Our citizenship is in heaven

(Gen 15.1-12, 17-18 Philippians 3.17-4.1 Luke 13.31-end)

040307 Lent 2 Year C West & East Pinchbeck

Citizenship—for about 4 years now every child in every school in Britain is supposed to have been receiving education in Citizenship. It’s one of the government’s recent initiatives to try to turn what it sees as the “yeah, nah, wotever” generation into responsible British citizens. In my experience Citizenship as a school lesson is wildly unpopular with both students and teachers, guaranteed groan value every time. I hope nobody will find it necessary to leak that comment to my Headmaster.

Politically too, Citizenship seems to be something of a hot potato at present. As I was driving home from work on Tuesday I was listening to the radio and there was a discussion going on about what should be expected of people before they are granted British citizenship. Should they be able to speak English? Apparently Gordon Brown has been suggesting that candidates should be required to contribute a certain number of hours of service to the community. Whatever your view on such matters, it’s clearly an issue that people get hot under the collar about. Citizenship it seems is not something to be taken lightly. Citizenship is “granted” not “given” - it’s of worth, of importance, it really counts for something in the world.

St Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth: “Our citizenship is in Heaven”, a piece of teaching that we can take to apply to ourselves: “Our citizenship is in Heaven”.

Behind Paul’s thinking is the fact that he was a Roman citizen, a trump card he was to play to his advantage on more than one occasion. Citizenship was something that gave him privilege and status. It made him somebody, not just another insignificant nobody. A citizen was a person whom the authorities could not mistreat or ignore, but a person of consequence and with the right of appeal direct to the Emperor of Rome himself.

So returning to the here and now. How this might apply to us? What does it mean, practically, that our citizenship is in heaven. How might it affect the way we live?

I suggest that firstly, it means that although we remain with our feet on the earth and should be expected to take a full part in the affairs of the earthly state in which we live, the centre of our lives, our focus, our home, our master, is God. The values of the kingdom of heaven must be our values. Christ’s values must be our values: “Love your enemies. Blessed are the meek ... the merciful ... the pure in heart. Strive first for the kingdom of God. Do not oppress the foreigners among you. Do not do your acts of piety to impress others.” And so on. Our behaviour must be worthy of the God we serve. Not just the “Thou shalt not …” things. Of course we shouldn’t commit adultery, steal, etc. Of course not. But God is less interested in what we don’t do than what we do. At least that’s what I believe. He’s more interested in the positives than the negatives. St Paul tells the Philippians to observe those who live according to his example. What do we observe in the lifestyle of those who are so obviously for all to see “citizens of Heaven” (the saints of old, modern day saints) - I suggest we see prayer, /the desire to worship, / a love for God’s word, /witness to others. These are 4 things worth testing our own lives by. prayer, /the desire to worship, / a love for God’s word, /witness to others. Do you score well on all 4? I know which one I fall down on. Mark’s given me a book for my birthday called “Just walk across the room”, so that might give you a clue as to what he thinks I don’t do enough of. Well, let those 4 things be a challenge to us to do something about it this week.

But going back to Citizenship. Being a citizen means that we belong. We aren’t just in it on our own. Although initially we come to God as individuals; as individuals we are “born again”; we believe or not for ourselves alone, in the way that people become British citizens one by one. But then we find ourselves in a community with other citizens. The very word citizenship implies a large gathering of people, and a citizen is one who belongs to that group. That’s why Fellowship is so important—why it matters so much that we meet together regularly.

Reflecting on the last few months when the congregation of East Pinchbeck have been made so welcome here by the people of the West—it has been very good indeed to share worship with you, and we thank you most sincerely for your generosity and forbearance; hospitality is costly—and precious. The good things that we have discovered by worshipping together are significant spiritual blessings. In my opinion one of the important lessons that God has been teaching us through this last six months is our need for one another not just in our individual churches but throughout the benefice too. It is important that we make a place in the life of the benefice for inter-church worship and fellowship to continue regularly. It expresses our common citizenship.

Citizens of heaven also have responsibilities. Responsibilities of care and support to our fellow citizens—a loving domestic policy if you like. Our foreign policy, to those outside similarly should be welcoming, warm-hearted and generous. Speaking metaphorically, our borders must be always open to asylum-seekers and all who want to know more about our King and become his subjects. Another important lesson that God has been teaching us over the last few month, I think, is that the church is people not buildings. Although when we return to the East, the St Mary’s contingent will be likely to be focused on the building and, oh dear, the cost of the building, we must keep this concept at the front of our brains: that the Kingdom of Heaven is not four walls and a roof, it is God identifying with people and people engaging with God. When we forget that it is far more costly spiritually than any bills for the building!

My final point. Being a citizen of heaven means simply this: as an individual, you matter. You are not a nobody, if God cares about you—and He does! The world sometimes treats people as though they don’t exist—but God never ignores you. A citizen has status. Above all, a citizen has the right of appeal immediately to the Emperor, to God—for Jesus Christ has opened up our access to the Father, and sits at the right hand of the Father, to be our advocate, the one who speaks on our behalf. We can come whenever we wish into his throne-room in prayer, enjoy being in his presence, listen to what he has to say, and entrust our concerns and those of others to him.

So stand firm this week—you are a “citizen of no mean city”—keep your focus on the kingdom of Heaven, and may our lives individually and collectively honour the name of Jesus and give glory to our God, our King. Amen.