Dale Clem
Monte Sano UMC
Pentecost 18 Year B
September 27, 2015
Valuing Different Traditions
Mark 9:38-41
John, the disciple tells Jesus that he and fellow disciples saw someone casting out demons or healing
someone in the name of Jesus and they tried to stop them. John condemns the other group and wants
Jesus to condemn them as well. We can only imagine the scene because Mark does not give us the
details. Perhaps it was a poor leper ostracized by the community. The person doing the healing looks in
their eyes, sees the pain, hurt, and loneliness brought on by his affliction. He or she is just about to say
the words, “In the name of Jesus you are healed,” when out of the crowd a man name John yells: “God
is not going to heal you, or honor your prayers, or holy practices.” Both look up and see the fire and
passion in John’s condemnation. Can you imagine their horror? This leper is already feeling shame and
guilt of his disease when a glimmer of hope is coming in the name of Jesus. He is desperate for a miracle,
only to be interrupted by John. Instead of arguing with John, the man doing the healing sees the pain
and confusion in the leper’s eyes, and ignores the attack and says: “Be clean and healed in the name of
Jesus.” And to the amazement of all, the leper smiles as his crusty skin is made smooth, the painful
sores go away and the discolored skin turns normal. As miraculous and wonderful as this healing was,
John did not like what he saw and wants Jesus to condemn them.
When we are spiritually immature, it is natural for us to want to rush and condemn others who worship
or interpret the bible in a different way than we are comfortable. John may have even told them, (in a
sing song tone) “Jesus is not going to like what you are doing!” and Jesus surprises John and us by
saying, “Don’t stop them. No one who does powerful acts in my name is going to turn around and curse
me. Whoever isn’t against us is for us.” We are working together for the same cause, but doing it
differently.
We want to argue with Jesus, and say, “But Jesus, they are wrong because….” Disciples then and
disciples today have an urge to throw sticks and bombs at other expressions of faith, and we don’t like
to hear Jesus say, “Hold on, if they are not against us, they are for us.” Yet, if we can look at the big
picture of Christianity, we see that throughout the history of Christianity, when the church has been in
need of correction and reform, God out of His vast generosity, has raised up persons and movements
which have helped Christianity mature and maintain balance. With each popular movement out of our
enthusiasm, there is a tendency to overdo it, sending the tradition out of balance. Then another
movement rises up to give balance and keep the church fresh and moving. Good ideas resurface over
and again throughout history.
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Jesus, the pioneer and model of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) is our example. But the God we find in Jesus is
so vast, great, large, and mysterious, that it is hard to embody all of God in one denomination or
movement so we have many traditions which all express a part of Jesus from which we can all learn.
Richard Foster describes this phenomenon in his book: “Streams of Living Water” saying that Jesus is the
main river, but different streams flow from the main river which emphasize different aspects of his
reality.
John Wesley was formed by a stream known as the Church of England, the Anglican stream where the
sacraments were very important. His mother Susanna embraced the incarnational tradition teaching
him that every act done and word said had spiritual importance. His father was an extreme legalistic
puritan who showed little grace. This sacramental tradition had recently been reformed with the
Protestant influence of introducing the Bible being translated into English for common people to read.
John was influenced by puritans and Moravians who strived for holiness, and had what could be called a
Pentecostal experience of the Holy Spirit, and a passion to transform the society through the work of
social justice. So in this one man, there was a sacramental, holiness, Holy Spirit, Bible centered, and
social justice streams all merging together. And it was from these streams the Methodist movement
followed.
If you hang out with different Christian traditions, it does not long to discover the differences. If you
have only known a Protestant environment and walk into a worship service in a Russian Orthodox
Church, or a Roman Catholic Church and observe the longing and seriousness as the worshippers walk
up to a row of candles and say a prayer and light a candle so the prayer is reflected in flame which will
burn before God for a long time, you may be shocked. In the Orthodox Church, you may notice how
carefully the Nave has a screen separating the lay people from the holy of holies where only the priest is
allowed to go. It may remind you of the Jewish Temple, and you appreciate how this church has
maintained a respectful sacred space separate from the world. When you look up, you will probably see
a colorful icon of Jesus ruling the world and feel the emphasis on the life of Jesus. When you visit the
Roman Catholic Church, instead of the victorious Jesus as the focus, there is the crucifix and an emphasis
on the death of Jesus to take away the sins of humanity. When you worship in a Quaker service, or in a
monastic service, you may be surprised by the bareness and simplicity of the room and the silence.
