So, good morning again, everyone.
It was this time last year that I stood up and I launched Follow 25.
It's our strategic plan, if you like, to shift the ministry culture of this church
to a deliberate development of all of life disciples of Jesus Christ by the end of 2025.
So, this is my, and I'm excited to be able to extend upon that now.
This is my 14th Vision Series here at St Paul's.
I love Vision Series every year.
And this particular one, when I launched it last year, I thought it was crucial
in terms of where we are as a church and where our neighbourhood is and where our society is.
That is, the audacious intent of Follow 25 is really simple.
And that is to see the majority of us identifying much growth in faith in Jesus Christ
through the ministry of this church by the end of 2025.
That is, my goal, our goal for each one of us and for us collectively as a church
is that we would grow significantly in God confidence, even as our society's confidence in God declines.
That's the intent of it.
And it's a goal for us to grow together.
Now, the reason we have this plan is because I am utterly convinced, utterly convinced,
that we as human beings flourish in all of life to the degree that we walk in all of life with our Creator and our Saviour.
Without that, we don't flourish in life.
And so, Follow 25 is about you and you flourishing in all of life.
You having hope and joy and security, whatever the situation of life is.
Living life well forever.
That's the goal of Follow 25.
And it's for you and it's for us together as we grow in God confidence.
We are seeking to do this together in a neighbourhood that not only has little to no confidence in God,
but also a neighbourhood that is so culturally diverse.
And so, following Jesus together is not an easy thing to do.
There are a multitude of barriers to that.
Nevertheless, we are seeking to be a church that, despite our cultural backgrounds, our ethnicities, our genders, our preferences,
we are looking to make Jesus the main thing in life.
We're looking to look at Him and be united around Him.
Now, our diversity can be a significant challenge.
And so, in this vision series, I plan to take a look at a very complex issue that is rampant around our world.
And it's the issue of racism, ethnocentricity, and how we're going to go about building an inclusive,
multi-ethnic, multi-racial church, transcultural church here at St. Paul's.
That is, the goal at the end of this, I suppose, is to understand ourselves a little bit better,
understand other people a little bit better,
and then to be able to grow together in that understanding.
So, that's where we're going.
And to kick us off, I just got a whole, if you like, swag of things I want to say by way of introduction.
For those of you who are keen Bible people,
please forgive me that I'm not jumping straight into the text,
and I'm not getting straight to Jesus.
Okay?
View this message today as part one of a four- to five-part series on this initially,
in terms of the biblical unpacking of race and ethnicity.
So, think of that first.
This is the introduction to that.
So, a number of things.
Some preliminary thoughts about racism and ethnocentricity.
If you've got the St. Paul's app, you will find this in the St. Paul's app.
Firstly, defining racism and ethnocentricity is not easy.
In most cases, when you read about this issue, those terms are used interchangeably.
But I'm going to have a crack at it anyway, even though it's not easy to define.
So, here we go.
Racism is an explicit or an implicit belief or practice
that qualitatively distinguishes or values one race over another race.
That's racism, as I see it.
Explicitly or implicitly a belief or a practice
that qualitatively distinguishes or values one race over another race.
Now, in that definition, I'm thinking of race primarily in terms of physical features.
Racism, therefore, makes judgments based on physical appearance.
And so, you see someone of some kind of physical makeup
and then what you do is you make cultural assumptions about that person
as a result of that, just by appearance.
That's racism.
Now, the focus of this definition is the heart and behaviour.
The heart that believes one race is more valuable than another
is a sinful heart.
That sin is called racism.
The behaviour that distinguishes one race,
owes more valuable than another,
is a sinful behaviour,
and that sin is called racism.
And I want to say right up front,
it is always a sin.
Always a sin.
It is always wrong to treat a person
with any form of disrespect
on the basis of their physical appearance.
Now, ethnicity is slightly different.
It's a term that's used to stress cultural
rather than physical aspects of a group identity.
Things like language and dress and food and customs and values
and sometimes religion.
