Sermon GUC 12 June 2022

Paul in his letter to the Romans said, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities: for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God.” (Romans 13:1). Paul was talking about the Roman Empire and made the claim that it had been instituted by God. Would you agree?

There are times when being a preacher is a risky business. This is the third in a series on idolatry and we have arrived at politics. Please note my timing: it is AFTER the federal election! So no hidden or overt messages about how to vote.

Why do I risk speaking on this topic? I think as Christians we should take the opportunity to think biblically and theologically about what really matters. And politics matter.

1. Political Institutions are human

Political parties comprise a group of people. Such an organisation is 100% human. And we are imperfect. Human and imperfect – can we agree on these two assumptions? And yet it is easy to think of historical examples when the humanity of leadership been forgotten.

• The divine right of kings in the middle-ages and later.
• Churches which have thought they had a ‘communication pipeline’ to the Almighty (too numerous to mention).
• Authoritarian states whether Communist or Fascist, left or right, that dictate to citizens what can and cannot be believed.

There seems to be a point at which a line is crossed. Claims are made of an authority that is more than human. Allegiance is made to a source in the divine realm and all this becomes idolatrous. Usually, the bottom line will involve power and exploitation.

I love the story of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin who landed on the moon in 1969. In the months of preparation, the Apollo 11 astronauts trained in a remote moon like desert in western USA. They encountered some of the native American Indians. One day a native asked what they were doing and they informed him that they were part of research expedition that would soon travel to the moon. The old man became silent and asked whether they would do him a favour? What do you want? The old man said, “The people of my tribe believe that sacred spirits live on the moon. Could you pass on an important message?” He told them in his tribal language and they repeated it until it was memorised. They asked “What does it mean?” That he said, “Oh, I can’t tell you. It’s a secret of our tribe and the moon spirits will know.” After the moon landing they returned to the earth, were curious about the message and eventually found a native speaker of that tribe. They told him the words of the old man had asked them to communicate and the Indian laughed uproariously. What was the message? The man translated the message “Don’t believe a single word these people are telling you. They have come to steal your lands.”

• Political allegiance reflects values not eternal truths

Jonathan Haidt wrote the important book The Righteous Mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion (2012). He made the point that our beliefs are based on intuitions and rational thought comes later to justify a position taken. His analysis sought some common ground between what we would label left and right.

I think it is helpful to distinguish broadly four political trends:

• The Left is now divided between what I would call old left (emphasising sharing wealth through taxation and government services such as Medicare, NDIS, etc). It is represented by the traditional Labor voter. Paul Keating was a good example of old left. The new left more readily advocates causes, all are worthy but there is controversy on extremes of political correctness and cancel culture on university campuses. Many Green voters would be sympathetic to this position.
•  The right has also divided. This is seen in the conflict between a small l liberal such as Malcolm Turnbull and the militant Tony Abbot. The more extreme right is seen in the USA with Tea Party and Donald Trump. It is obvious that consensus politics has been made more difficult by the emerging extremes of both left and right.

I am not arguing for the ‘truth’ in any of these four positions. They each reflect values that are important to individuals. For example, fairness and autonomy are different values, one is associated with old left and the other with old right. But values reflect what is important to us, our priorities guide behaviour, but none are absolute. Someone likened values to pizza toppings: you can argue all you like but a Hawaiian versus a Supreme is simply a matter of preference.

