This past week I started reading Dr. Walter Bruggemann’s newest book, Out of Babylon.  Now please understand, Dr. Bruggemann has always enjoyed being a prophetic voice.  As a result, his works are always challenging and normally unnerving.  Yet, because he is one of the preeminent authorities on the Hebrew Scriptures, his findings are hard to ignore.  So, when he began discussing the impact that Babylonian exile of 586 BCE continues to have on both Judaism and Christianity, I knew it was time to set up and take notice.

 Sighting the work of yet another historian, Dr. Bruggemann makes three major observations about the exile.  First, many in the land of Israel never left.  As a matter of fact, the Babylonians intentionally left a functioning community in place.  While the majority of them were quit poor, what is odd is that not once during their time alone in the land did this group attempt to rebuild the temple - the center of Jewish life.  Secondly, when the deported Jews were finally permitted to return home, most of them elected to remain in Babylon.  Out of the small number who did return, the majority were, in Dr. Bruggemann’s words, priestly fanatics ‘intent not only upon rebuilding the temple, but also becoming the undisputable voice for the larger community.  It was this small, but powerful, group that set the standards, interpreted the laws, and developed the political strategies for the entire nation – strategies that, ironically, allowed themselves to enjoy special privileges that no one else could.

So, what does any of this have to do with twenty-first century Christians?  After all, one quick look around society today and it is obvious we are not the ones who are setting the standards and making the laws.  If we did, there would be prayers in our public schools.  Sunday’s would become what God intended them to be – a time of rest, renewal and worship. Sins would be called sins and those who refused to repent would be expected to pay the consequences. 

And, yes, there was a time in the not too distant past when we Christians did enjoy those special privileges.  For many of us, we look upon it as the golden age of Christianity.  But do you know what I about those days?  Bryant Elementary School in Kansas City, Kansas.  Every morning we would file into our classrooms, recite the Pledge of Allegiance, the teacher would then read a Scripture and we would all pray the Lord’s Prayer – the Protestant version of the Lord’s Prayer.  Every Wednesday there was Weekday Church School.  Our parents had a choice.  They could send us to Quayle Memorial Methodist, Immanuel Baptist, or, for those few Catholic students whose parents couldn’t afford parochial school, there was Blessed Sacrament. 

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?  But I think Sarah and her would have disagreed.  You see, she was the only Jewish child in the school.  When her parents objected to her being forced to pray the Lord’s Prayer, they were told she had no choice.  It was part of the curriculum so she could either participate or be expelled.  And on those wonderful Wednesday when every teacher had a wonderful half day to herself . . . except, of course, for the one who was “stuck” with the Jew because the synagogue was in Missouri . . . guess what Sarah got to do?  Manuel labor like sweeping floors and cleaning coat closets or learning Scripture verses – New Testament verses.  It was her choice.

Now for those of us who are old enough to remember, when did the exodus from the churches begin?  It was with the Boomers who stood in schools, walked down streets, and sat in worship services where Christians were doing very un-Christian things for no other reason than they, like the Pharisees, could make the rules, set the standards, and enjoy the privileges no one else could!

But when they left the church, they didn’t forget everything they learned.  For if you ask their children and their grandchildren what they believe Jesus stood for, the majority of that ever growing population of non-Christians will respond with one word – Love.  And what is one of their number one reasons for remaining outside of the faith?  It is because when they see Christians – or little Christ’s as the word actually means – acting in unloving ways they say it is both unnerving and repulsive. 

And before we come back with: Yes, but the Church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners, we need to remember one thing.  If we read the Gospels carefully, what we will discover is that Jesus never got angry at the prostitutes, adulterers, and ordinary “sinners.”  The only people he ever really got angry at were the religious folks.  And what angered him about them was that in their eagerness to judge they forgot to love. 

Without love our worship . . . our lives . . . run the risk of becoming nothing more than empty phrases and meaningless rituals.  And both of today’s scripture readings make it abundantly clear that God will not honor or bless such behavior.

Listening to many of the religious voices of our time, I understand why so many people – especially our young adults – have chosen to disassociate themselves with the church.  But, friends, we do not have continue allowing such voices to out-shout those of us who want to get it right!  All we have to do is admit we are recovering Pharisees and then ask God to help us re-order our lives in such a way as to allow the love of Christ to shine through.  And in doing so, we will learn to care for the things that matter to God and change our lifestyles so that God’s work is accomplished in our world through the power of love.

So, what are those virtues that will not only change our lives but will begin to reach out and touch those who have yet to believe?  Well, get out the pew Bibles and turn to Galatians 5:22-25.  Now, let’s read it together.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Now, friends, there are no laws against these things.  Furthermore, there are no laws that legislate them.  So, let’s accept the challenge and become practicing Christians today.  Then it will be true.  The world will know we are Christians, not by our love, but by the love of Christ that lives through us.