There’s been some discussion about the wisdom of attending the recent Tommy Robinson rally even if to speak and share the Gospel. I didn’t have an invite to speak and still would not have considered it wise but if given the opportunity and if I had taken it, this is probably what I would have said.
Looking at the flags and crucifixes, I’m reminded of a moment in the Bible where this guy Paul is walking around the city of Athens and sees all the religious symbolism of his day. Later he gets the chance to speak to a group of people and he says.
“I can see how devout you are, how keen to know the truth and God. I’ve even seen an altar to an unknown god and I want to tell you about that one because he is the real deal.”
I can see that you are here because you seeking the real deal. You are tired of the sense that you’ve not been told the truth by politicians, media and celebrities. You are here because you realize that there is something more, something greater than our own individual lives, we don’t just exist for ourselves.
Flag and country represent something of that. That’s why patriotism is a good thing. It takes us outside if ourselves and reminds us to look out for one another. We all long for identity, to know who we are. We all long for comfort, to enjoy the good things in life and be provided for and we all long for security, to feel safe. Those are good things to look for and at the moment, I hear you, those things don’t seem to be present.
And I hear the frustration and fear. Fear that we are losing our identity, that there is a shortage of comfort when there aren’t enough school places, jobs, housing and hospital beds. We fear for loss of security when there are aggressive enemies but also when it looks like the borders aren’t controlled.
The problem though is that the things we fear and the things we put our trust in become our idols. We try to appease them and we try to give them identity, comfort and security so that we can have those things too.
Seeking truth and hope, seeking identity, security and comfort, the Athenians had just ended up with a job lot of idols but idols can’t hear, speak, see or help. So Paul tells them about the God who made all things, the real deal and he points them to Jesus, the Christ who is king. This Jesus is the one who came and lived among us giving up the status or identity, comfort and security of heaven to die on a cross so that we can be forgiven and get to know the true and living God. It’s this Jesus I want to introduce you to today.
Now, because he isn’t some imaginary friend in the sky, he is going to challenge and disagree with us. You see, there are some tough things we need to hear. If we feel that we haven’t always been told the truth, that’s true but it applies to those who stir up the fear too. We have learnt to fear asylum seekers because we are told that it’s their fault that we can’t get hospital appointments and housing, that they are responsible for the collapse of our culture and that they are dangerous criminals who put the lives and well-being of our children at risk.
But let me tell you something. Jesus wasn’t afraid of those that society feared, despised, stigmatized. In his day it was lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors, those seen as traitors and sinners, those called “unclean”. He reached out to touch and heal them. He called them to follow him. He sat down to eat food with them. Jesus would not be afraid of the asylum seeker. He would say that he had come for them just as he has come for me and you. Jesus came to seek and save the lost.
When we give in to our fear and let it turn to hate, that’s what the Bible calls sin. And Jesus calls us to repent, to turn out back on sin. He calls us to give up our idols, even things that in their own right could and should be good things.
So I’m going to ask you to do something big and hard with me. I love my country and my flag. But my country and flag have become an idol to me. So I’m going to ask you and join me in this. We are going to take off our crusader outfits that cause fear to others and we are going to lay down our flags. I’m laying mine down now. Then we are going to pray
Lord Jesus, we need you and you alone. We know that there have been so many times when we have allowed hope and trust to turn into fear and hurt. We are sorry. We turn to you for forgiveness. We put our trust in you alone for salvation. Amen.
Faithroots 