Sermon Outline
As Christians we are called to “stand firm”.
Paul’s letter to Christians in Rome (Romans 12:2) says we shouldn’t “copy the behaviour and customs of this world” (NLT) or “not conform any longer to the pattern of this world” (NIV). Instead we should learn to know God’s will, which is good pleasing and perfect.
This can be a challenge. We want to be culturally relevant and in touch, but we don’t want to give up essential biblical principles. What is just of the age? And what is for all time?
Fifty years ago, it would have been thought improper in many church traditions, for a woman to attend worship without wearing a hat, but now we don’t see that as important. However, other issues are more difficult to resolve. Some Christians say it is an essential biblical principle that men should be in the main leadership roles in a church community; others say if that is what the Bible says, it does so only because it was culturally relevant at the time when the New Testament texts were written. The same kind of questions arise concerning observance of the Sabbath. How far should we allow our practices to be influenced by the changing nature of Sunday?
Romans 12:2 refers to “the pattern of the world” or, in another translation, “the present age”. In another letter (Galations1:4) Paul calls it the present “evil” age. Many First Century Christians believed that the world was divided into the current evil age, characterised by rebellion against God and corruption, and the age to come, in which God would give new life to the world, bringing justice, joy and peace. Crucially, Christians were expected to live their lives and make their decisions, on the basis of that new age. They shouldn’t let the world dictate its terms. They should be – to use a current term “counter cultural” – not necessarily in every respect, but in those ways in which the current culture went against God’s way.
The lectionary gospel passage for the Sunday of Prisons Week 2007 – (November 18) is Luke 21: 5-19, in which Christians are also called to “stand firm” (NIV). The context is signs of the end of time, with the appearance of false messiahs, false prophets, war, conflict and natural disasters. The disciples are warned that the end is not yet, and that they will not be exempt from these tribulations, but that they need not be overwhelmed by them. The assurance of God’s love and protection enables us to stand firm, and by standing firm, we witness to the truth of the gospel.
It is not easy for politicians, judges and magistrates to stand firm against the media clamour for ever harsher sentences for offenders. Yet our prisons are full; during the past year, prisoners have had to be held overnight in court and police cells, and the government has had to take an executive decision to extend early release, in order to prevent the system reaching breaking point.
England has one of the highest rates of imprisonment in Western Europe; in 1997 the prison population was 60,000; now it hovers around 80,000. Much of the increase is due to the imposition of longer and longer sentences – sometimes sentences are passed on young men which require that they may never be released. Many of those in our prisons are mentally ill, have problems with literacy and numeracy, and have found it difficult to find and hold down a job.
Although prison is necessary for those people who represent a danger to themselves and others, providing more prison places does not reduce crime; two thirds of those released are re-convicted within two years. Sentencing should protect the public, but should also allow for the possibility of rehabilitating the offender. Justice needs to be tempered with mercy; God’s justice leaves no-one without hope of redemption.
Victims have to deal with feelings of bewilderment, anger, bitterness and loss. The judicial system does not always take enough care of victims, who need information, empathy and – often – an opportunity to work through their pain. God is able to offer us new life, no matter how desolate we may feel.
Those working in prison – governors, officers, chaplains, education staff and volunteers - need support in standing firm, when they feel beset on all sides, weighed down by the needs of prisoners and the inadequacies of a system that is almost always at bursting point. When we cannot carry our burden alone, we know that God will be there, to help us with it.
Those outside, helping to rehabilitate prisoners - probation officers, churches, committed individuals and groups such as Langley House Trust and Prison Fellowship – all need our prayerful support. Sometimes they feel let down when they have invested time and emotional energy into helping an offender, who slips back, at least temporarily, into old ways. God reminds us that we sow seeds and may not always have the satisfaction of seeing them take root.
Families may have to endure separation from a loved one who has been imprisoned or who, perhaps, has been the victim of a very serious crime. A partner has to carry extra responsibility alone, children are left without the guidance of a parent. At times such as these, God’s sustaining love, delivered through friends or a local church may be the lifeline that enables that family to stand firm.
The Prisoner him (or her) self may regret his foolishness, be facing years of incarceration and temptation, and worry about how he will cope with the problems that originally caused him to offend. Or he may have such a long sentence that he sees no prospect of release. Above all he, or she, needs to know the hope that there is always in God, no matter how low earthly hope might sink.
Justice is a central theme in the Bible. Throughout, there is a rich tradition of teaching on justice, from the early books of law like Leviticus and Deuteronomy, through the Old Testament prophets like Amos and Micah, right on down through the gospels and the letters recording the activities of the early Church. .Jesus’s concept of justice was one in which respect, repentance, redemption, reparation and restoration were more important than vengeance. It was part of his “manifesto” for justice set out in Luke 4.
Justice for all those involved with the criminal justice process isn’t a fashionable cause. We may be told that there are others far more deserving, that if prisoners didn’t want to do the time, they shouldn’t have committed the crime, that they are not worthy even of humane treatment. But, when ridiculed for wanting a more enlightened approach, we should be prepared both to stand firm against the prevailing cultural view and look to God’s new world, in which justice – God’s justice – will be centre stage.