When I have stayed in a monastery for instance, we ate our meals together in silence and spent great
periods of time each day in silence. In a Baptist, Lutheran, or Presbyterian service, you may be surprised
by the emphasis on the Bible and the worship service may climax with the sermon where the pastor
might emphasize purity of living, whereas in the Episcopalian and Roman Catholic traditions the service
climaxes in the celebration of Holy Communion. In the Pentecostal tradition, the service climaxes with
the movement of the Holy Spirit which may manifest itself with shouts, dancing, miracle healings,
people passing out, speaking in tongues and spirited singing from the heart with the whole body.
I confess to you, that when I have visited different traditions, one of my first responses is one of
suspicion. that of John. I have felt so uncomfortable in Pentecostal, Orthodox, and Baptist services, I
wanted to leave. But then there was a little voice of Jesus in my head saying: “If they are not against us,
they are for us.”
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In each tradition, there are gifts which we all can benefit as well as blind spots. This morning I want to
lift up some of the gifts different traditions have to offer one another to help us see the wholeness of
the Body of Christ. This analysis is taken from Richard Foster’s book: “Streams of Living Water.”
The Contemplative Tradition is one where believers discover this amazing inner sanctuary of the soul,
the holy place or Divine Center, where a Voice speaks to them. It is a life of loving attention to God.
Going away to a private place for prayer was part of Jesus’ everyday life. Before his major sermons, and
decisions, he spent time in prayer. He had an intimacy with God. Don’t we all hunger for a prayer-filled
life where we practice the presence of God, where we don’t feel separated from God? The
contemplative tradition addresses this common human longing. We have a long tradition of men and
women who have spent great amounts of time in prayer. Many have been hermits, monks, nuns,
pastors, business persons, housewives, or even the head of the United Nations. All have found solace in
the contemplative life. Sometimes these people do experiments in prayer. Danny Morris, one of my
contemplative friends did an experiment where he said the name “Jesus” over and over again,
thousands of times a day. Frank Laubach, an educator and missionary and mystic tried an experiment in
prayer where in a spiritual exercise he would bring God into his mind each minute he was wake. His
prayer life and vocation led him to bring a literacy movement to those he called the “silent billion” who
could not read or write. This was in the 1930ies, 40ies, and 50ies. His burning passion for literacy took
him to every continent and his program was used by governments and churches in over 100 countries.
Frank Laubach said our best gift to humanity is to be “beautiful of soul and then let people see into our
souls.” To be beautiful of soul in the contemplative tradition means we each burn with the love of
Christ and know the purifying fire of Christ’s love in our life. We have a peace which passes
understanding, and delight in the playfulness of God. Contemplatives also speak of the absence of God
and transformation as they learn to love God with al their heart through prayer. In this tradition, faith is
not centered in the mind where we use reason to figure it out with understanding, but faith is in the
heart and soul.
Pitfalls in the contemplative tradition include the tendency for prayer and piety to avoid the pressing
issues of our day. Prayer should connect us with the suffering, painand injustice of our world. (Foster, p
54) The end goal of our prayer life is to glorify God and to enjoy him for ever. The third peril is a
tendency to devalue intellectual efforts to articulate our faith. The fourth is the tendency to neglect the
community of faith.
The Holiness Tradition is where we train ourselves in godliness and character development. Anthony
Bloom says that “all holiness is God’s holiness in us.” As we become holy, we reflect God’s holiness and
light in the world as God’s partner. If you think there is moral decay in our society, there is a need for
the holiness tradition where Christians emphasize reforming our hearts and minds through developing
holy habits of virtue. Jesus worked on purity of heart so he was able to overcome temptations in the 40
days in the desert. Jesus instructed his disciples on how to live a virtuous life. In the Sermon on the
mount he spoke of the law of love over legalism. Love takes us beyond the righteousness of scribes and
Pharisees (matt 5:20). When our inner life is shaped by holy habits, then we can respond faithfully when
we face temptations. Lutheran pastor and theologian, Dietrich Bonhoffer was jailed during World War II
in Germany and said that no one discovers the secret of freedom but through self-control. (Foster, p.
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72) Holiness means the ability to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done—to be able to
respond appropriately to the demand s of life. (Richard Foster, 82) The holiness tradition includes the
Cistercians in the Roman Catholic Tradition, and the Protestant Reformation offspring including the
puritans, the Methodists, the Baptists, the Anabaptists, and the holiness movement in the 18th century.
