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May 9, l999
Christians are privileged to have a double vision, or a double take, on the most disturbing aspects of living: matters such as suffering and death.We experience these realities at the human level, naturally like everyone else, but faith gives us a second vision, a double vision, on them. This second vision arises because we are privileged by faith to filter natural experiences through the transcendent reality of Christ. The letter called First Peter, traditionally attributed to the Apostle Peter, but more likely written by a person who was part of Peter's group of friends, is full of double vision. Take the reference to the story of Noah and the Flood from Genesis which is referenced in the letter. Natural vision focuses on a charming tale peopled by Noah and his family and all the animals entering the ark. These characters adorn children's books, and their pajamas and bedroom wall paper. Seen from a second vision, the story of Noah is a dark one featuring a flood so great that it wiped out an entire civilization, a flood sent to do just that by an angry and disappointed God. Noah and his family were saved in the ark but everyone else perished., If you read the bible and this story with any imagination you would end up worrying about what kind of God would do such a drastically sweeping thing. Christian double vision often raises disturbing theological problems which natural vision would not contemplate. Our text of today puts issues of suffering, curses, and death in the context of Christ and answers the question of what kind of God we have, a perplexing God who creates devastating floods and yet gives us rainbows of hope. It says that we worship a God whose love for us is so great that he is willing to suffer for us through his gift of Christ. This Christ "was put to death in the flesh" when he was crucified, "but made alive in the spirit" when God raised him from the dead. The main point, I believe, is that God went through death so that we need not have any ultimate fear of death. The teaching goes on to ask us to model our suffering, our issues of conscience, and our need for greater confidence in Godafter the way Christ handled these matters. We are invited to sanctify Christ in our hearts. And then there is that odd addition, that we worship a Christ who in the spirit "went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey." The references to the suffering, death and the resurrection of Christ are quite familiar, but the reference to Christ preaching to the imprisoned spirits from past times is most strange. What could it mean? Who are these spirits in prison? The truth is we do not know? There has been much speculation. Some Christians have interpreted this reference to be to the fallen angels who deserted God and rallied to Lucifer. Some believe it refers to all those who died in the flood, (which might by imagination be expanded as a metaphor to cover all of humanity who lived before the coming of Christ.) Some, the most inclusive of all, believe it is an assurance that everyone who dies without knowledge of Christ is not forgotten by God who has or will send Christ to them. Varied though these interpretations are, they have this one thing in common. They all make clear that Christ's resurrection power benefits more than just us. There are others, whose stories are not our story, but who still somehow encounter the good news of the kingdom of God in the person of the resurrected Jesus. We may trust that God's compassion for those who died without encountering Christ is much greater than our own concern for them. The hint in 1 Peter is that God's grace is bigger than our experience and that Christ's resurrection power transcends all barriers of time and distance. Such a grand affirmation from such a short letter! The text shifts from reminding us of Noah's story to focusing on our stories. Just as Noah and his family were saved by passing through deadly waters and emerging to find a new life, so we participate in the death and the resurrection of Christ. In our baptism we die to ourselves and we are given new life, made into new creatures. Baptism is for us what the ark was for Noah, the vessel which keeps us safe as we pass through death and baptism makes new life possible. The text says that the function of baptism is not to clean dirt from our bodies but to give us a good conscience and through having a good conscience to grow in a good relationship with God. And that relationship in turn will strengthen our conscience and character and lead us into good, moral, vital living. The power behind baptism is our faith in the resurrection of Christ and in this text that power has very practical application. It makes it possible for us to resist fear, to endure suffering, and to do good. Near the beginning, the writer says "do not fear what they fear." We are set free of the fears of non-believers. Other people, non-believers, are afraid of pain, of poverty, of loneliness, of being ridiculed, of failing in ways that Christians can surmount by their faith in Christ. All of these afflictions can happen to Christians, but we don't fear them in the same way that people of one vision only do . The only fear we have is to be excluded from the sanctuary of God and thereby to be denied God as our refuge and strength. On occasion I pray with someone who is seriously ill. I inquire if the sick person is baptized because the state of being baptized influences my pastoral approach. Terminally ill persons who are baptized can call upon the resources of their faith to overcome whatever fear they have of the pain and death waiting them. For non-baptized my pastoral comfort is must be of a kind both more general and more limited because when you have no faith you cannot call upon the God whom we know through faith in Christ. 1 Peter reminds us that our answer to inappropriate fear, or suffering, is to sanctify Christ as Lord in our heart. He is the only source of comfort, power, strength, courage available to us when we are in duress. He is our ark in the rough waters and our safe landing on the far side. I read an announcement in the SCMP a couple of weeks ago which brings in focus the contrast between the singular vision of persons who live only in the natural life, that is the flesh, and Christian double vision arising from our faith. "Remembering Robbie" It states: "All of the friends of Robert Colin Neilson are invited to a very special evening on Tuesday, 20th April 1999, at Delaney's Wanchai and Joe Bananas from 7PM to llPM…All kinds of events are being held in memory of Robbie and in support of his children, Angel and Alistair. Come along and have a great night, in support of a great cause." This advertisement did not appear on the Saturday religion page because it was not a religious or faith event. It appeared as a paid announcement on a general page because it was a secular event. I respect the persons who organized this benefit for the family of Robert Colin Neilson and I trust a lot of money was raised. In the Christian tradition we have the practice of the wake which is a gathering of friends of the deceased for food, drink and celebration of the dead. But the wake is not all there is for Christians whereas for natural people it all ends with a glass of ale at Joe Bananas. Faith gives Christians a double vision regarding all adversities of life and our regard for death. 1 Peter reminds us that Christ has passed through a real death in order to spare us undue anxiety regarding our own deaths. Probably most of us do not think too much of our own deaths unless we are reminded by the surprise of a sudden and unexpected death of a young person, like Robbie. More naturally, we think little of death until we grow so old that our very natural condition must remind us of our approaching death. Being in that context myself in these years, I was amused by a story told by the theologian Miroslav Volf who was visiting a cemetery in Tubingen, Germany, where he has studied and taught. He often passed the tomb of the Goes family (GOES). And on their tombs written in large letters were the names of the deceased members of the Goes family buried there: : 'MARIANNE GOES, HEINRICH GOES, OTTO GOES,' And this caused Volf to mutter to himself: "And eventually we all go!" The Christian is allowed a double vision on the matter of life and death. Eventually we all go, and how we go depends on how we have lived. Carrying Christ in our hearts makes possible a clear conscience and a clear conscience encourages the living of a good life and the living of a good life is synonymous with doing good works in our lives. Faith in Christ is what makes us good. Being good and doing good becomes identical attributes and benefits of sanctifying Christ in our hearts.
Pastor Gene Preston
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The Rev. Gene R.Preston14th Floor, Blk 36, Lower Baguio Villa Tel : 25516161 Fax: 25512114E-mail : gpreston@netvigator.com |
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