What matters is what we do with our values. This is illustrated by Grace Thomas. She was a black woman, the daughter of a Birmingham, Alabama streetcar conductor and his wife. She married in the 1930’s, moved to Atlanta and took a clerical job in state government offices. While she worked she studied law in night classes. When she completed her degree the family wondered what she would do with it. They were shocked when she announced that she would enter the 1954 race for governor of Georgia. There were 9 candidates, 8 men and Grace. The hot issue of the day was the Supreme Court decision of Brown v. the Board of Education. Of the 9 candidates only Grace thought racially integrated education was a good idea. Her campaign slogan was “Say Grace at the polls”. Not many did; she ran dead last. Her family hoped that she had gotten it out of her system. But eight years later, in 1962, she ran for governor again. Now the civil rights movement was gaining momentum. Again, she was in the midst of controversy, she received death threats and members of her family travelled with her on the campaign trail for protection. In Louisville, Georgia she chose the site of her speech, a place that had once been a slave market. She said to the crowd who gathered, “The old has passed away and the new has come. This place represents our past and we must repent. A new day is here, a day when Georgians white and black can join hands to work together.” Someone shouted at her, “Are you a communist?” “No”, she said softly, “I am not.” The heckler continued, “Well, then where’d you get those damned ideas?” Grace thought for a minute and pointed to the steeple of a church, “I got them over there in Sunday School.” Not many people take seriously what they learnt there. Grace did; we can. Just for the record, Grace was not elected governor in 1962. She finished last again.  But she had a life lived for others. She lived out her political values in light of her Christian faith. That is her challenge to us as well.

Discuss: What values are important to you? How well do you tolerate people of different values?

Conclusion

I think we can avoid the extremes of political idolatry. Of course, politics is important. Our vote protects us from autocratic leadership. St Paul, though a Roman citizen, did not have a vote and had to accept the rule of Caesar. We must constantly remind ourselves that politics is a human game, yes one of power, but not a direct expression of divine authority. That is to be seduced by idols. What we have are heart felt values. When we vote let it be a considered expression of what is most important to us.

Idolatry is a biblical and theological concept. It can help us to think about important issues. In the sermon on youth I characterized idolatry as an over-valuing of something less than God. In the sermon on romantic love I explored the expectation that such love can ultimately save us. And in today’s sermon on politics I believe that our allegiances become idolatrous when divine authority is mistaken for what is human and ultimately fallible.

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Dr Bruce A Stevens (PhD Boston U, 1987) is supply minister at Gungahlin Uniting Church.

Chris Dodd – 5 June 2022.
Reading: Acts 2:1-21

Our reading from the book of Acts this morning describes the first day of Pentecost.

Significantly the story has the followers of Jesus gathered in one place. They are together, not scattered or spread around Jerusalem. They are together. We don’t know what they are feeling, what they are talking about or even who they are. But they are together.

This is the second time in a few short weeks that the followers of Jesus have been together in one place, for after Jesus’ crucifixion they too were together in the upper room.

The gospel of john tells us:

• The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. When the disciples saw the lord, they became very happy.

After Jesus’ death we are told that his followers were afraid. They were hiding from the Jewish leaders and it is only when Jesus appears to them that they are reassured and are said to be happy.

But on the day of Pentecost things are different. the followers of Jesus know that he will not come to them as he did after his death, for just a few days beforehand they had witnessed his ascension to heaven. They know that Jesus is no longer a physical presence amongst them. And so they feel alone, isolated, perhaps forgotten and abandoned.

But in this moment we have a snapshot of the beginnings of the church. A group of people with a common belief gathered together seeking comfort from each other, unsure of what lies next, but knowing that they should be together as the gathered people of God.

This is the beginning. the early fire of Pentecost is amongst them and as we know the first sparks of a newly lit fire are usually yellow – the first colour of Pentecost.

The imagery in the book of acts concerning Pentecost is most vivid. It is deliberately so because the author, traditionally accredited to Luke who wrote the gospel of the same name is trying to impress on the reader the importance of this event.

And so Luke writes that suddenly in the midst of this group of people, unsure and afraid there came the sound of a rushing wind and it filled the house they were in.

The use of the image of rushing wind is not unintentional. Think for a moment about times when you were exposed to heavy wind blasts and in our changing climate we have been exposed more and more to high wind storms.

What happens when the wind blows hard? Strong trees bend, some are even uprooted from the ground, ships are driven onto the rocks, buildings are damaged and your trampoline ends up next door along with all your outdoor furniture.

