Living in Exile

I have a deep appreciation for the Old Testament stories.  Part of that passion comes from sitting at the feet of Dr. Harry Wendt as I went through the Crossways training program.  In my mind it is difficult to have an appreciation for the New Testament until you have journeyed through the story of God’s people prior to the birth of the Christ Child.  I still stand in awe of the fact that so many remained faithful to God when all they had was a promise.  The characters in Luke’s Gospel like, Zachariah and Elizabeth, along with Simeon and Anna come to mind. 

When it comes to a respect for an Old Testament patriarch, I have always been drawn to Daniel.  While the Book of Daniel falls into the section of the Bible called The Prophets, there was so much more to Daniel’s story.  During the difficult time when the most talented and gifted of the Israelites, including Daniel, were taken into exile by the Babylonians, he stood strong as a believer in The Living God.  He not only became a leader among his people but won the respect of the Babylonian authorities, including King Nebuchadnezzar.

I thought of Daniel and the rest of the exiles this morning as I read a chapter in the book Called: The Crisis and Promise of Following Jesus Today by Mark Labberton.  The chapter was titled Relocating.  The point being that because of the cultural shift those of us who cling to biblical standards and principles might feel like we are dwelling in a foreign land.  Mark Labberton writes;

“Living our call in exile involves adjusting to very different circumstances and reading the signals of our environment and culture differently.  It means choosing to give ourselves to those around us with fewer and different expectations, not as settlers but as guests and visitors.  We don’t whine about the world being the world.  Instead we are called to love out of the integrity of our lives, without making our love dependent on it changing.”  (Called, Mark Labberton, Intervarsity Press, page 55)

Being an exile requires that I spend less time being comfortable inside the Body of Christ, and more time getting to know my neighbor.  It means investing less money and energy on buildings and more on people outside the faith.  For those of us who have grown up in the church and who have become attached to that community it is tough pill to swallow.  Bitter as the taste is, the reality is that if we do not change our focus from being the people of God inside the church, to being the disciples to the world that Jesus called us to be the church will continue to be a non-factor.   Without a change in perspective many current worship communities will cease to exist in twenty years.  For me that is an even more difficult pill to swallow.  Pass the Torch.