Abilene, TX
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| Mercy Street Church of Christ Abilene, TX |
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COLONY OF HEAVEN by Leroy Garrett Of all the images of the church, which is better understood as the community of faith or the fellowship of believers, my favorite is Paul’s reference to “we are a colony of heaven” in Philippians 3:20, as James Moffat’s translation renders it. It is otherwise rendered “our citizenship is in heaven” (New King James) and “our homeland is in heaven” (New Jerusalem). Our Lord’s tender metaphor places the church over against the world: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). Even when congregations grow large, it informs the heart to think of the church as God’s “little flock,” huddled in simple trusting faith against the onslaught of an evil world. Both Paul (Acts 20:28-29) and Peter (1 Peter 5:2-3) use the imagery of “flock” for the believing community. While Paul sees the flock as vulnerable to invading wolves that must be defended by shepherding elders, Peter points to the duty of elders to “shepherd the flock” in view of giving account to the Chief Shepherd. Both apostles use other images to describe the church. Paul’s favorite seems to be the church as the body of Christ, as in 1 Corinthians 12:27, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually,” and “God put all things under Christ’s feet, and gave him to be head of all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:22-23).” It is impressive imagery, showing that as “members one of another” we are joined to each other by each of us being joined to Christ who is the head of the body. While there are stronger and weaker members of the body, they are all necessary to the proper function of the body, so that no member is to be looked down on. This is the essence of unity: “There should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another” (1 Corinthians 12:25). Peter’s favorite image appears to be the church as a pilgrim community, a people who are but “sojourners” in this world. He addresses 1 Peter to “the pilgrims of the Dispersion,” In urging spirituality he puts these two images together in 1 Peter 2:11: “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” The terms are not synonymous. A sojourner is one who is only temporarily located, while a pilgrim is one on his way elsewhere, a traveler with a hopeful destiny. The apostle sees the pilgrim as on his way to receive “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4). Some of Peter’s images of the church may appear overdrawn, one even being an oxymoron — “You also as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5). A “spiritual house” is mind-boggling enough, but what bout “living stones”? Nothing is deader than a stone, and I have a problem getting my mind around a living stone. An oxymoron though it be, it is a gloriously graphic picture of unity in diversity. You will note that we are stones (diversity), not bricks (conformity). Bricks are all alike, stones are of various shapes and sizes. A headline in the social column of a Normal, Illinois newspaper called attention to a wedding in nearby Oblong, Illinois, Normal Boy Marries Oblong Girl. Aren’t we thankful that God made us living stones built into a spiritual house, with some of us smoothly cut and others roughly hewn, some square and others round, some mottled, some rustic. It would be so boring if we were bricks, all alike. I especially love my oblong sisters and brothers! In the same verse Peter describes the community of faith as “a holy priesthood,” and in verse 9 adds “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,” images drawn from Exodus 19 where God makes Israel his covenant people. He also includes “God’s special people,” which is sometimes rendered “a peculiar people.” Peter’s rich metaphors, pointing to both the heritage and destiny of the church, may be reflective of the apostle’s sober consciousness of being made the foundation of the community of the faithful. It must have been both surprising and humbling when he heard his Lord say, “You are Peter, and on this rock (Peter himself, whose name meant rock) I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). No wonder he would be community-conscious, drawing upon colorful images to define its character. One more impressive image that cannot go unmentioned is Paul’s reference to the church as the family of God, which he sees as being in heaven as well as on earth, as in Ephesians 3:14-15: “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.” Again it is unity in diversity in that God is the Father of us all, and we, his children, are sisters and brothers together, in spite of our differences. While most of us are average or mediocre, a few are geniuses or mentally challenged. These we forbear in love. In spite of all these meaningful images, I still claim “Colony of Heaven” as my favorite description of the church, perhaps because it points both to our mission and destiny as believers. We are indeed very much a part of this world, and even citizens of some nation of this world, but what defines us is that, above all, we are citizens of heaven, and heaven is our destiny. Moreover, we are a people awaiting our Savior, who, when he comes, will transform our temporary bodies into the body of his glory. And so we live in this world, seeking to redeem it, as a people with such a hope. The apostle knew of course that the believers to whom he was writing, the Philippians, lived in a city that was officially a colony of Rome, and that such cities were designed to take on the likeness of their capital. So he was telling the ”little flock” at Philippi that as that city was a colony of Rome they were to be a colony of heaven. As Philippians they were an outpost of Rome, as Christians they were an outpost of heaven. That is a Wow! It doesn’t get more exciting than that. There is already something of heaven in all of us, for we are a reflection of our true citizenship. We come to bear some likeness of what we profoundly anticipate That is why I often say — and what could be more encouraging? — that when we leave this world we are not leaving home, but going home. And that “death” is not the end of life, but the beginning of life. Praise God that we are all on the verge, not of homecoming but of homegoing!  |
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