The two are different,
but they're connected.
That is, when you see a person,
you then make ethnic assumptions about them.
Now, where it's always wrong
to judge a person on their appearance,
I think there are biblical and moral bounds,
we are biblically and morally bound
to make some value judgments
about ethnicities over others.
That is,
where those cultural assumptions of that group
is fundamentally unbiblical,
and that valuing of ethnicities
is rooted in biblical teaching about good and evil.
That should not be called racism at that point,
when we are challenging cultural assumptions,
including our own.
That is, there's aspect of every culture
that is sinful and needs transforming.
Every culture is sinful and needs transforming.
Now, secondly,
why I think this series is important for us.
It's important for us
because of what we're seeking to do here
in building disciples of Christ in our neighbourhood.
Let me just say that straight up.
I also think it's important
because we're doing that in a country
that has traditionally struggled with multiculturalism.
On the one hand,
Australia has been remarkably hospitable,
remarkably hospitable towards migrants.
But on the other hand,
traditional Australian attitude
towards different races and ethnicities
is that they should be assimilated
as quickly as possible.
That means we are open-armed,
we are welcoming for you,
wherever your background is,
on certain conditions.
And the general certain conditions are
that you embrace the Australian way of life
and its values.
And values are the thing
that always underwrite a culture.
So you need to accept our values.
It's essential that you learn the English language.
It's essential as well
that you don't rob natural Australians
of jobs and other opportunities
like healthcare and education
and so on and so forth.
It's crucial that you leave
any of your racial and cultural tensions
behind with you
and don't import them here.
It's crucial that you don't lower
the Australian standard of living
by imposing too much strain
on our infrastructure
and certainly not on our welfare system.
So assimilation has been key
to Australia's policy on multiculturalism.
In fact, the term new Australians
was the term that came into vogue
in the 1950s and 60s.
And the goal of that multiculturalism
was to place your newfound Australian identity
above any other identity you have.
And so while Australia
has been incredibly hospitable and welcoming,
we have struggled to fully embrace
and also really struggled
to hand over any form of control,
power,
or cultural influence
to other ethnicities,
other cultural groups.
And you see this rampant
in the Western church,
not just in Australia,
but across the Western world,
where European culture
has dominated church culture
in the Western world,
even as those churches
are existing in neighbourhoods like ours
that have become very racially diverse.
That's an ethnicity issue,
not a racial issue, per se.
So in the next few weeks,
I want to unpack
how that has impacted
the way that we do church
here at St Paul's
and explain some of the key moves
that we've made
and to what it looks like for us
to continue to make those moves
to be a church
that truly treasures Jesus together
and for the joy of all people.
Third introductory comment.
I'm acutely aware
of my own failure in this issue.
I grew up in a country town
dominated by white
country Australian culture.
We had a Greek cafe,
which was run by the Greek family.
We had a Chinese restaurant
at the RSL
run by,
I hope it was a Chinese family.
The thing is,
I never saw them,
so I'm assuming they were Chinese
running that Chinese restaurant.
And we had,
the other,
apart from us,
white farmers
was Aboriginals.
And I had
Aboriginal friendships
as I grew up.
But I was fundamentally
racist towards them.
I'll unpack that more
as I go along.
So on one level,
I don't feel like
I'm the right guy
to be up here
talking on this topic.
There are people
who are much further advanced
than I am
on this issue
in thinking and practice.
I also want to acknowledge
the other reason
why I think
I'm not the right guy
to be up here
talking about this.
There are people
in this room
and certainly people
that you are very aware of
who live with racism
and ethnocentricity
in a way
that I just simply
never have.
purely because
I represent
majority culture
in our society.
In fact,
I never even
had to think
and I don't even
ever recall
ever thinking
about racism
and ethnocentricity
until I started
ministering
at St Paul's.
I didn't even
have to think
about it
because everything
went my way
from workplaces
to shopping centres
to everything.
As a member
of the western
white majority culture
almost unaware
of these realities.
