May these words now be spoken and heard in the name of our gracious God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
"And they took offence at Him". As today's reading from Mark's Gospel makes clear, when Jesus walked this earth some people followed Him, but many did not. Many of those who saw Him in the flesh were astounded by His wise words and powerful deeds; but they still dismissed Him as the local handyman who'd become an offensive embarrassment to His family and neighbourhood.
Sometimes we might be tempted to think that if only Jesus Himself were to appear in our midst today, everyone would believe in Him. Think of the way He could make use of modern methods of communication: He could present Himself on YouTube, write a blog, post messages on Twitter and Facebook, get His picture in the papers, appear on TV and hey presto! Everyone would want to become a Christian and follow Jesus.
But "they took offence at Him". They were offended by Jesus when He walked the streets of Nazareth and they still take offence at His message today. There's something about the Christian Gospel that makes it welcomed warmly by some and despised and rejected by others. The Good News of Jesus is for all; it welcomes all just as they are. But if that loving invitation into God's kingdom is to be accepted, it requires radical change of those parts of our human nature that fall short of God's will for His creation. You may recall that the very first recorded words of Jesus in Mark's account - 1: 15 - are these: "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the gospel/ the good news." The challenge to repent, to turn away from what is selfish and sinful, in order to receive something better - that challenge has always provoked a mixed response.
If we open our eyes and ears, we'll certainly see this in our own society. On the one hand, there are plenty of examples of Christianity making a positive and beneficial impact on local communities -from Lifepath to Hope 09, from Alpha courses to community care and action done in the name of Christ, from churches and individual Christians putting faith into practice in numerous, often hidden ways, to make this world a better place.
On the other hand, how often do we hear a real good news story about the church or the Christian faith in our national media? Not that often. Because they take offence at Jesus Christ. For example, did you hear how former Radio 2 presenter, Don Maclean, who used to present Good Morning Sunday, recently claimed that that programming chiefs (and I quote Don Maclean) "seem to take the negative angle every time" on Christianity, whereas "programmes on Islam are always supportive." Again, back in January, BBC presenter Jeremy Vine said he personally believes that Christ is who He said He was, but Vine does not think he would be allowed to say so on air because it has become "almost socially unacceptable to say you believe in God". Last year, the BBC's Director General stated publicly that Christianity should be treated with less sensitivity than other religions. Recently, in a document which has the backing of bishops, the Anglican church has accused one TV channel of treating religion like a "freak show".
"And they took offence at Him". It's not just the national media that seems to do all it can to bring Christianity into disrepute and drive it from the public sphere. The list of Christians who have been hounded for their faith grows longer by the day. Since the turn of the year, a number of public sector staff have been threatened or punished by their bosses for expressing their faith in the workplace.
NHS nurse, Caroline Petrie, was suspended because she offered to pray for a patient. Mum and part-time school receptionist, Jennie Cain, was disciplined because she emailed friends asking them to pray about an incident at school involving her daughter. A Christian foster carer was struck off because she allowed a Muslim child in her care to convert to Christianity. A teacher, (Kwabena Peat) was suspended after he complained that a staff training day was used to marginalise those who disagreed with homosexual practice. A charity worker in Southampton, (David Booker) was suspended under 'diversity' rules after answering a colleague's questions about his Christian beliefs on sexual ethics. A Christian nurse with 40 years experience, (Anand Rao) was sacked because he said during a training course that going to church could ease the anxiety of a stressed patient. A council worker, (Duke Amachree) was suspended from his job for encouraging a terminally ill woman to turn to God. Bosses told him that even saying "God bless" at work was unacceptable.
I could continue with lots more examples of how Christians who seek to be guided by biblical values in their daily life and work are being reprimanded by aggressive secularists who take offence at anything Christian. Last month, a Sunday Telegraph poll showed that thousands of Christians are losing out on promotions and being hassled at work because of their beliefs. More than half of the Christians surveyed said they had suffered some form of persecution for being a Christian. And all this is here in the UK. I'm not touching, today, upon the physical persecution and even murder of Christians in other parts of the world.
"And they took offence at Him". When the King of Love Himself stood right there in front of them, pointing the way to life and health and peace, people took offence at Him. Just before He was crucified, Jesus warned His followers: "If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you...If they persecuted me, they will persecute you..." (Jn 15: 18, 20) So we shouldn't be surprised by what's going on.
But how should we respond to it?
1st - be aware. Keep informed. Some of us have a natural ostrich-tendency, don't we? If we're honest, we'd rather not know about the struggles of our fellow Christians; so we go into denial or dismissal. But Jesus said that what we don't do for our Christian brothers and sisters, we fail to do for Him (Matt. 25:45). We must be aware. The secular press won't give us much information, so we need to look to organizations like the Bible Society, the Christian Institute and Christian Concern for our Nation for up to date reporting of these issues.
2nd - pray. Regularly. Daily. Persevering in prayer about all these issues and everyone affected by them. Sometimes, just hearing about all this negative stuff, can push us into depression or despair. Then we must PUSH in the opposite direction: P.U.S.H = Pray Until Something Happens. Pray with the information in one hand and a Bible in the other. Pray the Word of God into each and every circumstance, for God has promised that His Word will not return to Him empty but will accomplish His purposes (Isaiah 55:11).
3rd - take action. The ex-BBC presenter Don Maclean says "I think there's a secularist movement in this country to get rid of Christianity. Something must be done." As well as pray, there is plenty else we can do. Write to MPs, newspapers, magazines, TV and radio bosses; send emails and sign petitions; give financial and practical support to organizations that campaign to make the Christian voice heard in the public sphere. Stand up and be counted for what you believe - amongst your work colleagues, friends, family, anyone and everyone. Do it graciously and courteously. But do it. As the philosopher Edmund Burke wrote: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
4th - and finally, keep witnessing for Christ, telling of the love and joy and peace and hope that Jesus alone can bring. Individual Christians and churches are charged by our Lord with the responsibility of commending His Gospel, with Christ-like love, to all. To show in word and deed the loving mercy of God in Christ is what all Christians exist to do.
Yes, the world will often take offence at us - as it did at the Saviour Himself. But that didn't stop Jesus from moving on to the next place with the gift of healing and wholeness to all who would receive it. As this week's Comment in the Church of England Newspaper puts it: you and I owe it to our nation "not to give up on the Christian message as a powerful, life-giving, true and good basis for social and political morality".
St Paul discovered that when he, with his own personal weaknesses and struggles, proclaimed the light of Christ in the face of the world's darkness and sin, God's grace was sufficient. May we too know that all-sufficient grace. And when offence is taken, may we be glad to be found guilty of following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
Mary Barr
Bible Society, Stonehill Green, Westlea, Swindon, SN5 7DG Tel: 01793 418100 www.biblesociety.org.uk/newswatch
The Christian Institute, Wilberforce House, 4 Park Road, Gosforth Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE12 8DG?Tel: 0191 281 5664. www.christian.org.uk
Christian Concern for our Nation, PO Box 655, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 9AT, Tel: 07712 591164
www.ccfon.org/donation.php
Open Doors UK,? PO Box 6, ?Witney, ?Oxon, OX29 6WG
Tel: 01993 885400? www.opendoorsuk.org
Barnabas Fund UK, 9 Priory Row, ?Coventry, ?CV1 5EX ??
Tel: 024 7623 1923 www.barnabasfund.org
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