Readings: Isaiah 5: 8 – end; Acts 13: 13 – 41
“Rejoice in the Lord, always”
Well, we’re in the pink – or at least the clergy might have been this morning if we had any pink vestments. We do have a pink Advent candle, however. We’ve reached Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent. It’s named after the first word of the traditional introit for this Sunday ‘Gaudete in Domino semper’ – rejoice in the Lord always. After the last three weeks in which we are supposed to have been fasting and reflecting we’re allowed to lighten the mood a little. But our readings this evening could not be said to be particularly light. They bring us face to face with themes of judgement and questions about the nature of the church.
The Book of Acts was probably written in about AD 70-100. By this time the church, which had started out as a sect of Judaism, had in most places separated from the synagogue. The church today may sometimes wrestle with the question ‘Will the Jews be saved?’ But for the writer of Acts, the more difficult question, and the one requiring careful Scriptural exegesis and thought is ‘Will the Gentiles be saved?’ The church of Acts based its preaching on the truth of the fulfilment of God’s prophecies to Israel as His Covenant people – but it was facing the embarrassing reality of Jewish rejection of the Gospel. The Apostle Paul, himself a Jew, wrestled with this as we know from the closing Chapters of Romans. Here he comments on the inscrutable nature of God’s ways (Romans 11:33), but expresses the passionate hope that in the end all, both Jews and Gentiles, will be brought into the Kingdom. The narrative about preaching in the synagogue from our reading this evening is part of Paul and Barnabas’ mission to carry the name of Christ before “the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel” (Acts 9: 15).
Our reading tonight doesn’t go far enough to tell us the outcome of Paul and Barnabas’ preaching in Antioch of Pisidia. And I’m going to leave it with you as a kind of cliff-hanger. You can read the rest of the Chapter later if you want to and see how things turned out. We end instead with some strong words from Paul directed at his audience in the synagogue, “Behold, you scoffers, and wonder, and perish; for I do a deed in your days, a deed you will never believe, if one declares it to you.” (v 41) Here Paul is quoting from the prophet Habbakuk. In Habbakuk’s context these words are a warning about an impending Assyrian invasion of Israel; there’s the threat of capture or exile. So it forms a link with the passage from Isaiah – our first reading this evening. Here too there is a chilling description of an invading army. Both Habbakuk and Isaiah see invasion by a foreign power as the means of bringing about God’s judgement on His people.
Perhaps the heart of the matter is found in Isaiah’s sad statement that “my people go into exile for want of knowledge” (Isaiah 5:13). This is not stupidity, or ignorance, for they are quite capable of building up property, making large and beautiful houses, enjoying music and feasting. It is rather want of knowledge of God. They seem to have forgotten the proverbial saying “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge”, or wisdom as we more often translate it (Proverbs 1:7). This has led them into all kinds of unjust and evil behaviour. Behaviour which, according to the prophet, will lead to their downfall at the hands of the Assyrians.
For Paul, it is surely a similar lack of perception about God which may prevent the Jews of the first century from seeing the truth about Jesus as they listen to his preaching. They may bring a new kind of exile upon themselves, this time from the church which, astonishingly, then becomes the preserve of Gentiles.
As I mentioned earlier, the church of Acts was in a uniquely confusing and difficult situation. It had to come to terms with the Jewish rejection of the Gospel, which should have been theirs, and Gentile acceptance of a good news which was not directed at them. But through the ages all churches have had to attempt to understand their own particular experience of God – a God who may choose to do new and surprising things. This is our task too in Hampstead Parish Church. But we too, like the people of Israel in the time of the prophets or Paul’s synagogue congregation, may suffer from “want of knowledge”. We need to keep our eyes firmly fixed on Christ. To work out what might be His priorities for us as a community. Where does the Holy Spirit seem to be at work? What is the invitation to us? This calls for discernment. We need to pray for our eyes to be opened to what Christ may be asking of us at this moment. It could be something that we don’t expect and couldn’t have foreseen.
The Church of Acts offers us one further challenge, however. This was an organisation which travelled light; for some of its members this meant literally travelling. It’s estimated that Paul himself covered about 10,000 miles on his missionary journeys. Of course he was a special case. However, there’s no doubt that the writer of Acts would have seen the making of new disciples as central to the business of the church. As one commentator puts it “In Luke-Acts, any church bold enough to preach the Word, which dares to challenge the cultural status quo, which refuses to accept present political arrangements as eternally given, which is convinced of the truth of its message, which is willing to suffer for the truth will grow. God gives growth to such churches.” *
There have been many such churches throughout Christian history. The Confessing Church in Nazi Germany was one. The Church of Christ the King in Sophiatown, a suburb of Johannesburg, is another. St Botolph’s Aldgate and St Martin in the Fields are others closer to home. But what kind of church are we called to be here and at this time in Hampstead? If we are to find out we need first to be centred on Christ and listening for the promptings of the Holy Spirit, lest we suffer from “want of knowledge”.
“Rejoice in the Lord, always”
*William H Willimon, Interpretation Bible Commentary on Acts