THE CHURCH AS PROPHET

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21296, 16 October 1934, Page 12

THE CHURCH AS PROPHET

—* — ITS PRESENT DUTY

SERMON AT SYNOD SERVICE

, The urgent need for the Church to fulfil its prophetic rather than its priestly office was stressed by the Rev. A. H. McC. Acheson, of Waimate, the preacher at the Synod service lasl evening. Mr Acheson developed his theme from the "rejection of Christ as a prophet at a period of the world's history similar to the present. The preacher claimed that in the family Christ had given the world the ideal organisation, and pleaded for the reconstruction of society and the reunion of the churches after this pattern. The lessons were read by the Rev. M. Cocks, vicar of Waikari, and Mr G. Clowes. Mr Acheson took as his text verses 11 and 12 of the first chapter of the Gospel according to St. John:—"He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him to them gave He power to become Sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." Christ's own nation, said Mr Acheson, had been prepared for his advent throughout their previous history by the teaching of the prophets and by an elaborate temple worship. He took many of the ceremonies and pointed them to Himself—the lamb, the vine, and the one light which alone shone in the darkened city at. the Feast of the Tabernacles. The implications of this were not perceived by the priests and the lawyers, absorbed as they were in the minutiae of their rites. Christ was rejected by His family, the townfolk, the multitude, the scribes and priests, and the nation.

It was chiefly as prophet that Christ, was rejected. The theocracy had become so hide-bound by tradition, so close-knit and centralised an organisation that it had no room for the reformer and the prophet. His incarnation, however, was not in vain: it was necessary, to show how to interpret history, in the prophet's way, not the priest's or the king's way. It must be read for its lessons, 'not its facts.

Rejected by the nation. He was received by individuals, whom He drew from various occupations and banded together into a community, the Sons of God. The Prophetic Office "1 want to stress at this Synod service," continued Mr Acheson, "the prophetic office of the Church. I do not mean to belittle its priestly and kingly offices; but the prophetic voice has always been the weakest, and it is the one the Church and the world need most." The earliest years of the Church were a time when young men saw visions and old men dreamed dreams, ho said. Later the conservative element began to grow, and precedents were followed rather than sot. Conservatism became a virtue. The prophets were men who turned the world upside down; the Church to-day prided itself on being a restraining influence. A prophet was one able to pick out the salient points of history, link them to the facts of his own day, and project the line into the future. In what ways was the Church trying to fulfil its prophetic offices? There was. it was true, a great and wide vision of righteousness, justice and peace before men's eyes, and many were working to realise that vision in practice. Numerous examples of corporate attempts might be quoted. Prophecy, however, came not so much from and conferences, but from individuals burning with zeal, but often misunderstood. Such men were Studdart Kennedy, Viscount Cecil, Dr. Nanscn, and Wi son Carlile. Kagawa. Dr. Koo, and Sundar Singh proved that Christianity could inspire prophets in other nations; and the influence of Christ was perceptible in the teaching of Mahatma Ghandi.

The age in which Christ live i was one of transition similar to the present He condemned an organisation which would not change, and the need of the present age was for organisation and reorganisation. There could be no m?i h j» *%J g - ? s u "Setting back to normal. Christ had given the ideal organisation, the family, loose-knit by law, but strongly bound by love Planning of which economists talked so much, must be that of the mother of a large family, not that of an engineer As citizens, members of the Church were doing what they could for the i?^ V i CtimS 0f the depression, re--,™<lep°sits claiming the devoted suppot of many. That, however, was m,,?t n f r i ty> , The P ro Phetic office must not be forgotten. A new social f"i t^°" om ! c febric for mankind must be devised.

The shrinking of the world due to SPeedi "F \i p in communications made urgent the organisation of tionf r^ f r orld in^°a ! * mi] y of n": thVh,?V he .Question of world peace the Church, through its leaders, had made vigorous pronouncements

Reunion of the Churches l * t £ chcson lhen s P° ke of "the need and the urgency of reunion." "W<ffniL» < ? r a . s ° )ution along the wrong J?fl ? m th , e point of view rather than from the prophetic. The ~??% P i T , eunion would be nearer if we tried to reorganise the universal church as a family. "On the question of international peace, social righteousness, and ecoof°ThVrh ICe , all th ? split fragments of the Church speak with a united tnat is because there are S™ ,l 0,1S t 'solved in these ques- '™ * "el New Zealand, unhamP«f„J? ■ h lP ast history, should give a lead in this matter, and speakin| as n sh-onZ T< ICar J Cann .? l emphasise too sti ongly its urgency thli le Q Prea , Ch r r con ' cll 'ded with a plea that Synod, too, should have a broPhet.c office that its members might return to their parishes with a fresh «?!.hJich n <t " e u w determination to establish the brotherhood of man under the fatherhood of God