Repeat, repeat, repeat. The French have an expression for this: Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose. The more things change, the more they are the same.
And this is what we are seeing right now. We had a classic example of this last weekend and it is something I have been pondering all week. It was two ads that aired during the Super Bowl. Both were "He Gets Us" ads. They had to do with Jesus, and depicted this in a very modern way and setting. No scriptures were quoted because it was supposed to get people talking about Jesus. And it did. The reactions were so predictable. The people who are of a social involvement persuasion that involves homeless housing, better health care, more attending to the poor and many other such projects were opposed. It didn't go nearly far enough. For those of a strong, careful, working-to-earn-it approach, it went too far. It was the same in Jesus' day and it still persists. Humans like to not be disturbed too far from what is comfortable. Risk-takers need not apply.
In Jesus' time, there were set rules about how things ran. The Romans tolerated the Jewish faith so long as it did not try and usurp any of their power. In any way.
Jesus wants to return the people to the core of their faith that can be found in examples such as Deuteronomy 10. Jesus' examples of healing of all kinds gets him into trouble time and again. He does not 'do it rightly'. Yet he claims otherwise. Matthew 5 explains this. What I have come to understand is that a good part of the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes is that he is doing things entirely differently than what they are used to. This is a problem we currently have.
As churches and church bodies, God is about what I think is the great re-organization of the Protestant Church.
As importantly, it is a work in progress. If nothing is done, a recent Anglican Church of Canada survey says, the Anglican Church will cease to be by 2040. Now that is specific to here in Canada, and it is one indication that God is up to things. One of my current ponderings is how much pushback we will get from church folks who want it just the way it has been. And how important is the answer to our witnessing and working for th kingdom? Pr. Scott
