When Christianity began, there were no creeds, there was no doctrine, there was only “the way.” The followers of the way, as they were called in early Christianity, had very little understanding of what was happening around them. But they knew one thing: this man Jesus had lived a radically different life than that of many others, changing lives and influencing the very nature of the culture around him. And so, because of this belief in Jesus, a man about whom there were rumors he had raised from the dead physically, they decided to emulate. They cared for the poor, they created communities, they read from the holy scriptures (that being the Hebrew Canon) and they ate a holy meal together and recited a few words in commemoration of the man whom many thought to be a prophet from God.
Over the centuries, many were martyred for their confession to this man who slowly but surely became known as “Lord.” Why Jesus was Lord was simple and yet dangerous: simply put, Jesus was Lord because Caesar was not (at least for them.) This led many who stuck with such a faith to be killed.
But there was still no doctrine, just a way of living that was alternative to Rome. But in the 4th century, after what has now been considered a legendary dream or vision, The empire Constantine placed a mark meant to respect God (not the Roman God’s but the God you and I might believe in) on the shield of his Roman soldiers in battle. This battle was won, and later on in history Constantine declared Christianity to be the legal religion, effectively ending the reign of the Roman Gods and beginning an interesting turn in the history of Christianity. First he changed a religion that was counterculture into the hip and legal thing to do. And then he sought to organize the religion by bringing together a growing number of “bishops” to decide the fate of the new texts that had been written, along with a bigger question of exactly who Jesus was. The Council of Nicea, called in 325 C.E., did exactly that. It not only stabilized the cannon, figuring our which books should be in the Bible, but it closed it. Great job. Then, it determined who Jesus was, declaring him God Fully, not a little less than God, but exactly and 100% God.
Now today that seems ok, except at the time there were Christians who didn’t see that as so and they were perfectly fine right up until this point. Then they were excommunicated from the church and sent away. As one theologian once put it, when groups typically make decisions on who they are, they take their plot of land with everyone in it and put a fence around it. Christianity takes their plot of land, decides if the people they included should still be there, and then partitions off the lot, effectively ending the membership of those outside the ideals.
Now what in the hell does all this mean to the Gospel of Harry Potter. Harry has transitioned from being the boy who everyone talks about to being the boy who pretty much leads the fight against Voldemort. 4 years of challenges have passed and as Professor Umbridge arrives on campus and the ministry stands in disbelief that Voldemort has returned, the realization that Harry must lead his fellow students is becoming more and more apparent. And thus, we enter back in the world of Dark Magic, the most turmoil ridden class Harry has experienced. Umbridge tells the students that this year they will not be practicing dark magic, as it is too dangerous. Instead, they will simply be learning about the magic through books and theory. It is a stunning development, and one that leads to the creation of Dumbledore’s army and Harry’s true leadership characteristics being revealed.
What I love about this whole situation with Umbridge and the dark arts class is the unbelievable comparisons to the church that can be made. Amongst a world where our actions are seen as louder than our words (think about those who say they want civil liberties for everyone in this country but don’t act in any manner to help get there) a great battle of theory versus practice is put into play. The church now asks of you not your heart, your use of hands and feet, but to hand over your head and have it filled with doctrines that for more than 1500 years have dramatically shaped the church world. We don’t welcome people who don’t speak our beliefs and the idea of helping people is overshadowed by the need to believe certain things. Wands away as Umbridge tells her students is a reminder that in today’s world, the church wants you to not act, but to think what they think. Only through the theory of Christianity can you become the true Christian.
Or perhaps it’s a little different than that. Perhaps this man called Jesus was a radical man of action, doing things like healing people and calling out Pharisees for acting in ways he believed to be the antithesis of the kingdom of God. I don’t remember Jesus saying much about believing and more about what kingdom of God was through action. Look here, feed people, make the first last, make the poor a part of your care, sell your things, follow me, change lives. He didn’t say let me tell you something that I want you to think about thinking about. I want you to be this, to BE.
God is calling us to BE. Not to just sit. Not to just theorize who God is, but to become what God has called us to be. How are you doing that? Are you putting your wands away, instead only paying attention to the doctrine, saying the right saying, or are you ready to put your faith into action. And if you are, as people who are social justicying up the world, as people who are going on ASP, as people who are changing things on this campus, how do you form the very same call that Harry forms Dumbledore’s army. How do you bring together Christianity in a new age to a new time and with a new way of doing things that truly is about living instead of just theorizing. Orthodoxy without Orthopraxy is useless.
Now all of you can be assured that this is an antsy sermon. You figured that out a while ago. And you might be thinking, we’re already going on ASP, what else do you want from us? It’s important to remember that this week is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the most sacred part of the Christian year: Lent. During Lent, you’ve often been told to let go of something. Maybe you are giving up chocolate, eating out, swearing, making fun of the campus minister, etc. But the truth is campus ministry is a time of contemplation. It’s a time to recognize our faults, but also a time to take new steps in our journey. So perhaps this lent, your journey would be to figure out how the church might be a body of action. How might we as a community come into a greater sense of action, how we might be accountable to each other for our call to action, and how we might still work to keeps our wands in our hands and our practice at our fingertips. For Jesus does actually remind us that to live our faith and to act out the kingdom is of utmost importance. Love your Neighbor. Don’t just think about how your neighbor might be loved. We we pick up our wands. God’s call awaits.
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