July 5 - Hebrews 10 - "Better Together 2"

MPC 5th July 2020.

Phil Campbell

How long does it take to break a habit? Or make a new one? Science is divided.

In 1960 the book Psycho Cybernetics suggested that forming a new habit takes 21 days.

But then research in 2009 revised that. And a study of 96 people showed that the average time it takes for a good habit to stick is actually 66 days. But varied by individual. From 18 days. All the way out to 254 days.

Some of us. Maybe never. I mean, I don't know about you. But seems like bad habits can creep up on you in a flash. And good habits. That you've built up over years. Can be gone almost overnight.

Every morning. For seven years. I'd get up and run. Three ks. Four ks. Five ks. Rain, hail or shine.

Then after just one week in bed with the flu. Breaking routine. I just lost the urge. Too hard. Inconvenient. Just a little more sleep. And there's always tomorrow. I'll get started then.

Which of course is exactly what it can be like with other things that are good for you like flossing your teeth or gathering with god's people in this process we call church.

Pete filled us in last week from Episodes 1 to 5 of the Bible's big picture. That the only thing un-good about the whole of creation was man being alone. Which if you've experienced real loneliness in your life, you'll agree with.

Although I guess that it tells you that Adam was no introvert. In which case maybe it would have been good that he was alone. But wouldn't have been great for the breeding program.

But look, it's more than about breeding. It's about relationship. As through the covenant, episode 2 of the Bible's story, God is gathering together a people. A community. Whose whole intention it seems is to gather to give him glory. Which they didn't do particularly well.

And then we come to the new covenant; and there's a new people called together by Jesus. Who says no matter what the devil tries to do he won't prevail. Because I will build my church. Not talking about a construction program of stone and wood. But about gathering. A people.

Which again, is what the original Greek word we translate as church literally means. ekklesia. An assembly. A gathering.

It seems weird. But Jesus. Is building his gathering. To live different. And love different. As a differentiated community set apart from the world and yet loving the world. A new covenant community. Of New Covenant People. Loving one another as we gather around Jesus with new hearts.

Which is then going to be completed in episode 5. As we're gathered in one huge multinational multilingual choir. Around the throne of the lamb. Singing his praises to the universe.

Except of course for COVID-19. Which has apparently changed everything...

Look, on a serious note there are all kinds of Christians who are saying what gives the government the right - to stop us Christians gathering. An older member said to me the other day, I can't get over the fact we've had to close the church. It's never happened in my lifetime.

There are others. And I've mainly seen this online from American Christians. Who say who needs a vaccine. God will be our vaccine. Let's just keep doing what we've always done.

Which I've gotta say given the reality that we're still living in episode 4 in a world outside the Garden of Eden, is just dumb. Like saying why do Christians need to stick to the road rules, God will protect me from trucks.

The reality is, short of the New Creation, there's all kinds of stuff that's inconvenient. Like viruses. And sicknesses. And ultimately death. Which are sometimes going to stop us meeting.

But none of them change God's New Creation plans at all. It just means our hearts should be longing all the more. For the day God's promised when everything's put right.

And at the same time we should be doing everything we can to encourage one another to keep going. As we see that day approaching. Which is the one key habit. That we need to keep developing. And that's why. When and how we can. We gather.

Which we can do a little bit by Zoom or Facebook. But much better. In person.

There's a sad little scene in the online sci fi series called Upload.

A slightly future world where instead of dying, you can opt to have yourself digitised and uploaded to the Cloud. To a simulated resort. Where you can enjoy a simulated life for ever. Or at least, as long as someone keeps paying your monthly subscription.

And you can even interact with your loved ones. You can Facetime. You can Zoom them. You can do everything. Except actually be there. In the physical world. Which is fantastic. Except in the end it isn't.

And so in one episode they're testing a new technology to re-download you; into a cloned physical body.

I dunno, Upload isn't a show I'd necessarily recommend. But it raises some interesting questions. About embodiment. About what it really means to be human. And the guy who gets to test the download, well, spoiler alert, it's all happening on national TV with balloons and streamers; and it doesn't end so well. But the look of joy on the guy's face to have just 30 seconds of embodiment again. Of being there in person. It's priceless.

Which brings us to our key verses. Hebrews chapter 10. Verses 24 and 25.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Now getting out of the habit of meeting together is nothing new. Hebrews: we're not sure who wrote it, we're not sure exactly the year, but let's guess maybe 64 AD. Thirty years after the resurrection. In living memory of Jesus. There were already Jewish Christians who were out of the habit of meeting together. And they needed to get back into it.

Not out of the habit because of COVID. But out of the habit maybe because they were tempted to go back to Judaism. Which is what the letter's all about. Jewish Christians.

Who are tempted to step back to episode 2. And go back under the old covenant. Who are tempted to go back to the temple; and the outdated priesthood. And the outdated sacrifices.

Out of the habit maybe because of the kind of persecution of Christians that was starting to stir up in Rome. Out of the habit maybe because of family pressure. Maybe swayed by theological arguments that said Jesus wasn't a proper high priest at all. And that his sacrifice just wasn't enough.

Whatever the reason. When it came to the regular Christian gatherings. Some of them just weren't turning up any more. Not even by Zoom.

And so in Hebrews chapter 10 there's this very direct reminder. And exhortation. Don't get out of the habit of meeting together. If you're out of it. Make sure you get back in. If you possibly can.