The rushing wind on the day of Pentecost drove through the room where Jesus followers were gathered and every person there was affected.

They could not ignore it. and so from being a group who were tentative and afraid they became quite literally moved by the power of God’s spirit. And so the second colour of Pentecost is orange for when the fire picks up heat it often glows orange.

Finally, the people huddled in the room begin to find courage to venture out into the marketplace and begin to engage with the people there. The power of the wind had driven them out of their hiding place into the open glare and the danger and uncertainties of the world.

And these people who had hidden themselves away, what did they do when the wind drove them out of their sanctuary?

Did they run back into their safe haven? Did they hide? Did they hope no-one would make eye contact with them? No they didn’t. And here is the essence of the story of Pentecost.

The followers of Jesus were transformed. they went from being people gathered together to a people going out into the world and speaking to people in a way that they understood. The writer describes this as speaking with tongues of fire. And so the final colour of Pentecost is red, for when a fire is blazing and moving across the landscape it is usually red.

We come to the end of our story. But it is not just a story about the early church, it should also be understood that the story provides a vision on how to be the people of God.

We recently had a mission and wellness meeting where we talked about what type of church we wanted to be and we came up with many ideas. Here in the story of Pentecost we have God’s plan for our mission and wellness.

Firstly God wants us to be together in that room, getting to know each other, drawing strength from each other. God has no problems with family groups and shared meals and gatherings of his people.

But God doesn’t want us to just stay in a room with people we are comfortable with. So he stirs us and sends a howling wind to shake us, to move us, sometimes to break us so we can be rebuilt. He wants us to experience the power of his spirit so that we as a church can take that final step. and that is to leave the room filled with our friends and go out and talk to people where they live in a language they understand and through actions that meet their needs.

For the final step is that it’s no longer what we want, no longer what we are comfortable with. It is now all about what we are called to do even if it is way out of our comfort zones which it often is. I’m sure peter the fisherman never saw himself as addressing a crowd on Pentecost

It is often a calling we feel we are not qualified for. We feel or convince ourselves that we don’t have the time or the talents or the energy to do what God has called us to do.

But despite our fears, this morning let us remember the colours of Pentecost, colours that guide us from the yellow of the single flame to the orange of a spreading fire to the red of a firestorm that consumes all it touches.

This is the message of Pentecost, God wants us to grow from a solitary yellow flame in the dark to a fiery red firestorm lighting the world.

He has promised to light the road for that journey. Are we willing to take it?

Amen

Biblical text: Song of Solomon Ch 1:15-17, 2: 3-7.

Introduction

The practice of idolatry was universal in biblical times. The prophet Isaiah mocked it, basically a man cuts down a tree, burns half to make bread and “the rest he makes into a god, his idol; and he falls down to it and worships it, he prays to it and says ‘Deliver me, for thou art my god’.” (Isa 44:7). We can smile about all this, we are children of the enlightenment and idols make even less sense to us than they did to the prophet Isaiah. We dismiss idolatry as primitive superstition or as a precursor to monotheism. Centuries later in the New Testament there was a shift to a more spiritual understanding. St Paul said, “There are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’.” (I Cor 8:5).

When we have ‘eyes to see’ we swim in an ocean of idolatry. I believe idolatry is ubiquitous in modern life. In my last sermon I looked at the idolatry of youth in our culture and I proposed an understanding of idolatry as an over-valuing of something less than God. First, my favourite cartoon from the 1980’s. A temporary teacher is taking the roll, “Is Jody McNulty here?” “Yes, teacher.” “I had a Freedom McNulty yesterday.” “Yes, that is my older sister.” Someone in the class asked “What kind of name is that?” The teacher answered, “Freedom was born in the 1960’s and her name reflects the values of that time.” Then a boy said, “Boy am I glad I wasn’t born then.” The teacher continued with the roll, “Megabucks McDermont here?”

