Titus 1:1-4

June 14, 2020

Lord’s Day Worship

Sean Higgins

The sermon starts around 17:20 in the audio file.

Or, For the Sake of the Faith of God’s Elect

I am old enough to remember when my beard was long and when we used to see each other like this every Sunday. We are going to have stories to tell after this is all over, and though I can count on a calendar that we spent twelve Lord’s Day in abnormal ways, the time has a calculation of its own. In the history books maybe it will be called BC and AP, Before Coronavirus and After Panic.

I’ve read and listened to and considered a lot about what was and what will be normal. It’s been a popular narrative to hear people say that this time, when everything has been shut down, has given them great opportunity to reflect on whether or not all the things they were doing were necessary. So many say they’ve got things they plan to change. And that’s fine, though I can say that when I tried out that narrative for myself, it fit like an Elsa costume for a five year-old (which is to say, it didn’t fit well in a couple ways). I like what our family, our church, our school were doing, and it was all worth doing.

That “normal” was not passive or easy. But that normal allowed for more choosing of what could be disrupted for sake of making progress. A solid foundation allows you to try out new furniture arrangements, or non-structural remodeling, not concerned that the floor is going to cave in. “Stay on the couch, save lives.” That’s another narrative that I’d like to shut the book on.

As for the church, knowing what we knew then, I don’t know if we would have done too much different. Though I do think “next time,” or “this fall,” we’ll be looking for some additional, better, more trustworthy information before shutting it all down. The lockdown has shown both the blessings of not having our own building (and mortgage payments) in crazy economy, and also the limitations of not having a building, for sake of services and other meetings. We don’t expect not to suffer, to have it all convenient for Christians, but also our worship and our ministry to one another beyond screens is essential. It’s worth building, it’s worth defending.

That said, we have a lot to be thankful for. The flock has done well. We were mostly well equipped, for thinking and for unity, for this last season. We have some cautious saints, some conflicted, and others more combative, but I didn’t see our people biting and devouring one another. The time to build an ark is before the rain, and our Kuyperian efforts to see all of life as lived before the Lord Christ have helped us stay afloat.

In these days it is also clear how powerful narrative is. People want a story to explain what is happening, and regularly will choose the narrative over facts or data. Even the statement “We will do everything based on science” is a story, and it often puts a cover over the fact that the story is largely, or even completely, make-believe.

I would like to remind us of our narrative. It is one that helps to explain what we see and to encourage us to endure. We have a story in which Jesus came into ruthless and capricious government, into ethnic conflict (in His day between Jews and Gentiles), into sickness and disease, to give eternal life.

It’s a narrative of truth. It’s a narrative that accords with godliness, with nerve to stand apart from unrighteousness and in good works. It is a narrative of hope. So many of man’s stories focus on how we’re going to die, this focuses on eternal life. We will return to our normal study of Revelation soon enough. But as God’s people, keep remembering our narrative, the good news we’ve heard and are living in.

Make Believe Narrative

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