Now again, here's the thing. During COVID, Church Online's been fantastic. And if you're unwell, or if you haven't been able to get to church for a while, it's a lifeline. And for people like you, we're going to keep doing it. In some fresh creative ways.

Because the truth is, meeting together online or even on the phone; is way better than not meeting at all. It's just that it's somehow better together. When we can.

Because it's the best was we can encourage one another. And spur one another on. Toward love and good deeds. Although I've gotta say, that's not always guaranteed, is it?

There's a fascinating Web site where they file secret shopper reports on churches all over the world. First hand mystery visitor accounts of what it's like when you turn up as a first time guest. With standard questions like:

How was the welcome? How were the seats? Through to the big one. Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?

So here's a sample report. From a visit to an American church I picked at random.

Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian? The reviewer says,

It made me feel enormously embarrassed for myself and anyone else who turned up. Most people seemed unhappy to be there.

Now maybe that's sometimes been your experience of our church.

Maybe very little of the sort of encouragement that makes you actually want to stick with it. That makes you glad to be Christian. That gives you the courage to keep at it. I mean, that's literally what encouragement means, isn't it?

And yet you'll notice that our verses from Hebrews, they're not so much talking about what's happening to you or happening for you. But something else.

Not about how entertained you are by the guy up the front. Not about how educated your kids are. By the team out the back. But how encouraging YOU can be. To the people alongside. To one another.

Which isn't just something that comes automatically. It doesn't just happen. Notice the words at the start? And let us consider how we're going to do that.

Back in the 90s Mitsubishi tried to get us to please consider buying their cars. Maybe you did. How long did you think about it?

Hebrews 10 says, please consider. How you can encourage someone else. By meeting together.

I wonder if in these coming weeks leading up to July 26th you might do that. Prayerfully consider. How you might welcome someone. How you might sit with someone new. How you might talk to someone. That you haven't taken time to talk to before.

I've lost track of the number of people who have said to me lately, the Zoom breakout rooms are fantastic. Because I'm getting to talk to people who I've always seen in the distance and never spent the time talking to before.

Why not prayerfully consider... in the lead up to July 26. Who you're going to sit with. Observing correct social distancing. Because it doesn't always have to be your friends. Why not someone you didn't already know. Or someone on their own? And be a friend to them?

Every week, there's going to be the same opportunity. To ask yourself the question, "How can I choose where I sit in a way that's going to be encouraging to someone else?" And it's worth actually prayerfully considering. Every single week.

Look, I know there are people week by week who actually do this. Which is a huge encouragement.

Who look around, and ask the question, is there anyone new today? Or the couple over the side who haven't been for a while. Or the family at the back who have been having a tough time. There are all sorts of ways that where you sit can be an encouragement. Because it shapes where you're going to invest your time and energy. And whether you're going to invest it in encouraging someone else... or in just making sure you're comfortable yourself.

We're very good, aren't we, at looking out for number one.

The insuringYou website. Here's a plug. The tagline is, "For the most important person in the world... You." Which I actually just don't really get when it comes to life insurance. Because you're definitely not the one who'll get to enjoy it.

But apart from that. That's so often the way we do church. I value me and I'm here to get what I want. In which case maybe that's why you're thinking, I'll just keep doing church online because it's just so convenient. It's church where I can get my needs met, I can get a little pre-packaged dose of encouragement with my feet up and a coffee and I don't even have to go out in the car.

There's a profound change involved in getting to the point where we want to say no, we value each other. And we desperately want to encourage one another to grow in Christian maturity in everything we do. To be what we really should be. To grow, in the words of verse 24, in love and good deeds.

Which literally means. Dreaming up with one another good stuff to do through the week. Love and good deeds. Ways to help. People to serve. Ideas for loving people. And saying to each other, lets meet up on Tuesday and go and do it. Spur each other on.

One final tip. If you want to encourage people in love and good deeds, make sure you talk about it when you see people doing it.

I love it when people tell me someone else has done a great job. But don't just tell me... tell them. Second thoughts, tell me as well. 'Cause I love it. And keep an eye out for the kind of people who are good at being at church for others. Instead of for self. Being here for what they can give. Instead of what they can get. Tell them you're noticing. And follow their example.

You know, one of the best things about reading through the survey results the last couple of weeks, was the number of people who said they're keen to serve in the most humble ways.

So much cleaning to do. Spraying with Glen 20 between services. And so just without prompting, you get people like Lisa and Bron and Sally and Jan, and Dave and Deb and Charlie and Michelle; you get Jan and Viv and Glenn and Kathy and Jill and Dianne. And Sarah and Denielle and Maureen and Marg and John and Andrea and Peter and Teagan; who all said, completely unprompted, we're happy to help with the cleaning between services. Just as a way of serving everyone else. Just so people can meet together to encourage one another. To love and good deeds.

So. All I want to say to you today is I hope you haven't got out of the habit. Psychology Professor Susan Krauss Whitbourne says:

Habits are patterns of thought and behaviour that have become automatic. There's a sense of internal momentum that no longer needs conscious fuel to keep it going. But it always starts with learning.

There's always a point of thinking it through and deciding. To build it into your life patterns. And so post COVID... here we are. At exactly that point. With these words in mind. Maybe it'll take you 21 days. Maybe 66. But here's the goal with God's final day in mind...

24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Because meeting together... is always going to be better together. In fact, there's really no other way.