I want to use a less obvious example of idolatry than money. Currently, there is a lot of thinking about the financial system in the Catholic Church and articulated by Pope Francis. I know a group of Christian economists who want to think through issues of faith in this context. I could use other examples such as celebrity culture, current ideologies, or nationalism. The list is almost endless. One of my idols has been academic recognition. The challenge is to begin to recognise the spiritual dynamics and to see how idolatry might present roadblocks to spiritual maturity. In this sermon I look at the idea of romantic love.

1. Case Study

What about the romantic love? Isn’t it a good thing? Romantic love has been likened to the seraphim in Isaiah, “Each had six wings, with two he covered his face, we two he covered his feet and with two he flew.” (Isa 6:2). How similar is this to the feeling of being in love: You don’t know where you are going, and you can’t see clearly who you are with, but oh do you fly!”   

We are constantly bombarded with messages about romantic love. It is woven into our popular culture and reinforced by endless ‘feel good’ romantic films. Let’s think together about a movie you have probably seen: Pretty Woman (1990). It is the highest grossing romantic comedy of all time. There are frequent references to fairy tales, but that is just the icing on the cake, the substance is a strong message about the magic of romantic love.

The story in brief (just in case you were not one of the 42M who paid to see it or later caught it on TV or video). Richard Gere is a corporate pirate, buying vulnerable companies, stripping them of assets, and making millions – maybe billions. He is so used to having a chauffeur that he can hardly drive a borrowed Lotus sports car. Julia Roberts is a sassy sex worker whom he hires for the week he is in LA. Eventually they fall in love. That was inevitable. But, what romantic love achieve? Basically, Richard Gere gets a heart and Julia Roberts gets class. Being Hollywood all this is achieved with no apparent effort. In My Fair Lady Professor Higgins took a number of months and his phonetic skills to transform a flower girl into a princess. Roberts simply went on a shopping excursion down Rodeo Drive. Pygmalion quick and easy. More mythical than the original. So the message is: surrender to romantic love and it will instantly make you a better person. Rich, attractive, sophisticated, even a bit of saint. The curious thing is that we can watch a film like this and not question its assumptions. It simply confirms what everyone believes.

More interesting than the predictable transformation of Julia Roberts is what changes in Richard Gere. If recognizing human feelings and becoming compassionate is not enough of a transformation, he also becomes more psychologically healthy. In the movie he has a fear of heights. He cannot go out on the balcony of the hotel room, but by the end of the film he scales the fire-escape to Julia Robert’s apartment to bring a bouquet of roses to win his beloved. A phobia does not need therapy when you are in love! 

Here is a gospel message. All you have to do to be transformed is to fall in love. Surrender to love and you will be saved!

• Romantic Love in History

The Biblical understanding of love is not romantic. The closest we get is the Song of Solomon, from which I took the Old Testament reading. It is astonishing that this book made it into the Old Testament. It is completely secular; there is no mention of God. It is, however, beautiful love poetry and celebrates sexual attraction. Naturally the rabbis saw a spiritual significance in the text and countless sermons were preached on the love of God for Israel. Christian preachers, such as Bernard of Clairvaux in the middle ages, were not to be outdone and preached on the love of Christ for the church. But it is what it is: a wondrous love poem belonging with Shakespeare’s sonnets.

 Our modern understanding of romantic love is a relatively recent ‘invention’. It came out of courtly love in the late middle ages. It appealed to the aristocracy who were the only people who had the luxury of leisure. Most people were subsistence farmers and toiled all day, and at sunset would fall exhausted into bed. I am not ruling out sex but any thoughts of romance were unlikely.

The great romances were among the elites. This included the unrequited love of Dante for Beatrice, the doomed relationship of theologian Abelard with the nun Heloise and troubadours sang about the romance of Tristan, a fictional Cornish knight and the Irish princess Iseult. He was to bring her back for King Mark but in one version they both take a love potent with predictable, if tragic, results.