I've never known
the experience
of trying to understand
another culture
and race
in order
just to survive
day by day.
It's only because
of here
and this place
that I've had
to wrestle
with and learn
about how
other people
groups
understand
time,
the use of space
to think,
to solve problems,
to understand
relationships
between individuals
and groups,
express emotions,
handle failures
and judge status.
I suspect
that nearly
every racial
minority group
in this country
understands
white Australian
culture
really well.
They're confronted
with it
because it
challenges
their ethnicity
every moment.
but us
white Australians
are far more
ignorant
of other
cultures
and how they
operate
simply because
we've never
had to.
You need
to do things
our way.
So,
what that means
is
throughout this
time
I'm going to
say some
wrong stuff.
I'm going to
say some
silly stuff.
It's not
deliberate.
It will
potentially
even be
an inadvertent
racism
and
ethnocentricity.
So,
please have
patience with
me
is what I'm
saying.
Fourthly,
this is
a really
hot issue
in our
culture
right now.
It's a
hot issue
but most
white Australians
aren't aware
that it's a
hot issue.
And I
think the
Christian faith
has got
something very
significant to
contribute to
this issue
although I
suspect the
institutional church
will not be
heard because of
our abuses.
Australia's
race
commissioner,
race
discrimination
commissioner
said around
six or seven
years ago
that this is
the most
volatile time
of the past
30 to 40
years of racial
tension in
our country.
This at a
time when
apparently we're
growing more
tolerant with
one another.
There's an
irony to that
comment.
Now,
Christian faith
has got
something very
significant to
contribute here.
I want to
give you an
example of
what I
mean.
W.H.
Auden,
one of the
most influential
writers of the
20th century,
was converted
from his
intellectual,
secular humanism
to Christianity
in 1940.
So think of
what's happening
in the world
in 1940.
And he was
converted through
one event,
one thing
radically changed
him.
And that was
he went to
the cinemas,
what we call
the cinemas
now,
in Manhattan
and he saw
a movie
that was
produced by
Hitler's
Third Reich.
book.
It was a
propaganda
piece
about their
conquering of
Poland.
And Auden
said that in
the movie
theater with
him were
many migrant
Jews watching
this film.
And he said
when a
Polish person,
a prisoner,
came up onto
the screen,
he said the
audience
immediately
erupted
with,
kill him,
kill him.
This is
1940 Manhattan
and they
weren't involved
in the war
at this point.
He said
he walked
out of the
movie theater
stunned,
because his
secular humanism
was the
foundation of
Nazi
secular
humanism.
He said
philosophically
I sit on
the same
page as
some of
these
people.
And he
said one
thought ran
through his
mind as he
walked out of
the theater.
He says
what response
can my
enlightened
humanistic
tradition give
to those who
cry out for
the blood of
innocent
victims?
He said
he's got no
response to
that.
No
response.
He saw
the bankruptcy
of humanism,
of secularism,
and began to
sense that
the only
answer to
evil can
be found
in God.
He was
convicted,
like,
literally in
that moment
by God's
grace,
of God's
perfection and
holiness and
his sinfulness,
1940 became a
Christian.
Now having
said that,
I fully,
it's great
having a story
like that,
but I fully
acknowledge that
others have
made the
exact opposite
journey.
because of
the awful
track record
of the
institutional
church on
this issue,
there have
been many,
many professing
Christians and
churches who
have long,
long held
membership in
local people,
long held
membership in
local churches,
denominations,
stand up to
declare creeds,
stick to a
conservative,
orthodox faith,
and at the
same time hold
membership cards
in the Ku Klux
Klan.
So what do
you do when
you find stories
that give you
some comfort that
Christianity has
offered a solution
to ethnic pride
and other stories
that show Christianity
is part of the
problem?
What do you do
with that?
What you do is
you go to the
Bible and you
ask whether they
got Christianity
right or on
the other hand
they got humanism
right.
And when I ask
those questions
I don't see
that secular
humanism as we
see particularly
in our culture
today has got
any answers to
this solution.
