Global View 

There is a particular smell to each of the great cathedrals in Europe. I don’t think it is the stones themselves but rather it is the little marks from hewing them from the quarry. The scratches and dimples collect things over the years – incense, dust, other particulates – resulting in a scent that is sometimes quite readily recognized. Imagine sitting in one of those great houses of worship with floors hollowed out by generation after generation of Christians moving across them to gather for prayers or move toward the altar rail for communion.

Feel the hard wood of the pew. Slip your hand across the surface rubbed smooth from thousands of touches. Drink in the atmosphere. Smell the smell. Imagine the beginning rumble of the deep tones of the 32′ diapason pipes from the organ as it begins to speak. The throbbing notes form the underlying foundation. If you listen closely you may hear the scuffle of the organists feet sliding across the foot keys or even the “chuff” of the pipe as the goat leather valve begins to voice the pipe. Before long, the rumble takes discernible shape and the underlayment of bass foundation takes the shape of an ancient hymn by Philipp Nicolai in 1597, “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme,” what we know as “Sleepers Wake.”

“Sleepers, wake!” A voice astounds us,
the shout of rampart-guards surrounds us:
“Awake, Jerusalem, arise!”
Midnight’s peace their cry has broken,
their urgent summons clearly spoken:
“The time has come, O maidens wise!
Rise up, and give us light;
the Bridegroom is in sight.
Alleluia!
Your lamps prepare and hasten there,
that you the wedding feast may share.”

While the thrust of the hymn is about the return of Christ welcomed by the church, there is an underlying truth. Scripture calls us to prepare the church to be a “bride without spot, wrinkle, or blemish.” There is also need for us to permeate the culture with such Gospel presence that we are presenting a witness and a testimony to the glorious nature of the Gospel that is fitting to the magnificence of the message. That God has come into the world in flesh in Jesus Christ and has paid the price of sin is almost beyond comprehension. That, in rising, He not only demonstrates His victory, He also opens to us the pathway for victory over that which so readily assaults us and weighs us down. No longer are we the victims of the weight of every sin that holds us back from the throne of God, we can experience in ever increasing depth what it means to walk and live in Gospel truth. To be redeemed means that we can live differently than we could before being transformed by the greatest even since creation.

The company of the redeemed should be ever increasing as well. We should not only move toward His throne in joy, we should bring the fruit of our lives as well. That includes not only other people with whom we share the Good News, but also a creation being ever more transformed by the Gospel. In his translation of the New Testament, J.B. Phillips writes of this in Romans 8, saying “All creation waits on tip-toe just to see the sons of God come into their own.” In truth, it is even better than that. God gives us the opportunity to share the dominion of the risen Christ not only with people but also with the cultures in which we live. The result increases not only the number of those who move toward the great heavenly banquet, but also increases the fidelity with which the culture in which we live reflects the truth of the Gospel.

Zion hears the watchman singing;
her heart with joyful hope is springing,
she wakes and hurries through the night.
Forth he comes, her bridegroom glorious
in strength of grace, in truth victorious:
her star is risen, her light grows bright.
Now come, most worthy Lord,
God’s Son, Incarnate Word,
Alleluia!
We follow all and heed your call
to come into the banquet hall.

One day we will praise Him with every fiber of our being. In our priesthood we will offer to the Lord of Hosts the fruit of His Gospel redemption – a creation more closely restored to its original purpose. As we are faithful, lives around us should more and more reflect redemption rather than the ravages of the Fall. People should be free and whole. Their lives and labors should be God honoring.

In the aftermath of the visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury to Nairobi just prior to GAFCON 2, some of the dust seems to be settling. Back in Europe it seems that the ABC, rather than being encouraged by the clarity of the position of the GAFCON Primates was discouraged by it. Now, he seems to be seeking to diminish the importance of their presence and voice saying essentially, “GAFCON is only one of many voices in the Anglican Communion.” While on the surface that is technically true, to give moral, theological, sociological, numerical, or Biblical equivalence to other bodies and voices is disappointing, even silly. Some might think that it is difficult to thread the social and institutional needle to keep people together while the Church of England (and others) moves toward blessing same sex relations. In fact, it is not difficult. It is impossible. Those who love truth will not surrender it for something less. It just does not work.

The enduring fellowship of GAFCON is the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans. What makes that body great is not the greatness of the individuals that make it up, though there are many who are inspirational. What makes the GFCA great is the Gospel message that is at the heart of it. It is the truth that the Jesus of Scripture can become the Jesus of our lives – that He is in fact the Jesus who is head of the Church. To the extent that other voices deviate from that truth, they adulterate their purpose and message with erroneous poison. This is not the stuff of innocuous error, it is a death dealing “hamartia,” sin that falls so desperately short that there is no longer lasting hope in the message; only the nervous hope against hope with which the lost seek to find comfort in their flawed convictions. The only lasting hope is that which comes from Jesus Christ and from His Gospel writ large in His resurrection and hopefully in our lives and institutions. The comments of the Archbishop of Canterbury don’t seem to reflect that he realizes the implications of truth on the Gospel.

The best way for us to realize Gospel transformation is to give ourselves wholeheartedly to Him, and give the purpose of the church to fulfill His aims. (That is very different from asking Him to bless our aims!) We must not uncritically pursue the assumption that He must bless what we desire, but we must instead pursue the timeless truth that we must bow to His Lordship. Whether an innovation is the worship of other gods, or the desire to bless sexual relations which God in His love forbids, or some other departure from Biblical faith, those innovations can only result in the unraveling of the church, the social fabric, and people’s lives.

We should be emphasizing the content of the Gospel, finding ways to articulate it, and then finding ways to deploy indelibly discipled Christians into every sphere of influence in the society. It may not be that they will immediately speak scripture, but they should be manifesting scriptural principles and priorities with every decision, statement, and action. Eventually, faithful people will bear Gospel fruit, even when by the world’s terms we are not “successful.” Eventually, however, the company of the redeemed will be increased and look and act more and more like Jesus. Our hope should be that we will bring as many as possible into Kingdom joy. Any other plan to widen the door, the gate, or the path is a wasted effort. The result will be left wanting. Instead, we can extend the Kingdom and the joy.

Lamb of God, the heavens adore you;
let saints and angels sing before you,
as harps and cymbals swell the sound.
Twelve great pearls, the city’s portals:
through them we stream to join the immortals
as we with joy your throne surround.
No eye has known the sight,
no ear heard such delight:
Alleluia!
Therefore we sing to greet our King;
for ever let our praises ring.