As Canadians we tend to be proud of our citizenship, identifying with our country’s good features and history, perhaps contrasting it positively with the citizenships of countries less enlightened than ourselves. About ten years ago, when Canadian passports were much easier to alter, I remember being told, “Look after your Canadian passport well, it is worth $20,000 on the black market”. We like and we need human citizenships, human homes, and human identities.
Similarly, we might ask, where is our real home? Our house or apartment where we live with family and pets? Or perhaps a club or organization where we feel at home and to which we have given much loyalty? Or perhaps even this parish?
Similarly, who are we, what is our identity? Perhaps we have an identity based on our profession or place in the family or family history. Perhaps we have an identity based on nationality, or gender or age or sexual orientation. Perhaps we have an identity based on our religious views.
Paul reminds us in the first lesson that as Christians we give a different answer first, before we move on to those important answers. Paul writes, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ”.
Before any human citizenship, as Christians, we are “citizens of heaven”, brought into that divine citizenship through our Baptisms. Likewise, before our earthly homes, our home is heaven; and before any earthly identity, our true identity is “Christ’s own, forever”, the words said as we are sealed at Baptism.
All of our other citizenships, homes, identities, are rooted and grounded in this heavenly citizenship, in which our lives are brought into Christ’s life and transformed by it.
In the lesson Paul makes reference to those “whose minds are set on earthly things”, “whose God is their belly”, those who seek an earthly glory that is really deeply shameful. Instead, Paul reminds the Philippians to imitate himself in bearing the Cross of Christ and loving with Christ-like love.
Aware that our primary citizenship is heaven, that we are Christ’s own above all others, we are transformed into the glory of Christ; the sin falls away and the new redeemed humanity appears.
It is because of this heavenly citizenship, which Paul sees all Christians sharing, that he is so opposed to factions and cliques in the churches he visits. Our citizenship in Christ transforms us from adversaries and rivals into friends and co-workers.
So as we approach our annual Vestry meeting, it is good to remind ourselves of our heavenly citizenship in Christ; and that discussions, decisions and our whole life as a parish is that of a kind of outpost of heavenly citizenship here on earth or, as Scripture also has it, the Reign or Kingdom of God.
I have always been fascinated that, apparently in international law, the building or office in which an embassy is located is regarded as the sovereign territory of that country whose embassy it is. So visiting, say, the Russian Embassy in Ottawa, one has left Canada and is on sovereign Russian territory. Perhaps we should regard our parishes that way: that when we step into the church, we step into a different citizenship, a different territory, a divine one. When we consecrate a church building, we give it this status. But, of course, that heavenly citizenship is with us wherever we are, and not just in this building.
An earthly citizenship involves paying taxes, enforcing the law through police, perhaps keeping a standing army for self-defence, and a certain level of political conflict as different interests try to assert their power. An earthly citizenship may involve an ideology, such as Marxism in Cuba or democracy in the US or Canada and the nation is mobilized to defend it. An earthly citizenship is political and strives for power.
Heavenly citizenship is different. The goal is participating in and sharing God’s love in Jesus Christ. Instead of rivalry and competition, there is sharing and cooperation. The poor and powerless are not forgotten or shunted aside; they are valued and given particular honour. Heavenly citizenship regards and respects the “other” as a subject whose views are to be respected, rather than ridden roughshod over. Latin American Liberation Theology speaks of a “preferential option for the poor”.
Heavenly citizenship is also the foundation for beautiful worship, beautiful music and beautiful architecture. The communication of heavenly citizenship is prayer and sharing of insights rooted in the Holy Spirit. Heavenly citizenship gives us confidence and restores us as the image of Christ.
But heavenly citizenship does not make us powerless. In the second lesson, Christ, the premier citizen of heaven, so to speak, is warned that the earthly political power, King Herod, is about to come to arrest him for the miracles he is performing. Jesus is contemptuous: “tell that fox”, he says, that he, Jesus, knows what he is doing; that he is working his way to Jerusalem where he knows he will meet his death; but in the meantime he will continue to heal and cast out demons. The earthly political state has no real power over heavenly citizenship.
Indeed, as citizens of heaven we are called to help transform the nations of the world (starting with our own) into communities that better reflect the citizenship of heaven. And it works. For example, for the last four years churches have been joining doctors and nurses in asking the federal government that medical services be restored to refugees to Canada; many of us in the diocese picketed for that. And now, last week, the medical services have been restored.
Our neighbourhoods, our social organizations, our political parties, our families, our workplaces – whatever group we are involved with – need whatever element of heavenly citizenship we can bring to them. Marks of that citizenship are the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, patience, goodness, kindness, forgiveness, gentleness. Of course, those fruits of our heavenly citizenship must be with us in the parish in our relations with one another; and then they move out with us to those we meet day by day: to our various earthly citizenships, homes and identities.
As we prepare to discuss and make decisions about the life of this parish for the next year, may we remember that we are all, first, citizens of heaven, and it is that heavenly citizenship that we are concerned with as we make our decisions and live out our Christian vocation and vocations in the year ahead. Thanks be to God!
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