I'll get to one
reason why that
is the case in a
moment.
Secondly,
humanism does
want to promote
a selfless
morality and an
equality of all
people.
you see that
all the time.
It does
desire to have
a more humane
society but I'm
not convinced
that you can
deliver on those
goals for a
more equal
humanity when
you embrace an
atheistic
evolutionary theory
that suggests that
humans come from
lower forms of
life.
If that's your
foundation you
cannot hold at
the same time to
the supreme
dignity of all
human beings.
It's
intellectually
incompatible.
When that is
your foundation,
the view of the
human race, it
is so easy to
fall into
racism because
the differences
are explained by
saying that other
groups of people
are less
involved, are
less evolved.
And that is
what has happened
amongst academia
and now is
happening in our
society.
You conservatives
down there, the
problem with you is
you just are not as
evolved as us
modern people in
your thinking.
It's happening
now.
So when I go to
the Bible, I see a
totally different
thing than the
version of
Christianity that
supports racism and
ethnic pride.
And I just think
also we just need
to be honest about
our history, history
of the Christian
church, history of
the Christian church
in the western
world and say that
the institutional
church has blown
it again and again
and again and again
on this issue.
Done some remarkably
great stuff but we've
also blown it.
We've also blown it.
Almost I think every
people group has got a
story to tell of the
failure of the
institutional church
and I don't think I
want to even fight
that.
Don't think I want to
argue against that.
I just want to say
yep, I know and I'm
sorry.
I'm sorry for what I've
done to contribute to
that.
Not all those who
profess to be followers
of Christ are
followers of Christ even
if they represent the
church and those of us
who are are so
imperfect.
perfect.
We will blow it
too.
So can we just
please look at the
Bible I think and
look to Jesus and see
what they've got to
say here.
So how about we do
that now?
And as I said this is
a journey over the
next number of years
sorry next number of
weeks.
It might feel like
years at the end of
it.
Next number of weeks
and unpacking this
as we go along.
And really the point
here is I want to
focus here on a core
creation foundation
doctrine of the image
of God.
So let's jump into
there.
Over the next number
of weeks I want to
look at what the
Bible and the
Christian faith, the
core news of the
gospel local church
has got this
contribution to make.
This is the
foundation of what
we're seeking to be
and achieve here as a
church if you like.
So my plan is to
trace out this issue
of race and how it
develops in the
Bible.
We're going to begin
with creation.
I will get to Jesus
eventually.
Okay so we'll get
there eventually.
Let's begin with just
a creation principle
and how that flows
from the Old
Testament into the
New Testament.
So the point I want
to make today is very
significant because in
dealing with race and
ethnic pride even
before I get to
Jesus this point is
crucial.
Genesis chapter 1
verse 27
God created
people.
He created man in
his own image.
In the image of God
he created him.
Male and female he
created them.
That verse is utterly
profound,
significant,
packed full of
implications.
And I'm not going to
hit all the
implications in
that,
out of that verse.
But simply to say
Adam and Eve is the
first human beings
were created in the
image of God,
different from all of
other creation.
And every subsequent
human being born from
Adam and Eve also
carry the image of God.
God.
So Genesis 5
verse 3,
when Adam had
lived 130 years,
he had a son in
his own likeness,
in his own image,
and he named him
Seth.
The words likeness and
image there are
exactly the same two
words that are used in
Genesis 1.
And the point is that
that image carries on.
carries on through
people.
The first pair are
not the only pair,
the only people in
the image of God.
Those who come from
them are all in the
image of God too.
So the implication
here is the
unity of the
human race.
Every human
that flows from
Adam and Eve,
which Acts 17
tells us is
everyone,
is creating
the image of God.
Now I don't want to
go into every detail
of what that means
in terms of what it
means to be an image
of God.
There's a whole list
of attributes you
could go through it
in terms of listing
them off and tick
it off what it
means.
And I think it's
collectively just take
them all as done
dusted there.
