SUNDAY SERMON: ‘Resident Aliens’
By Rev. Stephen Baldwin
NT: 1 Peter 1.17-23
The scriptures tell believers to be “in the world, but not of the world.”
Jesus told his believers, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
Peter said believers live here on Earth in a “time of exile.”
These things are easier said than done. Have you ever lived away from your home? Perhaps far away, in a foreign land? Have you ever been a distinct minority, surrounded by people very different from yourself? Have you been part of a persecuted minority? Did you feel safe? Would you feel scared?
Most of us like to feel at home, in a place we chose or a place that chose us. There can be great comfort in being part of a community in which we fit like a glove.
But…the scriptures tell believers to be “in the world, but not of the world.” Jesus told his followers, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Peter said believers live here on Earth in a “time of exile.”
This life can bring great joy, but this life is not our only life. It’s important to keep our eyes on the long game of life as a child of God.
A famous book from theologians Stanley Hauerwaus and Will Willimon makes the same case. It’s called “Resident Aliens.” Their argument is simple: Don’t get too comfortable on Earth, for this is not our true home. Christians live on this Earth here for now, but we do not belong here. We belong to God in a world where the rules are different, where the last are first and the first are last, where one lost sheep is worth finding, where you treat everyone like you wanted to be treated, where you forgive over and over again.
If that’s true, and the scriptures are quite clear that it seems to be, then what should the church look like? Should we reflect the world? Should we challenge the world? Should we help the world? What should resident aliens who are born anew by the resurrected Christ do?
Let me read you a quote from the book: “The church does not exist to ask what needs doing to keep the world running smoothly and then to motivate our people to go do it. The church is not to be judged by how useful we are as a ‘supportive institution’ and our clergy as members of a ‘helping profession.’ The church has its own reason for being, (hidden) within its own mandate and not found in the world. We are not chartered by the Emperor.”
So then, what should the church do in this time of exile when we are resident aliens? For Hauerwaus and Willimon, we as resident aliens are born anew to confess Jesus Christ. We follow him alone. Not world leaders. Not governments. Not celebrities. Not the powerful. Not the popular. We confess Christ alone.
Instead of transforming the world through worldly power, they argue, the church transforms the world by creating a counter-culture of people who live for Jesus Christ each day. In that counterculture, “people are faithful to their promises, love their enemies, tell the truth, honor the poor, suffer for righteousness, and thereby testify to the amazing community-creating power of God.”
How can we live faithfully in exile? The simplest solution is to withdraw. Stop going to church. Stop making new friends. Stop being part of a larger community. That may lessen the drama in your life, but it won’t build the kingdom to which God calls us.
Living in exile is about taking Christ to the culture around us. Not beating our chests or using the Gospel as a sword. Not being right or being seen. But confessing Christ humbly–living his message–everywhere we go, the best we can.
As 1 Peter reminds us, “You have been born anew…Love one another, deeply from the heart.” Amen.
