By Don Meyer<\/p>\n
DENVER, CO (February 7, 2007) \u2013 \u201cOur competence comes from God. All power comes from God. All this comes from God.\u201d
\n
\nWith that declaration, noted author and speaker Fleming Rutledge encouraged hundreds of pastors gathered for the 2007 Evangelical Covenant Church Midwinter Pastors Conference not to waiver in preaching the gospel of the glory of Christ Jesus in the historic apostolic tradition.<\/p>\n
One of the first women to be ordained in the Episcopal Church in 1977, Rutledge spent 22 years in parish ministry, including 14 years as part of the pastoral staff of Grace Church on Lower Broadway in New York City. Widely recognized as a biblical scholar and \u201ca teacher of other preachers,\u201d her expertise is in the intersection of biblical theology with contemporary culture.<\/p>\n
![\"Rutledge\"](\"http:\/\/www.covchurch.org\/uploads\/z3\/TN\/z3TN7P3yfWWiv3YDr3SH_A\/Rutledge.jpg\")
\u201cWe are losing sight of the gospel in our preaching and teaching,\u201d Rutledge said in reflecting on her numerous visits to churches throughout North America and listening to many sermons in many settings. There is a theological vacancy where God ought to be, she suggests, as many pastors focus more on a \u201csocial gospel\u201d than the gospel of the risen Christ.<\/p>\n
Too many pastors lose sight of the truth that it is God who is in charge, she believes. \u201cWe are called to build the kingdom of God,\u201d she recites some pastors as saying \u2013 \u201cthe emphasis is on the \u2018we\u2019 and not God,\u201d she quickly points out.<\/p>\n
Christians need to be reminded of our proper place in relationship to God, which suggests a certain paradox. Using the apostle Paul\u2019s letters as her scriptural focal point, Rutledge used the imagery of the Roman Triumph in explaining this paradox. In Roman times, the Triumph was a military procession and celebration that took place following a military victory. Victorious commanders led the procession in their chariots, followed by the soldiers wearing the victory wreaths. At the end came the captives, bound and paraded in shame through the streets.<\/p>\n
She likened the image of the Roman Triumph to the Christian experience, picturing Christ as the victorious leader, followed by the soldiers, with the slaves \u2013 the conquered \u2013 at the rear. \u201cWe are in Christ, so we could be pictured as riding in the chariots,\u201d she suggested. \u201cBut then, we also are the church, and we could be counted among the warriors of the faith. But, we also are the slaves, captives in Christ Jesus, so could perhaps be found at the end of the processional.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, where are we?\u201d she asks. \u201cIn the lead chariots? Marching with the infantry? Among the captives? Some suggest all three apply.\u201d And therein lies the paradox she describes.<\/p>\n
\u201cPaul never forgot that without Christ, he would have remained a slave to sin,\u201d she said. \u201cPaul\u2019s deliverance from bondage always remained at the center of his message. When Paul thinks about all of his ministry, it is a procession of victory with himself as Christ\u2019s slave,\u201d to which she quickly added, \u201cand as a slave of Christ is to be at liberty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Slave and free? And at the same time? \u201cThat appears to be a contradiction,\u201d she noted. \u201cBut, Paul explains that in Romans, the sixth chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n
All will be slaves of either sin or righteousness, she quoted Paul as saying. \u201cTo be a slave of Jesus Christ is to be free of all kinds of bondage. Paul was free, even though he was in bonds. If the son makes you free, you will be free indeed,\u201d she added, quoting from scripture.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to serve somebody,\u201d she said, \u201cSatan or the Lord. To be a slave to Satan is to be a slave to sin. To be a slave to Jesus Christ is to be free from bondage. The outcome of worldly freedom is death. Slavery to Christ is eternal life and true freedom. These contradictory terms \u2013 slavery and freedom \u2013 are held together at the center in Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n
In order for Christians to understand their place in the triumphal procession, they must hear of the glory of Christ and the transcendent power of God, Rutledge said in returning to her core theme. And that is the work of those entrusted with the ministry of the word, remembering that it is not in their own strength that they minister in the true apostolic tradition, but that it is through the power of God.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need always to remember our place in the procession.\u201d<\/p>\n