One thing is very
significant though,
is in Genesis 1
when it talks about
your job is to
rule over
the created
order.
It's the word
dominion there.
The word dominion
means royalty.
That is,
there's something
about the
image of God
that means that
there's a royal
dignity.
For us who are
Westerners,
who are
English heritage
Westerners,
that would be
significant in the
70th year of
Queen Elizabeth's
reign.
70 years.
Amazing.
dignity.
And she carries
a dignity about
her.
But there's a
royal dignity
attached to every
human being,
whatever their
status in life
is.
Now the
unfortunate thing
is that Genesis
1 doesn't give us
a specific footnote
on what the image
of God means.
So rather than
pick up one of
the wonderful
human traits,
I want to see
image of God
as us
image
forth
in God.
Bearing his
image is
displaying his
image.
Like nothing
else in creation
can.
So being
created in the
image of God,
that means it
has a purpose.
It has a
mission to it.
Humans
have traits
like God
that display
God's
magnificence,
glory.
So rather than
argue about the
details,
let's take it
as image of
God here as
being a
mission.
And that
mission is to
mirror God,
to display his
magnificence,
his beauty,
his royal
dignity, if you
like, to
display God,
to live in such
a way that we
reflect the
character and the
quality of God.
Now that is a
massive calling,
but I think
that's the
point of
Psalm 8,
which we had
read out to us.
If you want to
flick your Bibles
to Psalm 8,
let me just show
you something
really briefly.
Psalm 8 is
going to be
unpacked for us
a little bit
later in this
series,
but I'm just
doing an
introductory thing
here,
just to help
James to set
the framework
for when he
preaches it.
Or not.
Psalm 8 is
interesting.
It begins
with,
O Lord,
our Lord,
how majestic
is your name
in all the
earth.
And it ends
in exactly the
same way,
in verse 9.
O Lord,
our Lord,
how majestic
is your name
in all the
earth.
Very significant.
It's majestic
in all the
earth.
God is
majestic.
That's the
point.
That's the
bookends of
Psalm 8.
And so it's
interesting how
the rest of
the Psalm
connects to
those bookends.
You have set
your glory above
the heavens.
From the lips
of children and
infants,
you have ordained
praise because of
your enemies.
To silence the
foe and the
avenger.
When I consider
your heavens,
the work of
your fingers,
the moon,
the stars,
which you
have set in
place.
What is
man that you
are mindful of
him, the
son of man
that you care
for him?
What's the
answer to that
question?
What's the
answer to
specifically that
question?
You made him
a little lower
than the
heavenly beings
and you
crowned him
with glory
and honour
or possibly
a slightly
better
understanding
of that
is you
crowned
him with
glory
and majesty,
royal
dignity,
dominion.
And then
the psalmist
goes on to
describe the
uniqueness of
humanity.
You made
him ruler
over the
works of
your hands.
You put
everything under
his feet or
flocks and
herds and
beasts of
the field,
the birds of
the air,
the fish of
the sea,
all that
swim the
paths of
the seas.
That is,
what we see
in Psalm
8 is
clearly the
psalmist has
got Genesis
1 open
here,
reflecting on
Genesis 1.
But the
psalmist does
not end
with, as you
would anticipate
as you go
through the
psalm,
oh Lord,
how majestic
are human
beings.
Doesn't do
that, which
you'd think he
would.
He did
say it a
little bit
earlier, but
it's not the
point of
the psalm.
The psalm
ends with,
oh Lord,
our Lord,
how majestic
is your
name in
all the
earth.
The psalm
ends on the
point of
praise of
God, which
means the
point of
God's
creation here
according to
Psalm 8 of
everything,
and particularly
the dignity
and the
majesty of
human beings,
the point of
our subordinated
majesty above
all the
creatures is
for the
praise of
God's name.
It's for
his glory.
That means
everything that
we have received
in image of
God is for
the glory of
God, not for
the praise and
the majesty of
humanity.
