As Christians, we may sometimes think that if we could just
retreat from the secular distractions of "our life in the world," we
could live a holy life.
The Essenes were a Jewish separatist group active from about
BC 170 until the Roman Legions disbursed them in AD 68. They had
intentionally moved out of Jerusalem and fled to the mountains and wilderness
bordering the Dead Sea. Their goal was to isolate themselves from the
prevailing life style of other Jews living in Jerusalem.
The Essenes sought to create a new system of spiritual
purity, by isolating themselves from what they saw as the spiritual darkness of
the Hellenistic life style that was pervading Jerusalem. They were
seeking a right relationship with the God of the Old Testament, by removing
themselves completely from a non-believing society.
The Jewish people had been captives on and off for centuries,
so they knew how easy it was to lose one's spiritual purity during forced
integration into a different culture and set of religious values. Their answer
had been to bond together, isolate as best they could, and support each other
in honoring their God, Yahweh.
Do you think it is possible today for normal,
ordinary people to live a holy life in the midst of our secular culture,
so filled with spiritually dark temptations? Some Christians feel called
to retreat to monastery living, but this would not work for most of us.
Turning to some spiritual practices of today, it is
interesting to consider the way the Pennsylvania Amish sect of Christianity
relates to the secular world. The Amish are conservative (some would say
"old fashioned"), emphasizing humility, family, community and living
separately from the non-Amish world. This includes a reluctance on the
part of some Amish to adopt modern conveniences such as automobiles and
electricity. Many Amish wear distinctive Amish-style clothing. It
is estimated that some 30,000 Amish people currently live within the area
around Lancaster, PA. In that area, one can see today some practicing
Amish driving a horse and buggy on the public highway.
The Amish take their beliefs very seriously. They call
for a conscious choice to accept God, which leads to their belief in the
all-encompassing and literal authority of the Bible. To them, family and
community are more important than wealth and fame.
To preserve the Amish identity and maintain spiritual harmony,
it is said that members are encouraged to surrender their personal aspirations
for the sake of "community purity". These ideals are maintained
by keeping all work, play, worship, commerce and friendship within the Amish
orbit. They accept very little involvement in secular American
life. They prohibit habits that feed individualism, greed and other
secular tendencies.
The "extreme" non-conformity of the Amish in the
midst of secular culture and social values, could serve as a conspicuous
spiritual reminder to the rest of us. While the Essenes tried to live
"spiritually pure" lives by removing themselves from the
secular world, the Amish seem to have the much greater challenge of living
immersed in today's secular culture.
Christians draw much of their faith from reflecting on
Scripture, where a strikingly new direction for achieving a holy life was
introduced by Jesus. After the Crucifixion, Jesus appeared to the
Disciples and instructed them in what we call The Great Commission:
"Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you . . . ."
Jesus was directing us to reach out to other people,
regardless of their values ---- because they are God's people. It seems
clear he wanted us by Word and action to show them that we care about
them ---- that they are in community with us, regardless of their faith and
secular values. So, for Jesus' followers,and us today, the plan was not to
separate from the world, but to take the Good News of our redemption into
the world.
What would the Essenes have said if Jesus had given them The
Great Commission?
Do you think the Pennsylvania Amish are indeed living out
the call of Jesus to be "the light of the world; a city on a hill . . .
."? In today's world, how culturally different can other people be,
before we stop taking seriously their spiritual example?
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These thoughts are
brought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Education Team, hoping to encourage you to pursue some personal
growth this Fall at CPC.
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