In today's world we see an escalation of debt not only at the private level but also at the larger national and international level. When we discuss debt it is always in terms of finance rather than anything else and that is probably because we have become more and more dependent on lenders to whom we become beholden; for the car, the home, education, the move, etc. However, when we talk about debt in terms of our religious practices we are not necessarily talking about financial debt even though that features. Debt can be what we owe to God or even what we owe to our neighbours in terms of what God has asked of us. The judge towards whom we are taken is not the district court or magistrate but God who judges us not by what we have done but by what we have failed to do in terms of our faith journey. Even in the Lord's prayer the forgiveness of debt is not only that which we have garnered through our own living but that which we have garnered through our neglect.
Isaiah tells the parable of the vineyard (Is. 5:1-7) and its cultivation or rather what happens when the vineyard does not produce grapes. We are in a similar position today as members of a faith community that proposes its following of Christ, the anointed of God. In looking back over the history of the Church one has to admit that much has been done but as we say that we also must admit to our folly and our inability to adhere to the requirements of our following God in Christ. It can be seen at all levels of the church from the parish to ecclesial conferences such as Lambeth. It is our mistake to think that we can think as if we were God and totally know the mind of God in what we do and how we do it. The problem is that we often do not understand or realise which side we are actually on because we are so eager to promote our own which creates and causes the disruptions that we see. In Luke's gospel Christ speaks about the family being against each other (12:52-53), a very clear indication of our own situation within the Anglican Communion let alone other denominations, who ultimately must be considered family as well. The question that is often neglected in these situations is the question not who is right and who is wrong but rather who is actually listening to what God is saying?
In everything from divorce to major arguments there are always three sides and the truth. We continue to believe that we are blameless when we take this side or that side but both sides fail as neither side is listening to what is being said as each interprets what the other is saying coloured by their own beliefs. We are not God! The author of Hebrews suggests that we need to look to Christ who bore the pains of the cross and in doing so we follow the way of salvation. In doing this, what should we focus on as we journey in faith? We often think of the words of Christ and make all our interpretation of what and how from Christ's sayings. Yet Christ lived by the Judaic law and everything that Christ states is with reference to Judaic law it is often post-Christ works or interpretations of Christ's words that we look to for our faith journey. It is Christ himself we should look to and most of what we understand is that Christ embodied God's presence in the world and suffered the cross out of love. This then is our call, a call into love which is echoed in Paul and the other scriptures from Genesis through to Revelation. If this is true then we need to settle a huge debt which has accumulated through a life that has been lived as we continue to rely one way or another on those who began that debt. We need to make the correct judgement (Lk. 23:57) as to the error so that we can begin once more to live as Christ not as ourselves.
What is the error that has put us so far away from God and Christ's path? It is simplicity itself and yet it is the hardest part of our faith journey. Christ and God proclaim the way of love, not the hippie generation, but true love that works to build community and enjoys the worth of others made in the image of God. It is the love that allows us to form our own views and yet follow Christ in so many different and exciting patterns of thought, work and inspiration that it is a delight. Scripture guides us along the path but as Christ has shown it is not law if it does not encourage love and the building of community. If we are unable to dialogue and inspire each other with the vagaries of God's Spirit that blesses each of us then we have become like the scribes and the pharisees. it is not the letter of the law but the spirit of the law that should guide our faith journey allowing love of the other to shine in our communities.
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