But we're
still glorious
regardless,
which at the
very least,
it means
that if you
demean or
you belittle
anyone created
for that
end,
you in the
end
belittle,
demean
God.
You
rupture the
purpose of
all people
created in
the image of
God to
show his
majesty to
all people
when you
demean another
human being.
Now, this
creation doctrine
of the image of
God, even
apart from
redemption in
Jesus, and
we will get
there, even
apart from
redemption in
Jesus, has
got massive
implications for
us, even
more so
post-Jesus, but
massive implications
even without
that.
The horror
of unjustly
destroying or
harming another
human being in
Genesis 9-6,
whoever sheds
the blood of
man by man
shall his
blood be shed,
for in the
image of
God has
God made
man.
God has
massive
implications for
even the way
we speak to
another human
being.
James 3,
verses 9-10,
James picks
up a
creation
argument,
not a
redemption
argument, a
creation
argument.
with the
we praise
our Lord
and Father
and with
it we curse
men who
have been
made in
God's
likeness.
Out of
the same
mouth come
praise and
cursing.
My brothers,
this should
not be.
Both of
those arguments
are straight
from creation
apart from
redemption in
Jesus.
the image
of God
has massive
implications for
racial pride.
In Acts 17,
Paul makes
the common
origins of
all human
beings, the
ground of
equality and
the end of
ethnic
arrogance.
Paul is in
Athens in
Acts 17
speaking to
the Athenians.
They were a
very proud group
of people,
very proud.
everyone else
in their
culture who
was not
Athenian was
regarded as a
barbarian.
If you've
watched any
movie that's
got barbarians
in it,
they are just
a nasty group
of people.
That's just
who they are.
They don't even
shower for
goodness sake.
They just
come across
nasty and
dirty and
horrible.
Paul gets
one sermon
to this
group,
one sermon,
and what
does he say
to them?
He wants
to pick
on the
racial pride
issue.
He says,
the God
who made
the world
and everything
in it is
the Lord
of heaven
and earth
and does
not live
in temples
built by
hands.
And he
is not
served by
human hands
as if he
needed anything
because he
himself gives
all men
life and
breath and
everything else.
From one
man,
he made
every nation
of men.
Why does
he say
that?
There's
lots of
other things
he could
have picked
up in
that culture.
Why does
he say
that?
From one
man,
he made
every nation
of men
that they
should inhabit
the whole
earth and
he determined
the times
set for
them and
the exact
places where
they should
live.
See what he's
saying here?
Let me do
the Steve
Jeffrey version
of Apostle
Paul.
You
Athenians,
you just
think you
are so
special.
You are
so proud.
You think
you've got
some unique
origin direct
from the
soil.
Everyone
else are
all connected
but you're
not.
You've got
this special
boom where
we're separate
from everyone
else.
You think
that everyone
else is
inferior.
You call
them barbarians.
I got something
to tell you.
Let me tell
you Athenians,
you and the
barbarians whom
you hate,
you've all got
one daddy.
Surprise,
surprise,
the DNA test
has come out
and you're
all connected.
All connected.
And it's God
who decides
where you end
up and where
you live and
the way you
should look and
the reason why
you talk the
way you talk.
It's all
God's gifting.
diversity.
Why?
Why has
God done
this according
to Paul?
What is
God's goal
in making
all this
diversity?
God did
this so
that men
would seek
him and
perhaps reach
out for him
and find
him though
he is not
far from
each of us.
For in
him we,
everyone,
live and
move and
have our
being as
some of
our own,
your own
prophet,
sorry,
poets.
I've had
several weeks
off.
Some of
your own
poets have
said we
are his
offspring.
Against the
claims of
racial superiority,
Paul here
asserts the
unity of all
people,
it is
foundational,
fundamental,
to Pauline
theology,
the doctrine
of creation.
He is
using this
theology to
undermine pride
and arrogance
and segregation,
superiority,
oppression,
the assertion
of preferences
upon other
people groups
and instead
to turn to
unity in
Christ.
God wants
all people
to be
unified in
their seeking
of him
through the
Lord Jesus.