Through right living, we are able to live whole lives in a dysfunctional world.
Pitfalls of the holiness tradition include the tendency toward legalism. When holiness is tied to various
externals (dress, behavior etc.) we tend to develop hoops through which people must jump. When the
heart is right, the externals flow naturally. Righteousness is a matter of the heart. The second pitfall is
trying to be perfect because it separates us from our humanity, and deny who we really are and what is
actually in us. When we emphasize perfection, we pretend to be what we are not and this contradiction
creates inner tensions, depression and low self-esteem. If we can replace legalism with love, and
perfectionism with grace then we can be honest and on the right path.
The Charismatic Tradition helps us discover the Spirit-Empowered life where we use the charisms or
gifts of the Spirit to nurture the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus moved in the power of the Holy Spirit. When he
rose out of the baptismal waters of the Jordan ,the Holy Sprit descended upon him in bodily form. (Luke
3:22) Then he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. He taught with the gift of Wisdom, and
performed miracles and healings from the Holy Spirit. St. Paul was able to do things because he was led
by the Holy Spirit to use the gifts he was given. You can see the charismatic tradition in Gregory the
Great and the liturgical movement in the 6th and 7th century, Hildegard of Bingen in the 11th and 12th
century, St. Francis and the Franciscans in the 12th-13th century. In the Protestant family we have George
Fox, Charles Wesley, the Pentecostal movement in the 20th century. There is the idea that we do not live
our lives “under our own steam” but in constant cooperation with another reality. The charismatic
tradition emphases that life can be lived through the Spirit of God. There is a tendency to domesticate
God, and this tradition challenges our tendency to want a nice, tidy God. The Spirit blows where it wills
(John 3:8). This movement reminds us that the Kingdom of God depends on power, not talk (1 Corn
4:20). It challenges us to live the fruits of the spirit. The Charismatic Tradition encourages us to live our
lives empowered by and under the direction of the Spirit of God. Rev. Mason in 1907, the founder of the
African American Church of God said of his experience at Azusa St. Mission in California: “The Spirit
came upon the saints and upon me… Then I gave up for the Lord to have His way within me. So there
came a wave of Glory into me and all of my being was filled with the Glory of the Lord…My soul was
then satisfied.” (Foster 133)
Pitfalls in the Charismatic tradition include the tendency to become overly concerned with the gift and
miraculous rather than the Giver. A second peril is the danger of rejecting rational and intellectual
because of the emphasis on the emotive side of faith. A third danger is divorcing the gifts of the spirit
and the fruit of the spirit. The fourth peril is linking our walk in the Spirit with speculative end-time
scenarios, because perhaps on the overreliance on visions and prophecy.
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The Social Justice Tradition helps us discover the compassionate life so all people will know justice and
shalom or peace in human relationships and social structures. In the Synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus took
the words from the prophet Isaiah and declared: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has
anointed me to bring good news to the poor. …let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of
the Lord’s favor (Luke 4:18-19). The year of Jubilee means debts are forgiven those in bondage set free
and capital is redistributed. When he says “the Kingdom of God is at hand,” he is advocating a new
social vision of an all-inclusive people who share and care and show compassion to those crushed by
social and economic structures. Greatness is seen as a servant—with a towel and basin of water. This is
why Deacons, who began to be ordained in the church in the first century, have as a symbol the towel
and bowel for service. The Order of Widows was established in the first centuries of the church for this
same purpose. In this stream we have persons such as the Quaker John Woolman, Sojourner Truth and
Harriet Tubman in the US, and William Wilberforce in England who worked to end slavery. You have the
Suffrage Movement in the 19th century, the Salvation Army, Florence Nightingale and the Red Cross,
Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King and Desmond Tutu. The Social Justice Tradition challenges our
rugged individualism and selfish hoarding and invites us to be the kind of people where justice and
compassion flows freely. (Foster, p 14)
A pitfall for the Social justice Tradition is that the goals for peace and justice can become an end in
themselves and consume all our energies. (Foster, p. 179) Spiritual realities may seem less pressing than
needs of poverty. Caring for the social condition without caring about the condition of the heart can be
a problem in this tradition. A second potential pitfall is a tendency to be rigid and judgmental. A third
pitfall is when we become identified with a particular political agenda. Although faith is political and we
make value judgements we never need to be copted by any political agenda.
