S4: Gen Z in a Post-Everything World

E4: Making a Fresh Appearance or Maintaining Appearances as Usual?

Every significant event that impacts human society allows us to make a fresh appearance as the Church instead of maintaining appearances as usual. In many ways, these significant events allow us to examine ourselves. COVID is such a time. I am not sure what to call it, but there is something about being human that battles for maintaining appearances instead of going through the difficult process of making a fresh appearance. 

For example, 19th century Poet Isaac Williams summed up the appearance of God’s Son as a human being like one of us. We call incarnation. Williams writes, “The unfathomable depths of the divine counsels were moved; the fountains of the great deep were broken up; the healing of the nations was issued forth; but nothing was seen on the face of human society but the slight rippling of water.” I think Williams was correct because Scripture shows us that after forty-two generations of Messianic expectation from Abraham to Christ (Matt. 1), “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:11).

The business community are making some noise in this event we call COVID. For example, “We are facing a human crisis unlike any we have experienced” (Amina J. Mohammed UN Deputy-Secretary-General 2020); “Given the nature of the crisis, all hands should be on deck, all available tools should be used” (Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank and Member of the Forum's Board of Trustees 2020); “The number one thing to focus on is employees and customers” (Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America and Chair of the World Economic Forum's International Business Council 2020); and, “There is no solution to this crisis without a properly functioning vaccine” (André Hoffmann, Vice Chairman of Roche and Member of the Forum's Board of Trustees).

What is our rhetoric? Don’t forget to tithe, stay connected in a small group, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube to get updates, download this or that app to stay in touch, blah blah blah.

What about David’s heartfelt cry, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me” (Isaiah 51:10-11). This is a powerful way to respond to a human crisis unlike any we have experienced. Have we become so good at Church that we no longer need to pray this prayer? Are we too sophisticated that it would mean losing face without congregations if we dared to pour out our hearts publicly? Would it ruin our brand of Church?

What about Isaiah’s plea, “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1). The message is not about our ego-centric lives. It is a profound story of redemption that began before time began (Rev. 17:8). Before God said, “Let us make mankind in our image” (Gen. 1:26) the Father and Son had already agreed on the incarnation. The number one thing to focus on is others and the message of Christ.

Let me take you back to the Garden of Eden. God had made Adam and Eve and placed the Tree of Life in that garden. How extraordinary. If Adam and Eve were supposedly immortal, why is there a Tree of Life? I think we see the answer when the “Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden” (Gen. 3:23). Adam and Eve were cut off from the Tree of Life. I want to suggest to you that Adam and Eve were not immortal before they sinned. Rather, they were mortal with unlimited access to the Tree of Life. If they were immortal there would not be a need for the Tree of Life. As long as they ate of its fruit (we assume) they would not die. But, “just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way, death came to all people, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12).

Let’s fast forward to Christ the incarnate Son of God. During an evening conversation with a man called Nicodemus, Christ said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). John tells us about Christ, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (John 1:4). Christ announced, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

It is not difficult to see that God created Adam and Eve to enjoy the Tree of Life because it gave them life. Today, we would call this purpose. It is equally not difficult to see that Christ is the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecy as the one who gives us new life.  

Here’s the point I want to make. Adam and Eve had unlimited access to the Tree of Life as we have unlimited access to Christ. After all, didn’t he say, “Come to me” (Matt. 11:25)? Wasn’t the invitation to come to him all-inclusive “when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32), and, “Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13)? Access to Christ really is unlimited and includes everyone in the invitation.

Furthermore, once we have come to Christ, are we not told in Scripture to be “Filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17; 13:9; 13;52; 4:8; Eph. 5:18). This same Spirit  “breathed into his [Adam’s] nostrils the breath of life” (Gen. 2:17). Also, Paul tells us that “he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Rom. 8:11). I think it would be true to say that being filled with the Holy Spirit is not really an option for those that have come to Christ.

So, why are we afraid to talk about being filled with the Holy Spirit? If certain parents are guilty of overprotecting their children from a real world, are we guilty of protecting congregations? Christ talked a great deal about the Holy Spirit to his disciples, Paul talked about the power of the Holy Spirit and the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit. Why are we afraid to take large portions of the New Testament and preach from them about the Holy Spirit? Why do we dumb down the message of Christ to an egocentric self-help talk? Isn’t it time to stop giving pep talks from the pulpit about doing life together?

Let me adapt the words of André Hoffmann, Vice Chairman of Roche and Member of the Forum's Board of Trustees, “There is no solution to this crisis without a properly functioning people filled with the Holy Spirit.” I think it is time to take off the gloves and make a new and fresh appearance filled with the Holy Spirit.  

Now, what about reading the Bible? Before this event called COVID, we said that our lives were so busy there was not much time to read the Bible. So, we listened to it on the way to work through a Bible app. Then, other things became important, so we stopped listening. Then, we convinced ourselves the Bible was too difficult to comprehend, so we left it to pastors and priests to read it for us. Now, if we were really honest, we are no better than society in the Middle Ages who left it to the priests to read and interpret the Bible. Well, at least they had an excuse: it was written in Latin and most people could not read.  

So, let me take Psalm 119 as a stand-alone chapter to make a point about the importance of the Bible in this event called COVID:

I hear a great deal about an increased use of pornography during lockdown. “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word” (v9). Yes, reading the Bible, meditating on it, reflecting on its truth, and prayer through it really does help people stay away from pornography.

I also hear more about this or that disorder as an excuse. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (v11). Yes, reading the Bible, meditating on it, reflecting on its truth, and praying through it really does help people live a healthy life.

I hear more and more stories filled with hopelessness and despair in an uncertain economic climate. “…strengthen me according to your word” (v28). Yes, reading the Bible, meditating on it, reflecting on its truth, and praying through it really does fill people with hope about the future.

I observe so many worthless activities just to fill time during lockdown that cost money but produce very little. “Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word” (v37). Yes, reading the Bible, meditating on it, reflecting on its truth, and praying through it really does help people use their time wisely.   

I am seeing a whole generation of students within underwhelming online classes. “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (v105). Yes, reading the Bible, meditating on it, reflecting on its truth, and praying through it really does help students build hope for a great future.  

We no longer have a Tree of Life. We have something much better. We have Christ. He has given us the Holy Spirit and his Word. I am convinced this is the time to make a fresh appearance to the world as the Church rather than maintaining a pre-COVID appearance filled with the rhetoric of tithing, staying connected, following on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube to get updates, downloading this or that app to stay in touch, blah blah blah.

This is the time to ask ourselves like Isaiah, “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1). This is the time to pray like David, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me” (Isaiah 51:10-11).    

We may be facing a human crisis unlike any we have experienced (Amina J. Mohammed). But all hands should be on deck, all available tools should be used (Christine Lagarde). Those tools are the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. We will not have a properly functioning vaccine (André Hoffmann) while playing parlor games to re-fill church seats.

Perhaps this is the time we address why more people today suffer with anxiety and depression in spite of having access to the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit? Perhaps it’s time to stop playing around with therapy and start to read the unchanged truth in God’s Word about healing, reconciliation, restoration, and a sound mind? Perhaps it’s even time be so filled with the Holy Spirit we stop filling our bodies with so much medication? 

Make a new and fresh appearance in the world instead of maintaining appearances. Perhaps the words of L. P. Hartley will help, “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there” (1953).