So my
point simply
today is
that the
Christian
doctrine of
creation
itself,
apart from
redemption in
Jesus,
makes a
very significant
contribution to
dealing with
racism and
ethnic pride.
That is,
if you like,
the first
foundational brick
that we're
going to build
on in the
coming weeks.
God himself
affirms that
by coming
into this
creation,
in the
person of
Jesus Christ,
the perfect
image bearer
of the
Father,
to right the
wrongs of our
broken image
because of
sin.
God
himself
became one
of us.
So for now,
let me just
very briefly go
through some
implications.
Firstly,
my vision
for us is
that we be
a church
that seeks
to really
know people,
really know
people rather
than commodify
them or put
them into
categories.
Now that
has multiple
implications.
It means
not just
knowing facts
about people
but actually
walking in
life with
people.
That's the
difference.
It's not
just knowing
facts about
them but
walking in
life with
them,
together with
them.
It is
typical for
churches like
society in
general to
value people
and particularly
in the western
world to
value people
for what they
do and
not who
they are.
are.
We get
marinated in
that culture.
Every person
from the
womb to
the tomb
has a
beauty and
a value
independent
of their
abilities or
of what they
produce.
simply put,
if I said
to my
wife Natalie
tuning in
right now,
if I said
to my
wife Natalie
I don't
find you
beautiful
or majestic
but I do
find you
useful,
I'm
confident
I'd have a
problem in
the marriage.
I'm
confident of
that.
And yet
in the
western world
that's what
we do.
It's so
ingrained in
us we don't
even realise
that's what
we're doing.
We value
contribution.
This church
has done
it.
I've done
it.
My vision
for us is
to be a
church that
values people
for who
they are
as image
bearers of
God more
than what
they contribute.
Secondly,
because there
is a royal
dignity imprinted
on every
person across
race,
ethnicity,
class,
education,
age,
ability,
belief system
and gender,
then we
ought to be
free,
a church
free of
favouritism
and cliques
as we build
a multi-ethnic,
multi-generational,
multicultural
church.
thirdly,
we are to
be a
church
that
embrace
and care
for the
poor
and the
marginalised
and the
outcast
of society.
I'll make
this point
in a couple
of weeks,
I think.
When you
walk past
someone in
the mall
at Chatswood
who's sitting
there begging,
if you've got
purely a secular
mind on,
you will go,
that person
is beneath
me in
some way
and I'm
here to
contribute
to you.
I want to
help you
with your
problem.
What we
need to do
instead is
because of
the gospel,
we need to
see spiritually,
that's me.
That's actually
me.
That's who I
am in God's
eyes.
And that
person,
just like me,
is made in the
image of God
and has
royal dignity.
Fourthly,
there is a
royal dignity
imprinted on
every person
and therefore
Christians,
this church,
you as a
Christian,
are against
and ought to
be against
abortion,
but not
merely in
principle.
Not merely
in principle.
From the
very first
days of the
Christian church,
it has been
on the
forefront of
taking in
and nurturing
vulnerable,
unwanted
children,
including those
who are not
yet born.
As we
launch into
2022,
it will be
important for
us to get
the relationship
between our
words and
our deeds
right.
Justice and
mercy must
never,
ever replace
evangelism.
The
proclamation
of the
gospel,
of what
Christ has
done for
you,
must never
replace
that.
But on
the other
hand,
justice and
mercy must
not simply
be an
ends to a
means in
order to
evangelize.
There is a
royal dignity
imprinted on
every single
human being
and so can I
say,
brothers and
sisters,
let that
sink into
your heart,
let it sink
into your
minds,
as you
share communion
and morning
tea together
this morning.
Let's pray.
Heavenly
Father,
burden us
to look
upon one
another first
with awe
and reverence
and not
with difference
and suspicion.
I pray
that as a
result,
your name
would be
exalted
as relationships
here between
different groups
and some
Paul's
deepen
and sweeten.
Amen.
Number one
to
big