Throughout this year we have been
reflecting on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Jesus said “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their
cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23).
For people in Jesus’ day, these words would have been a stark challenge
and reminder of the cost that is involved in being a true follower of
Jesus. The sight of people carrying
their crosses to the place of execution would be an all too familiar sight, and
many of Jesus’ early followers, would themselves face persecution, imprisonment
and even death for the sake of Christ and the Gospel.
Did you know that more Christians died
for their faith in the 20th Century that in the previous 19
centuries combined? And today it is
estimated that one in ten Christians lives with discrimination, violence or
some other form of persecution for their faith..
It is not just a problem that affects
Christians in other parts of the world.
Even here in Britain there is concern that Christians are increasingly facing
religious discrimination. In September
the European Court of Human Rights heard the cases of four British people who
claim they lost their jobs as a result of discrimination against their
Christian beliefs.
Shirley Chaplain, a
nurse with 30 years experience, and Nadia Eweida, who worked at a check in desk
for British Airways at Heathrow airport, both lost their jobs over their
refusal to remove a cross worn around the neck.
Lillian Ladele, a registrar in Islington, lost her job after she refused
to conduct same-sex civil partnership ceremonies on religious grounds, despite
the fact that Islington Council had said she did not have to conduct civil partnership
ceremonies, as other staff were available to do them. They changed their minds however after
complaints that, by refusing to register civil partnerships, Lillian Ladele was
acting contrary to the council's equality policies.
And Gary McFarlane was dismissed from his
work as a councillor for Relate after he expressed concerns about providing sex
therapy for gay couples.
Lord
Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury in April said that the outward
expression of traditional conservative Christian values had in effect been
banned under a new "secular conformity of belief and conduct". He argued that there is a "drive to
remove Judeo-Christian values from the public square" and that UK courts
had "consistently applied equality law to discriminate against
Christians". "In a country
where Christians can be sacked for manifesting their faith, are vilified by
state bodies, are in fear of reprisal or even arrest for expressing their views
on sexual ethics, something is very wrong.”
Whether
you agree with what Lord Carey says, or not, will be a matter for debate. But for many Christians around the world, the
difficulties they face are even greater, with persecution and violence a real
and ever present danger. Across huge
swathes of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, the basic rights of our brothers
and sisters are cruelly violated, and those who attack them are rarely held to
account.
Only
last week, as we gathered to worship here at St Martin’s, a vehicle packed with
explosives was driven into St Rita's church in the city of Kaduna in northern Nigeria,
killing 8 people, including children and injuring over 100.
Tragically
this is not an isolated event. In an
article published in the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, it stated that Christians
are increasingly suffering for their faith, and yet their plight is being
ignored. For example, in Egypt, 600,000
Coptic Christians, more than the entire population of Manchester, have
emigrated since the 1980s because of harassment
and oppression.
Here in Britain, we quite rightly recognise the
importance of religious freedom. Yet there is scarcely a single country from
Morocco to Pakistan in which Christians are fully free to worship without
restriction. Muslims who convert to
Christianity or other faiths, in most of these societies face harsh penalties. There is a real risk that the Churches will
all but vanish from their biblical heartlands in the Middle East.
One of the impacts of the Arab Spring is that it has
made life for Christians living in the Middle East even more difficult and
uncertain. For example Syria was
considered a safe country for Christians, but with the civil war that has now all
changed. Christians in Syria enjoyed
considerable freedoms under President Assad’s regime, and are therefore assumed
to be supporters of his government. As a
result Christians
have targeted by the opposition forces, and tens of thousands have been
displaced from their homes.
But despite this, people are still coming to faith
in Christ, and there are Christians who are courageously sharing their
faith.
The problems faced by Christians are not by any means restricted to the Muslim world. For example in India, between August and October of 2008, Hindu hardliners in the eastern state of Orissa murdered at least 90 people, displaced 50,000, and attacked 170 churches and chapels. And Christians have faced discrimination and persecution in Communist countries such as Cuba, China and in particular North Korea.
But
where the church is under persecution, we also hear incredible stories of faith
and courage. Like that of Ahmed, who
continues to tell others about Jesus and to plant new churches.
God
has not forgotten his people, and he calls other Christians to remember them in
their chains. Paul writes
that ‘If one
part [of the church] suffers,
every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with
it.’ (1 Corinthians 12:26). And
the writer of Hebrews says ‘Continue
to remember those in prison as if
you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you
yourselves were suffering.’ (Hebrews 13:3) In other words we need to stand up and
support our brothers and sisters in Christ who are facing persecution and
oppression.
Jesus
came to proclaim true freedom, and he calls us to proclaim freedom for his
captive people. This is the message of our reading from Isaiah, which Jesus
quoted in the synagogue in Nazareth ‘The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness
for the prisoners.’
(Isaiah 61:1)
We can
do this in three ways.
1
Pray daily for our Christian brothers &
sisters who are facing persecution – use the prayer diaries that Barnabus Fund
and other organisations produce
2
Give financial support. Many of these
Christians suffer extreme poverty, and rely upon the support other Christians
can give them.
This
is how a snapshot of some of the projects The Barnabus Fund is currently
involved in.
In
Sierra Leone they are training Christian pastors in farming and animal rearing,
and giving them two goats, seeds and farming tools, so they can support
themselves, and serve the desperately poor rural Muslim communities in which
they live. They are also buying the pastors
a bike so they can reach the remote communities.
In
Kenya they are paying for a young man to undertake training in radio production
and programming and Arabic, to reach Muslims via the radio.
In
the Holy Land, they are giving financial support to eight Christian families
who are dealing with difficult circumstances of various kinds.
In
Burma they are caring for over 30 Christian orphans living inside a camp for
Internally Displaced Persons.
In
Pakistan they gave seeds and fertilizer to 32 Christian families, who lost all
they had in the devastating floods that stuck the country in 2010. Because of this gift these families have been
able to reap an abundant harvest, and pay off their debts. One of the farmers
said “I felt free because I was under no debt anymore. It was the first time in a long time that I
could sleep without worrying about anything.”
In
Sri Lanka they have built homes for 25 Christian families, who lost everything
in the destructive civil war, which came to an end in 2009. These homes are
making an enormous difference to their lives.
One of the receipts of said “We have been blessed with this house. We
are opening the house for prayer meetings and hope this house will be a
blessing to others.”
Barnabus
Fund also provides money to build churches, schools, and ensure people have
access to medical care. They can only do
this because of the support and generosity that they receive churches and
individuals here in the West.
We
are to stand with those who are oppressed.
In the book of Proverbs it says “Speak up for those who cannot speak for
themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.” (Proverbs 31:8-9) We need to fight
for the rights of our fellow Christians, which we can do by supporting
campaigns run by organisations like The Barnabus Fund, Open Doors, and
Christian Solidarity Worldwide. We can
write to our MPs, so that pressure is brought to bear on those countries who do
not uphold the rights of Christians.
Because we are Christ’s disciples, He calls us to
share in His work of proclaiming freedom.
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus ends His reading from Isaiah by
announcing that He has been sent to declare the year of the Lord’s favour. This is the time that God has appointed to
bring deliverance and freedom, through Christ and those who follow Him. Jesus’ message requires a response from us:
to join Him in proclaiming freedom for His enslaved people throughout the
world. Jesus reminds us that whatever we
do for one of the least of our brothers and sisters, we do for
God.
