Nov-Dec '09
You may have heard the recent news that a large Pentecostal church in south London has annoyed its local neighbourhood because of its noise
levels. Following the visit of a noise enforcement officer, they have been told by Lambeth Council that they can no longer amplify music or sermons. The leaders of the church fear that their congregation may dwindle and they could also be forced to close. The church believes that
the ban has little to do with their actual noise levels and more to do with hostility to their Christian faith.
Was the complaint against the church legitimate? Does the church’s local neighbourhood just happen to be made up of many people who are hyper-sensitive to sound? We can only judge, at a distance, from the newspaper comments we may have read.
To put a theological slant on the issue, could it be possible that the ban is a nudge from God, reminding them that consistently loud worship does not always equate to a meaningful encounter with God? There is always a balance to be found in services between celebration and
contemplation, praise and prayer, spontaneity and order, exuberance and silence.
The news story also got me thinking about the truly good news of the gospel. Whichever way the wind has been blowing in south London during this particular Pentecostal church’s services, this story can act as a reminder to us that for some people our faith comes across as a
disturbance, an intrusion, an interference.
How should we respond when people would prefer us to keep quiet about Jesus Christ? The challenge, I believe, is to stand up for our convictions and beliefs – but to do so in a way that does not raise the hackles of others even more. To proclaim the Lordship of Christ – but to
do so with our lifestyles as well as our lips. To live lives of attractional holiness, being set apart for God – but to do so in the world rather than isolated from the world.
It all stems from a love of God and a love for our neighbours. As we approach Advent and Christmas we are reminded again of how much God’s love has been “lavished on us” (Ephesians 1:8) in sending Jesus to the world. In Eugene Peterson’s modern translation of the Bible, The Message, I love the sense in which he highlights Jesus taking up residence and dwelling in the midst of community. This is how Peterson describes the news of
Christ’s incarnation:
“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood. We say the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son. Generous inside and out, true from start to finish” (John 1:14).
Perhaps even greater than the challenge of those who would rather us keep silent about our faith, is the challenge of those who don’t actually mind us proclaiming Christ but just don’t see how it all relates to them. The type of agnostic person who doesn’t have a problem with Jesus as “the answer” but who wonders what “the question” was. The type of person who notices your arrival into a neighbourhood, but cannot make the connection.
May we continue to represent Christ to those around us, and do so in a manner that draws them closer to God rather away from Him.
God bless,
Andy
