St Luke 12: 1 – 3
Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered in thousands, so that they trampled on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.
Reflection
It is really easy to be a hypocrite if you are a Christian. It’s in verses like this that the seriousness of what we have signed up to in professing our faith is laid bare. It might seem straightforward – there simply is no hiding from our all knowing God, but when we really stop and think, how often do we try to hide or do so without realising it? We can talk the talk as much as we like – but do we really walk the walk?
Thinking of these words from a personal point of view is a challenge, and we believe we will eventually be held to account. But what if we considered them from a community angle? In this passage Jesus calls out the hypocrisy of a group of people, the Pharisees, leaders who held much power in the Jewish faith institutions. Within Christian community there are many examples of the church institution displaying hypocritical behaviour (think abuse scandals, slavery acquired wealth, churches closing in the inner city and oil investments to name a few). But in the URC we don’t have an elite group to point our fingers at, we are the General Assembly, the Synod and the Church Meeting. So what about us?
Perhaps it helps to turn it around. What might your church look like to those who are oppressed and abused, those in poverty, subject to racism or homophobia, people not listened to or even without a voice? The concept of that which is hidden being uncovered and exposed, is not simply something to be waited for on judgement day, but a very desperate need for right now. We pray that the kingdom may come on earth, but what does that really mean? Are we involved in the kingdom work of uncovering injustice and oppression or do we smudge, and avoid it, or even sometimes collude with it when it is difficult?
Prayer
Loving God from whom nothing is hidden,
guide us along the path of openness,
open hearts, open minds and open palms,
so that we might recognise the cries of those
who long for what is hidden to be uncovered.
Guide us in your way that justice and freedom
might be proclaimed from the roofs. Amen