Hello all!

For this post I have two things for you. The first is a short article on the difference between judging others and addressing sin, injustice and brokenness. As Christians, we live in an awkward tug of war between these two things, as we 100% are taught by Jesus that we need to do both. If you were around to hear me preach in October, nothing in this article will be out of left field, but now in this time of lockdown where most of our interacting with others is through social media where it is so very easy to fail at these two things, I figured it was a good topic to go over again!

The second thing I have for you is in many ways the more important of the two pieces: the MEMC Prayer Walk #3 map. The explanation in that section as to the route spells out why this prayer walk may very well be the most important yet.

And so, enjoy!

I think it’s fair to say that as Christians we are called to live as if two seemingly opposing things are true; we are called not to judge, but also we are called to call out sin.

On the one side, all of us likely agree after reading passages like the one above from Mathew, there is firm teaching in scripture that we should not judge other people. This is a fact that is pretty hard to dismiss, as straight from the beginning of the Bible the framework is put in place as to why this to be the only way to understand God’s opinion on the matter.

In the opening chapters of Genesis, we are treated to an orderly understanding of how the world was created and where our place as human beings is in it. Whether the story of creation is to be read literally or not is beside the point next to the larger truth that our understanding of the world as followers of God is supposed to be a three-tiered affair. God above who created all things. Us human beings below said to be together, equally, male and female, made in God’s image. And beneath humanity the rest of creation, our home, that we are to tasked to tend to the best of our ability in order to build it up and not destroy it.

Now while this may not on the surface seem to have much to do with why we shouldn’t judge others, in truth you cannot really hold to this understanding of the order of the world and still think it’s okay to pass judgement willy-nilly. This is because inherent in the act of judgement is a breaking of this God-ordained three-part order of things. Simply put, it is not possible to look down on your fellow human being without in some way placing yourself above them. Under no circumstances is a Christian ever to place themselves above anyone else, as when you do that, no matter how terrible the thing the other person has done that is warranting your judgement, you are essentially one-upping it, by placing yourself in the spot in the hierarchy only God is fit to occupy over that person in your own reckoning. And whether we mean to or not, pretending to be God over someone else is not simply something Christians should ever be in the business of doing.

But with all that said about why Christians shouldn’t judge others, what about the second and seemingly opposing truth that we believers live with that I mentioned in the introduction; that we are also commanded to call out sin in others? If the teaching of why we Christians should not judge people is so important as to be baked into creation itself, that surely this second command should be left by the wayside for our own sakes, right? Well, no.

In Luke 17:3 we read possibly the best example of this other kind of command. “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him”. Time and again throughout scripture, there are examples of exactly this kind of instruction. If your brother or sister sins, call them on it we are taught. And while at first, this may sound like we are being commanded to judge them, it should be understood as anything but.

To sum a very long and complex doctrine into a paragraph so short as to almost be reckless, the Christian understanding of sin holds that it is fundamentally destructive both to the sinner, as well as those around them. Essentially, Sin makes things less than they should be, and so it is not possible to live a sinful life without sin in time destroying both you and those around you as well. As Christians, who are called to love others as Christ loves us (think The Lord’s Prayer for a ready example of this command) , the problem with ignoring sin in others is always the same. How can we honestly say we love someone while letting them continue on living in sin unaddressed? How can you say you love someone if you let them destroy themselves and others without stepping in to help?

Or to put it another way, just like how it is not possible to hold to a Christian worldview and yet judge others as by judging others you are playing God, it is equally as impossible to hold to a Christian worldview that says we are to love others as Christ loves us, while also letting people live in sin unaddressed, as it is in some small way saying we don’t think Christ’s love should extend that far.

And so, it is here with these two seemingly opposing teachings of the faith butting heads, not judging others on the one side, and loving others enough to address sin on the other, where the time comes to ask, “how can we as Christians live in this tension?” If not treated with care, the one can very quickly turn to the other, after all. How can we as Christians both not judge others as we are commanded, while also being loving enough to address sin in our brothers and sisters so as to keep them from harm?

Unfortunately for us Christians, the answer to this problem is something that is all at once both easy to say, but also very difficult to do.

The answer, by my estimation, can be found in that term of endearment that is used in the passage from Luke we just saw, “brother.” That is a term that shows a close relationship. If you were to do something that you knew was a bad idea, and someone you didn’t know one way or the other came up to you and told you that you were sinning, would you feel judged or loved? If it were me, I would say my feeling would likely be pretty hard to the judgement side of things. What if instead, the person addressing your sin was someone close to you as a brother is, someone you already have a close relationship with; someone you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt wanted what was best for you? How would you react to their message then?

How can we as Christians address the sin we see in others for their own well being, while also not judging them? The answer to that is simple, we need to put in the groundwork first to become close enough to them that it is seen for the love it is rather than as judgement. We need to work to actually show other people we love them like Christ loves us, that we want what is best for them. Only once that relationship is formed can we call out sin in love. Only once the relationship is close enough that it would not be out of place to call people on their shortcomings, and for them to call us out on ours in return, is it not judgemental to do so. Not willing or don't have the time to build that relationship? Than maybe it's best to just let what you are slide.

This is why I said that while the answer is simple, the execution is hard. Doing this, actually going out and living with others, building these relationships…well that is a messy affair. That requires us to lower ourselves. That requires us to be vulnerable. That requires us, to be willing to hear criticism of ourselves just as much as we dish it out to others. That requires us, possibly hardest of all, to make friends with people society likely tells us we shouldn’t waste our time on at all.

Throughout Christ’s life, we see this exact thing play out. One of the major criticisms the Pharisees had for Jesus throughout the gospels is that he spent his time with people that would have been seen as the unsavoury types of people in that place. But at the same time, Jesus did not shy away from calling sin out as he came across it, even though many of his new friends would have been the people struggling with exactly those problems he was condemning. So why did his followers not abandon him when he did this? Well, I am pretty sure it was because they already knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus cared for them fully. He healed them, and fed them, after all. He spent time with them. Possibly most importantly even, Jesus talked to them as human beings in a time when no one else would.

And so if we as Christians today want to learn to live with these two opposing truths in our lives, between knowing we should not judge others on the one hand, and loving people enough to call them out when they are being self-destructive on the other, I am convinced the only way to do that is to live like Christ did. Not from on high pointing out the failings of those we see as beneath us, but as friends who would give everything we are to show our fellow man that we love them as God loves us.

MEMC MacGregor Prayer Walk #3

And the time has now come for the third MEMC MacGregor Prayer Walk! For the next two weeks, we are going to really mix things up, by leaving both Hampton Street as well as the north end of town entirely, in favour of the south side of the tracks.

Now, as to why this prayer walk is so important, the path marked on this map is one that will take you past the Care Home. As I mentioned last Thursday, the Care Home recently reached out to the area pastors to let them know just how lonely the residents have recently been. The building has been on complete lockdown since the pandemic began, and so other than the staff and one another, no one in the care home has had an in-person visitor for months.

And so I will ask from you on this walk three things.

1. Pray for all the houses, businesses as well as health facilities you pass on this walk.

2. Like last week, while you go, bring a garbage bag with you to pick up any trash you may find.

3. It is possible, during this time, to go to the large main window of the care home, and wave to the residents inside. I would ask that you all take the time to do this. It will go a long way to raising the spirits of people certainly in need of just that.

Hope to see you out there!