Page 2 - Presbyterian Connection

Connection
MESSAGE FROM THE MODERATOR
Check Out—But Never Really Leave
2 SUMMER 2021
PRESBYTERIAN
presbyterian.ca
By the Rev. Daniel Scott, Moderator of the 2021 General Assembly
At St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ont., there are 12 “EXIT” signs placed throughout the facility. They are there, of course, to illuminate the many ways out of the building. Exit- ing and returning—it’s the rhythm of church life. Yet, like a lot of rituals in the past year, this rhythm has taken on a new form.
After the first Sunday in March 2020, the congregation was dis- missed with the commissioning and benediction and, after our usual fel- lowship time over coffee, we exited through those clearly marked doors. Many of us have not been back since.
Leaving Christianity: Changing Al- legiances in Canada since 1945 is the title of Stuart MacDonald and Bri- an Clarke’s book that describes the exit of Canadians from churches. For most of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, we had the idea, perhaps adapted from the Eagles song Hotel Califor- nia, that a person could, “check out any time you like, but you can never leave.” For a time, I suppose, many of us back then just “checked out”
of church. No one anticipated that we could simply leave...and not come back.
But no one anticipated COVID-19, either.
So it will be interesting to see who will return to our church buildings af- ter the pandemic. I, for one, am opti- mistic that many will come back, and that there will be many new faces at the church, too.
Why am I optimistic? Our churches have done an outstanding job of car- ing for people within the church and beyond during the pandemic. As we exited in March 2020, the people of God were commissioned to go back out into the world (not dreaming that we wouldn’t be heading back to the church for quite some time): “Go in peace and may the grace of the Lord Jesus, the love of God and the fellow- ship of the Spirit be with you.”
As my friend William P. Gregory wrote: “Jesus summons his follow- ers to bring the gospel to others, especially to the abandoned, the suf- fering, the hopeless, and all those on the ‘existential margins’ of human society” (Go Forth: Towards Com- munity of Missionary Disciples).
Lots of Presbyterian churches sing “Go Now in Peace” as they end their services. The point of that hymn is that we are to “go” into the world. As we follow those exit signs over the doors of our churches and go into the world, we bring the Good News with us.
It is the rhythm of church life. Each week we gather and then we are sent back out into the world.
Ultimately, how we live in the world from week to week depends on our understanding of Christian- ity. Richard Neibuhr in his famous lectures at Austin Theological Semi- nary in 1949, and later published as Christ and Culture, provides us with
models of how the church relates to the world. We’ve seen these mod- els in churches of all stripes in the past year and a half. Borrowing very loosely from Neibuhr’s scheme, let me provide some Canadian exam- ples of the church in the world.
Some people view the church as being in opposition to the world. Need an example? Take a look at Grace Life Church in Edmonton, Alta., pro- testing and defying the government shutdown of houses of worship.
On the other hand, some of us see the church as being at odds with the world. Perhaps this idea is illustrated by Cardinal Collins of Toronto in his attempts to work with the Premier on reduced capacity of worship space at 30% and then 15%.
Then again, many churches have heeded the warnings from public health and complied to mandates by closing their doors. They see a close proximity between the teachings of Jesus and democratic institutions.
There is yet another view that sees Christ as the restorer of the institu- tions of true society, entering society from above with gifts. These might be the Christians who aren’t follow- ing through with vaccines. They are confident that God will, as they often say, “show up” and save them.
Our Presbyterian churches have responded, I suspect, to the pandem- ic in variations of the four models that Neibuhr articulated (opposition, ten- sion, accommodation and synthe- sis). However, it is fair to say that no matter which approach each church takes, all of them have been trans- formed into new ways of being the church in the world. This is Neibuhr’s fifth model—transformation—and it is his preferred approach.
Across the country, I have seen (mostly through social media and the Presbyterian Connection newspaper)
The EXIT sign at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Bradford West Gwillimbury is well lit and inspected regularly, so people can always find their way out of the church.
how Presbyterians have adapted to virtual services of worship by: pro- viding pastoral care in creative ways (drive-by prayer, lawn chair driveway visits, delivery of take-out Sunday school, etc.); supporting our food banks; celebrating the sacraments; and observing milestones (birthdays, anniversaries, ordinations) in new and fresh ways. In the process, we have been transformed.
Christ, the only Sovereign of our
church, is transforming us as indi- viduals and as a society and its insti- tutions in the midst of the pandemic.
And, when we are safely permitted to enter the doors of our churches once more (hopefully soon), it will be wonderful to be together again. Nevertheless, as always, when we exit after our services, we are com- missioned to be the church in the world—The Presbyterian Church IN Canada.
Stories of Mission: Living Faith
Read stories of people from Canada and around the world sharing God’s love, hope, peace and justice with those around them. Each of the nine stories includes a scriptural reection, discussion questions, hymn suggestions and a prayer. Share them in study groups, newsletters, sermons or on social media.
presbyterian.ca/stories-of-mission