Home Shorter Papers & Church Services, etc
Rewards
I have been prompted to write this paper for two reasons.
Firstly, I believe the gospel tells us ‘Good News’, but I have not read hardly anything about this, from the progressive side of modern Christianity. The ‘progressive’ writers don’t seem to use the phrase much at all. Of course, I might be wrong.
Secondly, and more importantly from my personal present experience of life. My wife, Wendy, and I received an unexpected, but sensitively significant, visit from a church friend yesterday. She came to our front door, during a lockdown when we were forbidden to leave our homes except for essential purposes like necessary shopping, medical appointments etc. She did not venture indoors, but was on her way home after doing her necessary shopping. She gave us two little containers, one for each of us, in which were some delicious edible goodies. She said that she didn’t want us to think we had been forgotten. She wished us well and was on her way.
My understanding of the orthodox teaching about the Good News is, ‘We are forgiven by God if we believe that Jesus dies for our sins, and we no longer need to fear going to hell’? This ‘Good News’ tells us that, ‘We go to heaven after we die and live with God for eternity’.
The above might be somewhat of a caricature of the orthodox teaching of the Good News, but I think it is reasonably close to what a lot of ordinary churchgoers believe. It is certainly championed by many of the traditional hymns we are still requested to sing in church services today.
But I need to ask, “What is the Good News of the gospel for people like me who have rejected the Atonement theology: that Jesus made the mortal sacrifice necessary to enable God to forgive our sins”? And again, “What is the Good News for people who don’t believe in a heaven after I die?
So, for me, what is the Good News? From a progressive stance, what is the Good News from Jesus? Good News? I don’t think it has much to do with going to heaven. I don’t think it even has much to do with sin.
There is a famous prayer which I find helpful. It goes: -
Teach me good Lord
To serve you as you deserve,
To give and not to count the cost.
To fight and not to heed the wounds.
To toil and not to seek for rest.
To labour and not to ask for any reward,
Except that of knowing that we do your will.
That is the reward if we are looking for one. Goodness has its own reward in that we know we have done something good. Generosity has its own reward in that we know we have been generous. That is what the story about our 'visit', at the beginning, is all about. The person had their 'reward' in knowing that she had done something good, something kind; done 'God's will' if you please. If we forgive then that has its own reward in that we are not plagued by the memories of the bad that has been done to us and we know we have done the positive thing by being forgiving.
I don’t need the ‘your will’ to be part of the scene. Goodness is good; generosity is good; forgiveness is good; and so on and on for all human virtues. If we want to use the term ‘God’s will’ then of course ‘God’s will’ is that we exercise goodness, generosity, forgiveness etc., etc.
Another prayer comes to mind.
Lord make Me an instrument of Your peace
Where there is hatred let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness joy.
O Divine master grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood, as to understand.
To be loved. as to love
For it's in giving that we receive
And it's in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it's in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
The bold words give an added dimension to the inbuilt reward that is part of ‘goodness’. We have a reward, if that is what we are looking for, in knowing that what we have done what is right and good. Lots of times I hear people say that “My children are so good to me.” I react by saying that it possibly has something to do with you were good parents.
All good has its repercussions and its consequences. I hear very often about the consequences of bad behaviour. I wish I heard as much about the consequences of good behaviours.
1. The past is accepted. It can’t be changed but it does not need to condition our present or future. Sometimes when I contemplate my past, forgiveness for it quickly comes to mind. What do I get from Jesus? He forgave people and that had to do with their past, usually. He did this without requiring repentance. Many stories in the gospels tell of people coming to Jesus and without any request, requirement, or command, he forgave them. On a few occasions he told them to go and present themselves to a priest. The past was accepted, and that was that.
2. Generosity carries with it its own reward. We can feel positive about ourselves. That could be regarded as a reward. A ‘Thank you’ is nice but if we are generous because we want a ‘Thank you’, we might get disappointed.
Our forgiveness of others carries with it its own reward. Forgiveness can set us free from the past and engender some personal peace. That could be regarded as a reward. I remember a TV program which dealt with the punishment of murderers. A particular person in the audience, expressed her sharp anger and her outrage for the judicial system for allowing the person who she thought had killed one of her children, to go free. I felt for her in her feelings of betrayal. However, when she said that the murder had taken place 17 years previously, I felt even more sorry for her. She had found no peace. The past was dominating her life.
Doing what we know is right and helpful carries with it its own reward. We can feel pleased that we have done what we have done. All goodness carries with it is own reward.