What Gospel?

Lectionary Reflection for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, Year C

May 29, 2016

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel–not that this is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. Galatians 1:6-7

How do you hear these words of Paul speaking to you today? I suspect that the answer will vary depending on to whom the question is directed. Not surprisingly, Christians do not agree on what constitutes the good news of Jesus Christ or even to whom said good news is directed. To put it nicely, we can just say it’s complicated, and were Paul to write to us today, I suspect we might get a letter worded at least as strongly as his missive to the believers at Galatia.

We live in a world that is chock full of information and quite short on reliability and fact-checking. Thanks to the advent of social media and 24-hour news, pundits abound and anyone with an opinion can broadcast it as fact via post or meme on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or a host of other platforms. What gospel might be distracting us from that which has been revealed to us by God the Father and Christ Jesus? What false messages and empty promises challenge our faith and cause us to stumble?

There’s a meme floating around social media right now attributed to one Laura C. Keeling that says: “America will not be destroyed by undocumented workers, same-sex marriage, Muslims, atheists, or abortions but rather by unreasonable fears, uncontrolled hatred, divisive politics, unethical politicians, deliberate misinformation, and a gullible population.” Not everyone will agree with all of Ms. Keeling’s assessment, but there’s a definite cultural trend reflected here, a trend of polarization, demonization, humiliation, and consternation on both sides of the political and social fence. Fear and anxiety are rising, tempers are shortening, and I suspect that were the Apostle Paul to comment on our present situation, we’d receive quite a scolding.

Note that there is no formulaic thanksgiving in the opening of this letter. There’s a brief greeting, but Paul gets right down to the business of setting these dear people straight. Pay attention, don’t become so easily sidetracked, remember the message of grace through which your salvation comes–not through judgment, laws, or toeing some imaginary insider/outsider line. Let the ones who try to drive you astray be cursed, Paul says.

Gulp. This is some pretty strong stuff here, Paul. Yes, we know in our heart of hearts that your message comes from God, not humankind, and that you don’t care a whit about human approval or pleasing the masses. Neither should we. We need that same fire in the belly for the radical, inclusive, and grace-filled message of Jesus Christ. We need bold proclamation and a fiery witness in the face of distortions of God’s truth. And, yes, we need to be careful about our claims on truth, on who has the corner on the faith market, and on whose version of the gospel is the right one.

We need a big, long drink of humility and a large slice of humble pie that’s found with regular visits to Christ’s table of mercy and grace and through faithfully striving to love our neighbors. We need to steep ourselves in scripture and remind one another of God’s promises. Finally, we need to stand together, strengthened by the Holy Spirit and emboldened by the faithful witness of Paul and other saints in light, against the false gospels of our age. In doing so, we will find true freedom in Christ.

(Photos: TED, detail from the Communion of the Apostles Icon and Apostle Paul Icon; Xavier Verges, Creative Commons. Thanks!)

In Worship

The example of the centurion in this week’s gospel lesson (Luke 7:1-10) provides a wonderful testimony to faith–particularly faith from an unlikely outsider source. This Roman military leader is humble before Jesus and expresses a clear understanding of the way the world works: Even though he is the leader in charge of many people, he is also under the leadership of other leaders. He knows, too, somehow that he is not worthy of Jesus’ healing for his dear slave. Yet because of his faith and obedience and humbleness, Jesus is amazed and uses him as an example. Of course, the slave is also healed. How do we see great faith in unlikely places and people today? What can we learn from the centurion. Consider using the gospel as a dramatic dialogue. Or, consider writing a short monologue of the centurion retelling his encounter with Jesus after the crucifixion. Invite worshipers into this first century world and into the heart and mind of this unlikely witness to the good news of Jesus Christ.

With Youth

This week’s epistle lesson is a good one to use with youth to talk about the concept of false gospels. Invite them to name and consider how false gospels are at work. Some examples may the gospel of wealth and prosperity, the gospel of hate and fear, or the gospel of certainty. This passage and Paul’s intense response to how people were bombarding the Galatian Christians with legalistic requirements and alternative routes to salvation certainly holds water today.

With Children

Why not explore this week’s psalm with the children? Use the Easy to Read version and talk with them about how important our worship is–not because God needs it, and not because God even wants it. Our worship is important because we need to worship, and because God loves us so much. God wants to be with us. If you have the music to “My God is so Big” consider teaching the children this song. Explain to them it’s a new song to sing God’s praises. Teach the motions if you can, and invite the congregation to sing along. Here’s an upbeat YouTube version.