Allow me to take a ‘cold look’ at romantic love. Originally it was associated with infidelity not marriage. Marriage especially among the rich was for property reasons, sometimes among royalty for political alliances, so it was a rare married couple who ‘fell in love’ before marriage. Later, the renaissance brought back the classical Greek notion of individual rights. This led to a profound shift in the concept of marriage. People thought that they could decide their own destiny, which included the right to marry someone of their own choice. We see this shift in the plays of Shakespeare, who offered one of the earliest critiques of romantic love, “reason and love keep little company together nowadays: the more the pity that some honest neighbours will not make them friends”. What we saw 500 years ago was the change in marriage from a socio-political institution to a psychological, even spiritual, one.   

• Path to Salvation

So why is all this a problem? What makes romantic love idolatry? It is the expectation that being in love saves. How many people have you heard say that they will only be happy when they find their ‘soul mate’? Only then will his or her life have meaning. Or purpose. Too much is expected of love, it has become what Tillich called an “ultimate concern”.

The idea of being saved through romantic love is the identifying mark of idolatry. The pagan for Isaiah fashioned a god out of wood, we expect romantic love to deliver spiritual fulfilment and eternal happiness.

Now to be clear, I think sexual attraction is wonderful. I don’t think I have a puritan bone in my body! Being romantic is a very good thing if you are dating, in a relationship or married. I bring flowers home to Ann, she loved a red rose that lasted weeks. I think about gifts to celebrate special events, we go out and enjoy fine dining, sharing a bottle of good wine. I’m happy for the mood to be enhanced with classical music. Anything to make a romantic encounter more intense, all this is wonderful – it is just that I don’t expect my love for anyone but God to save me.

The concept of idolatry is very important for spiritual maturity. In part the quest is to discern illusion from reality. This was the point of Plato’s allegory of the cave in his Republic. Prisoners are bound by chains, with a fire behind them and all they see are shadows cast on the wall. How do we distinguish what is a shadow on the wall and what is of substance? 

The concept of idolatry helps us to understand that there is something terribly wrong with the love formula. It is shadows, not reality. The shadows include what psychologists call ‘projection’ seeing the beloved in the light of our needs. How we need the person to be. Of course, initially this feels wonderful. We believe the beloved is the ‘bearer of all good gifts’. And we don’t see our own neediness. We try to appear more ‘together’ than we are, less neurotic, less dominated by bad habits and more psychologically healthy. At some point in this unreality, a ‘switch is thrown’ and both people in the relationship become more relaxed, becoming their true selves. The ‘smoke and mirrors’ ends. And the problems begin. The difficulty is not that we are bad people or that love must end, it is a mistake of shadows for substance. It is idolatry. Ultimately what Tillich called “the ground of being”, his expression for God, is traded for an idol. The result is a crisis in relationships. As a couple therapist, I have spent thousands of clinical hours with distressed couples, I have seen the emotional destruction of romantic love. I am still an expert to the family court, where I assessed the damage of unresolved conflict on children. 

Conclusion

Perhaps the most sobering thought I can leave with you is the following: How much disappointment in committed relationships is because of unrealistic expectations that no human love could possibly deliver? I have looked at romantic love as a spiritual case study in idolatry. I could have used metaphors of counterfeit money or pursuing ‘fool’s gold.’ But you get the point. It is up to us, guided by the Spirit of God, to discern what is real. When we get it wrong we must end up disappointed, unhappy and despairing ? that is just the way things are. The spiritual journey is towards God, the divine source of everything of any substance or lasting beyond a brief honeymoon. 

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Professor Bruce Stevens had the Wicking Chair of Ageing and Practical Theology at Charles Sturt University (2015-2019). He is a clinical psychologist and has written four books on couple relationships. He was ordained in the Anglican Church in 1980 and is the supply minister at Gungahlin Uniting Church.