news of reconciliation with God, with others, and with all creation. In Christ the Church receives its truth and appeal, its holiness¸ and its unity.