The Evangelical Tradition helps us discover the Word-Centered Life. This means the living Word of God,
the written Word of God and the proclaimed Word of God. This Word guides, rules, teaches, comforts,
corrects, nurtures and strengthens us. The Word is not just written word, but the living interpretation of
the Word. The proclamation of the gospel so that persons see the good news lived is at the heart of this
tradition. Jesus sent the disciples out to proclaim the gospel and to heal. (Luke 9:1-6) When Zacchaeus
came to Jesus, he became generous. When Mary Magdalene came, she was freed from her demons and
was filled with gratitude. Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin came and his
commitment caused him to risk his life to defend Jesus and assist in the burial of Jesus. The rich man
however held back because his wealth had control over him. To respond to the gospel means our lives
are transformed. Jesus said, “go and make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:18-20). Throughout history
there have been persons who proclaimed the gospel from Peter to Athanasius, Augustine, Columba, and
the Dominicans in the 13th century and Francis Xavier in the 16th century to the Protestant Reformation
in the 16th century with Luther, and Calvin. In the 18th century we have George Whitfield and the Great
Awakening as well as the Protestant Missionary Movement. Billy Graham is in this tradition. There are
three great themes. 1. Proclamation of the gospel where individuals are encouraged to be reconciled to
God (2 Cor. 5:17-20); 2. Centrality of the scriptures as a witness of the church, and 3. The witness of the
gospel is clarified by the Creeds of the early Church. D. L. Moody said that after he died, he only wanted
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a monument with two legs going around the world—a saved sinner telling about the salvation of Jesus
Christ.
Pitfalls in this tradition include a tendency to fixate upon nonessential matters. This danger emerges
when out of a proper concern for truth and sound doctrine, people are unable to distinguish matters of
primary importance from matters of secondary importance. All doctrine is important, but not all
doctrines are of primary importance. (Foster 228) For example, the primary doctrine is the message of
God’s love seen in Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection. Minor doctrines include pretribulation
rapture, double predestination, and biblical inerrancy. The second peril is a tendency toward sectarian
mentality. This grows out of the first when minor doctrines are elevated to primary doctrines and are
grounds for separation. This sense of maintaining purity turns legalistic without conern for the unity of
the church (John 17). The third pitfall is when getting individuals to heaven neglects social responsibility
and prophetic insight. The fourth is a tendency toward bibliolatry—worship of the bible. We worship
the Living God, not the Bible. Salvation is not in the book, but through the living Jesus Christ.
The Incarnational Tradition helps us discover how to experience God in our daily active life. Our
ordinary lives can become sacramental and we realize that every act we do and every word we say can
have significance. God became flesh and blood in the birth of Jesus. As a human, Jesus grew in statue
and wisdom and in divine favor according to Luke 2:52. He went to synagogue as was his custom (Luke
4:16). As a faithful Jew he recited the shema twice a day: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is
one.” (Deut. 6:4) He prayed morning, afternoon and evening like other Jews. These holy habits shaped
him for his ministry. The fact that God became man in Jesus is what Incarnation means. This means that
God is in the material and stresses of the world. The world is charged with the grandeur of God. (Manly
Hopkins, Foster, 266) Our spirituality is rooted in the everyday life and our bodies. We are not trying to
escape our bodies and earthly existence, but God is here with us. We work for an audience of One
becoming co-laborer with God as we bring good into the world. It deepens our ecological awareness
and concern. God is in the earth, and so we care for God’s creation.
Pitfalls include idolatry where we identify God with the universe, or fail to distinguish between sacred
and secular. The second pitfall is when the church sets up a structure which confines or controls the
work of God.
Sacramental living means we experience an indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Our bodies are a tabernacle
for God and in our everyday activities we depend upon God and because God is with us, everywhere we
go is holy ground and everything we do is sanctified. There is not a clear dividing line between sacred
and secular because nothing is outside of God’s realm and love. (Foster 272)
Conclusion: So we have these rich streams which express Jesus. Each have gifts to offer and pitfalls to
avoid. Perhaps in looking at the bigger picture, we can understand Jesus not wanting to rush in and
condemn saying: “They aren’t against us, they are for us.”
Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to develop a balanced spirituality with the gifts you have given us. Help us to
see the good in all denominations and avoid the pitfalls. When we realize how you work through so
many people in our world, we are overwhelmed and want to express our awe and admiration. Amen
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