“Christian Living from Here to Kingdom Come, Part 3:  The Christian in Public” by the Rev. Don Wahlig, May 14, 2023, Year A / Easter – Acts 17:22-31 • Psalm 66:8-20 • 1 Peter 3:8-16 (not 3:13-22) • John 14:15-21

THEME: Holy living in public is loving others the way Jesus loves us.

Did any of you get up early last Saturday morning to watch the coronation of King Charles? I did not, but I did catch the highlights later. In the midst of all that royal pomp and circumstance, I could not help but wonder about the institution of the monarchy itself.

Like every monarch before him, going back almost 400 years, King Charles is the nominal head of the United Kingdom and the Church of England. But in practice he has almost no formal power. He does not command the government or the armed forces. He does not command the courts or the Church. Nor does he make policy, either foreign or domestic. Yet, despite the lack of public power and – let’s be honest – frequent personal failings, the British monarchy has a profound influence not only in England, but all around the world. This week I have been wondering, why is that?

Then I came across a quote by the contemporary American author Richelle Goodrich who said, “A great leader is motivated not by power, but by compassion. Therefore, he can do nothing but make himself a servant to those whom he rules. Such a leader is unequivocally respected, and loved for loving.” 

Loved for loving. That is the power a good monarch has. It is the power that Christ has. And it is the power you and I have as his disciples. This is exactly what the writer of I Peter is commending to those persecuted Christians in Asia Minor. He urges them to hold fast to the faith through holy living. That means a life rooted in faith, growing in hope, and blossoming in love, both at home and in the life of the congregation. 

But Christ-like love cannot stop at the front door of our homes and churches. The reason is simple: Christ has not only been resurrected, he has ascended into heaven, and sits on God’s throne, ruling over heaven and earth. That claim is central to our faith. Oh, but tread carefully, friends. The outside world is deeply skeptical of this. It’s easy to see why. At first glance, this world looks nothing like one where Christ is king. So, what does it really mean to say that Jesus Christ is sovereign? What does that have to do with how we live?

That is the question we ask this Sunday in part 3 of our 4-part sermon series on Christian Living. Today, we Christ-followers dare to follow King Jesus into the most hostile arena of contemporary life, the areas most opposed to any assertion that Jesus is somehow in charge.

We are on safe ground when we say that living a Christ-like life is important at home. We are fine when we say that Christ governs our life here at church.  But when we step outside, and we apply Christ’s call to holy living in the secular world, we are opening ourselves up to withering critique and cynical opposition – not unlike those 1^st Century Christians to whom I Peter is addressed. Because of all this opposition, we Christians approach the public parts of our lives in three different ways. Sometimes, we compartmentalize our faith. In the public sphere, we do what it takes to succeed and then don’t think too much about it on Sunday. When we take this approach, we are acting as if the public and private parts of our lives are two separate worlds. Whether we admit it or not, we are happy to keep them separated.

A second approach is to compromise our faith. This happens when we try to reduce what we believe to publicly acceptable values. We say to ourselves and others, in my interactions in the world, I am generally a good person. I am honest. I am fair. I am mostly kind. But when we remove Jesus from the center of our public living, it is never long before we go astray. We may say “I am kind” but when someone crosses us, they better look out. The eye-for-an-eye mentality is alive and well in our hearts. And loving our enemies? Well, that’s a nice thought but it’s not very practical, now is it? Thinking like this is a sure sign that we have compromised our faith. We are in the world, and far too much of it.

But there is a third way of applying our faith to our public living. It is the Christ-like way. It is the hardest way of all. Just like holy living at home and at church, it is rooted in faith. It grows in hope, and it blossoms in love. And it looks like this. 

We start by affirming that we are, first and foremost, Christians. That is not only our faith, it is our identity. It determines who we worship and how we treat others. 

Like Jesus, our chief concern is to glorify God by loving people. So, whether those people are customers or clients, policemen or politicians, homeless people or Hollywood stars, CEOs or immigrant day laborers, they are all children of God – just like you and me – and we treat them that way. God is not concerned with the amount of melatonin in their skin, where they were born, the number of degrees or titles they hold, or the language they speak. God loves them all, just like he loves you and me. So much so that he sent his son to become one of us.

And the reason he did that, is so that we could all enjoy life. Real life. Not just after we die, but now. Jesus, I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly. So, that is our goal, too. That is why our Session has articulated our congregational vision as becoming more of a grace-filled family of faith sharing Christ’s love with all. That dictates how we interact with others. Whether we are discussing our political views or a federal budget, or giving or receiving a performance review at work, or buying groceries or selling a house, the measure of our faithfulness is whether we are sharing love the way our King Jesus tells us to do.

I Peter paints a vivid picture of what this looks like in practice. It means seeking unity over division, having compassion for others instead of judging their shortcomings and failures. Most of all it means mutual love which takes a tender heart, and a humble mind. When we speak, we are honest and truthful. We do not disparage other people, even the ones we disagree with and dislike. And when others speak ill of us and even abuse us, we resist the temptation to respond in kind. And when we do respond, we make it our goal to bless them.

Can you just imagine what this world would look like if we all lived like this? No more road rage. Customers and store clerks being polite and patient with each other – even on Black Friday! Politicians cooperating with one another, complimenting each other – and actually meaning what they say! Voters willing to listen to one another’s views and to learn from them. Party labels that mean less and less because everyone is out to make life richer and fuller for everyone else, especially for the poor and the marginalized. Businesses that make it a priority to care for the well-being of their employees as whole human beings, not just “labor inputs”. Boards of Directors and shareholders who use their resources to help those in need in the communities they serve and to sustain the environment which sustains us all. 

Does this sound like pie in the sky to you? I assure you it is not – this is what the world can look like when we act with the understanding that Christ is on the throne and we are here to serve him. In fact, it’s already happening. Harvard Business Review tells us corporations are increasingly focusing resources on doing what is best not only for their shareholders, but their other constituents as well. That includes everyone from employees, to customers, and the environment. Most CEOs and Boards are already planning for a future where this is the norm.

In our communities, school kindness programs are multiplying across the country, a fact that has gotten lost in the high-profile school shootings of late. In the realm of politics, an organization called Better Angels has spent the last 7 years holding hundreds of meetings and workshops to improve civil discourse. They gather small groups of citizens from either side of the liberal-conservative divide to listen and learn from one another. Last year, they changed their name to Braver Angels in order to do the same thing with politicians to help them listen to each other and work together. 

Friends, Christians are involved in all these efforts. How about you? Where in your public life – in your interactions with God’s children outside of home and church – can you live in this holy way? 

What might that do to make this world look more like the Kingdom to come?

Whatever it is, it will be your way of showing that England may have a new king, but the true ruler of this world is Jesus Christ. He is the one you and I serve - in private and in public.

May it be so.