For Whom?
“The Church exists primarily for the sake of those who are still outside it.” - Archbishop William Temple (1881–1944)
One of the quotes often attributed to Archbishop William Temple, the above quote is one that continues to serve the church in asking the question that the title of this blog post alludes to: for whom does the church exist? It is a quote that serves the interest of the church in the sense that it continues to call us to go outside of our comfort zones as followers of Jesus and to seek out those who have not yet heard the message of the Gospel in a way that they are able to receive it. While most people have heard of the person of Jesus and might have one understanding or another of Jesus and the church that claims to follow in his teachings, it is quite easy for us to find people in our midst who have not actually heard the Gospel. The stories of the Gospel texts remain, largely, unknown by a growing number of people in our neighborhoods, cities, and counties. There is a growing population of people who might benefit from hearing the loving message of the Gospel in what we might call “in a tongue understanded of the people.” (Book of Common Prayer, 872)
The end of that last sentence is a modification of one of the Articles of Religion that has formed a significant understanding of how we come together as the Church, and in our own history, the same article has been used to argue for changing the language of the Book of Common Prayer. Yet, it seems we continue to miss the a deeper invitation that also could rest behind this particular article of religion: to communicate and share the Gospel within our communities in such a way as could be received by those who, as of yet, have not heard the powerful stories of Jesus’s ministry as contained within Holy Scripture. It might also help us to claim our own stories of our encounters with the Risen Christ, to share those stories as our own continuation of the Gospel, and to invite others to reflect on the ways that God is present in our lives in real ways that are important to our reception of the Divine.
On Sunday morning, we heard the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch in which two people’s lives intersect with each other and in which the Gospel is shared with someone who is labeled as an outsider to the community of those who are followers in “The Way” of Jesus. And, if we are reading the Acts of the Apostles carefully, we might also understand that Phillip is something of an outsider to the community in Jerusalem. He is not one of the original apostles who followed Jesus from his baptism through his crucifixion and resurrection. Instead, he is one of the Hellenists who are ordained by the apostles to serve the tables of the Hellenists after complaints are brought to the apostles by this sub grouping of followers of Jesus in the earliest days of the church. The story of Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch might be read as two outsiders who are engaged in the sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in an unexpected place and in unexpected ways. After all, Phillip was not ordained to a ministry of serving the word. That ministry remained with the apostles. Phillip was ordained to a different ministry, which we never see him fulfill in the Acts of the Apostles!
The story of Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch, the quote from Archbishop William Temple, and the changing landscape of belief in the United States brings us back to the question for whom the church exists. The question, I think, cannot be answered in a straightforward way that leaves out insiders nor can it be answered in a way in which insiders are the only focus. It seems that the response to the question is a response that helps the church gather both groups, to continue sharing the Gospel with each other, and to create new communities of believers who are sharing the Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ. It seems that we are called forward in both ways and that the ultimate mission of the church is a response to both communities: those who already believe and those who have yet to hear the Gospel in a language their hearts can understand it and receive it.
For reflection:
For whom do you believe the church exists? How does your response to that question live into the mission of the church to reconcile God with God’s people? How does your response leave one group or another left unattended?
When have you been in a place like Phillip in which you were invited to share the Gospel with a stranger you have met along the way? What did it feel like to share the Gospel?
What is your story of encountering the Risen Christ? Have you shared that story with someone unknown to you?
Reflect on a time that someone told you a story in your language but left you without being able to understand the story itself. What would it hav taken for the story to have been told to you more clearly? How might this help you to preach the Gospel in both word and deed in a way that it can be understood by a new generation?
