I remember a worship service I did with my youth group years ago when I was a pastor at West Jefferson UMC. In this service, we reenacted a first century Palestinian Christian house church worship service, a time after Jesus’ death while the persecutions were going on for the early Christians. Many in the congregation were shocked over how difficult it was to worship in our space and real and raw stressors the early Christians were facing in establishing and maintaining their faith. Reflecting on this divisive time for the early Christians and other times since can give us insight as to how we as Christians today can navigate divisive times where Jesus’ message seems to be co-opted for political gain. Wesleyan thought is anchored on several points, but one of those, tradition can be a guide for us this week. “How can our saints of old teach us about how to show up during tumultuous times?”
Tradition Guides Us
By delving into our traditions and understanding how early Christians weathered their trials, we can draw parallels to our contemporary context. The resilience and faithfulness of these early believers, who held firm to their beliefs amidst adversity, serve as a testament to the enduring power of faith and community. As we reflect on their experiences, we can find solace and guidance, recognizing that the challenges they faced are not so different from our own. This reflection is particularly relevant as we navigate the complexities of our current societal landscape, where the intersection of faith, culture, and politics often creates a tumultuous environment.
First Century Tumult
Reflecting on the experiences of early Christians in Palestine reveals significant challenges and hardships due to their faith. Early Christians faced political instability and severe religious persecution:
Jewish Opposition: Initially considered a sect within Judaism, early Christians faced increasing hostility from Jewish leaders and communities as their beliefs diverged. This led to social ostracization, persecution, and even violence.
Roman Hostility: Although the Romans generally tolerated various religions, Christianity’s refusal to worship the Roman emperor as a deity led to persecution, imprisonment, and martyrdom.
Despite these difficulties, Christianity continued to grow and spread throughout Palestine and beyond.
16th Century Division
While Martin Luther steals the show in the 16th century, as far back as the 10th century, the religious and political situation was tenuous at best. Schisms in the Catholic Church were common. The Great Schism of the 14th century, also known as the Western Schism, was a split within the Roman Catholic Church from 1378 to 1417, during which there were multiple claimants to the papacy, primarily in Rome and Avignon. It was caused by political rivalries and resulted in significant confusion and division among Christians until it was resolved by the Council of Constance.
In the 16th Century, the Protestant Reformation, led by figures such as Martin Luther, fundamentally challenged the established norms of the Catholic Church, leading to widespread conflict, persecution, and eventually, the establishment of various Protestant denominations. This period of division, much like the first century, tested the resilience and faith of believers, compelling them to navigate a landscape fraught with theological and political turmoil.
20th Century Chaos
As we move into more recent history, the 20th century has presented its own set of challenges with two World Wars, the Great Depression, and numerous other global crises that tested the mettle of Christians around the world. The Church had to navigate through periods of intense ideological battles, such as the rise of secularism and the Cold War, which often placed faith communities in opposition to prevailing political and cultural narratives. This era of chaos and transformation pushed believers to find new ways to express and live out their faith in a rapidly changing world. As we move into the 21st century, the chaos continues as the fallout from the 20th century has left us with empty churches and a world morally broken.
It would seem that the current global situation where we pit nationalism against traditional faiths (Christianity is not the only faith dealing with nationalism) is quite dire. Again, drawing from my faith tradition of Wesleyanism, I am reminded of how tradition reminds us how others have gone in the past. This may be a hard time to be a Christian, but these historical precedents remind us that our journey of faith is often accompanied by opposition and strife, yet it is through these trials that our convictions and sense of community are fortified. As we draw from these lessons, we are better equipped to face our present-day challenges, finding strength in the legacy of perseverance and unwavering faith that has shaped our religious heritage.
Praying the News and Other Spiritual Practices
In the midst of such turmoil, spiritual practices of nurturing became vital, grounding us in our faith while also allowing us to confront the shadows and complexities of our time.
The spiritual practice of meaning helps cultivate awareness and openness to the Holy Spirit. This practice enhances understanding. We seek meaning by examining the broad context of our experiences. We identify patterns in the world and in our own behavior. We create meanings by associating analogies, metaphors, symbols, and stories with things and events. We observe what insights emerge when we consider them in this manner.
We can begin creating meaning in these tumultuous times by praying the news and listening for God’s guidance. Praying the news is an essential practice, as it helps us to interpret and respond to the unfolding events around us through a lens of faith, striving to be bearers of hope and agents of change in a world where our information is controlled by agendas which do not reflect the universal love of Christ. In a world that is struggling with a meaning crisis, communion with God in prayer invites God’s guidance to help us deal with the meaninglessness around us..
Things continue to look yucky and deteriorate, evil seems to have a foothold and morality seems to have lost its way. God’s love and presence is the only consistence right now. This is the meaning we need to rely on.
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