Pentecost 21 Year C Sermon
The Council of the Elders
Title slide
As he prepares to enter Jerusalem for the last time from the mountain overlooking the city…Jesus warns his followers…as they gaze across at the magnificent of the Temple… Jesus warns them of a day that’s coming
…when no stone would be left standing…
in Israel’s holiest place.
in Israel’s holiest place.
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And Jesus asks them… no matter how bad things get …
to keep their eyes on him and their hearts on his teaching…to watch for him…. in the unclean of this world…to look for him… in the prisoner… the sick
and the hungry. [pause]
and the hungry. [pause]
The age of the old Mosaic covenant… was coming to an end. And in the days that follow…
as Jesus celebrates the Passover with his friends…
as Jesus celebrates the Passover with his friends…
he will constitute a people… of a new covenant.
Map with Paul slide
Forty years later… when Jerusalem and the Temple finally fall to the Romans … Jesus apostles…
inspired by the coming of the Holy Spirit…
will already have been at work … right across the Empire… throughout the whole world as they knew it…
planting new cells of Jesus’ follower…
trying to carry out God’s purposes of love…
trying to carry out God’s purposes of love…
proclaiming the good news of God’s desire…
to reconcile all humanity…all creation…to himself.
Elders slide
In these clusters of Jesus followers…some were set apart for special tasks… in the service of the Christian community. Some as Apostles and some as Elders…as it tells us in the book of Acts
Antioch map
1In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting…
the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me…Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I’ve called them." 3So after they’d fasted and prayed,
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting…
the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me…Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I’ve called them." 3So after they’d fasted and prayed,
Word slide
‘they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
Elders slide
From the start…the movement was steeped in Jewish history and tradition… their founder… their chief rabbi and master… was Jesus of Nazareth…
whose interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures
would be their yoke…and whose teaching would be the good news they spread.
whose interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures
would be their yoke…and whose teaching would be the good news they spread.
And just as their ancestors had done from the time of Moses…
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‘with prayer and fasting they appointed elders in each church and committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.’
Acts 14:23
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And just as they’d done during the Exile in Babylon… from the earliest days of the Christian church…
the Elders exercised a collective authority…
among God’s people.
They formed councils of equals…
to discern the will of God…
to oversee the spiritual health of the faith community… and ensure its future well being.
the Elders exercised a collective authority…
among God’s people.
They formed councils of equals…
to discern the will of God…
to oversee the spiritual health of the faith community… and ensure its future well being.
From the time of the Babylonian exile…
every synagogue elected a
every synagogue elected a
word slide
council of Elders… a gerusia 
in Hebrew
in Hebrew or a presbuteron in Greek…
appointed by the people to be their leaders.
appointed by the people to be their leaders.
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From time to time a great assembly of Elders would be called… to meet in the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Greek word for this was Sanhedrin.
And the Roman’s did their best to dismantle its sweeping authority …by breaking up Palestine…
into five provinces with their own Sanhedrin. [pause]
The Greek word for this was Sanhedrin.
And the Roman’s did their best to dismantle its sweeping authority …by breaking up Palestine…
into five provinces with their own Sanhedrin. [pause]
And while the Bible portrays various forms of government in the early church… it’s easy to see our own Presbyterian form of government in the Jewish roots of the Christian movement. Even the name Presbyterian is rooted in the ancient Greek word presbuterion…. the New Testament word for the collective [never individual] authority…
of the Council of Elders.
of the Council of Elders.
But by the end of the second century a common pattern develops… where a bishop presides over a group of churches…where one person has personal authority over their leaders. And a threefold ministry is emerges of Bishop, Priest and Deacon.
And by the end of the third century…when the Roman Emperor Constantine converts to Christianity…
he declares the whole Empire to be Christian…
by decree…
and slowly the church takes on…
the character of an imperial hierarchy.
For one thousand five hundred years…this imperial pattern holds… until finally its weaknesses and abuse of power… would lead a priest called Martin Luther…
to nail his protest to the Cathedral door…
And there begins the protestant…
the protestant reformation… of which we are a part …
the protestant reformation… of which we are a part …
So when we look around our town… at the six churches who work so wonderfully together …
it’s clear we’re all trying…to be faithful followers of Jesus… working in our own way to make disciples… and express God’s purposes of love…in service to our community…
In our unity as Christians…what sets us apart from one another… isn’t what we believe…
but how we chose to govern ourselves.
but how we chose to govern ourselves.
In the Presbyterian Church there is no higher office than Elder. Authority is collectively vested… in the Council of Elders… we call Session….
Some Elders like myself are called by God
and by the church… to be teaching elders…
others are called by God and by the church…
Some Elders like myself are called by God
and by the church… to be teaching elders…
others are called by God and by the church…
to the office of ruling elder…to exercise along with me … spiritual and missional vision
and provide discipline when it’s needed.
and provide discipline when it’s needed.
Our Council of Elders is subordinate to regional council’s of elders… called Presbytery …remember the presbuteron…and here our Elders are represented… Presbytery is in turn subordinate to our national council of elders…remember the Sanhedrin…
And this national council is called the General Assembly.
Our form of church government provides a way of living together where the concerns and initiatives of all members are taken seriously. And any member of this church… can appeal our decisions… all the way to the General Assembly.
We’re accountable to the whole church… and to you…
to ensure our mission and resources are used strategically and responsibly…in faithfulness to God’s purposes of love.
Having seen my brothers and sisters in other churches… flounder under different systems…
I believe our form of government…
is one of our denomination’s greatest strengths. [pause]
Throughout the church there’s a desire for passionately committed… and faithful leadership.
People are crying out for servant leaders who are willing to lead by example. All those who accept God’s call to Eldership… are ordained to the office.
And so today… as our ancestors have for thousands of years…we will ordain Rena Cowie and Rob Davis with the laying on of hands.
People are crying out for servant leaders who are willing to lead by example. All those who accept God’s call to Eldership… are ordained to the office.
And so today… as our ancestors have for thousands of years…we will ordain Rena Cowie and Rob Davis with the laying on of hands.
