Salvation

How would God save?

Welcome and song

“Someone’s Laughing, Lord, Kumbayah…”

Repeat with crying, praying and singing

Mark 2.16-17

16And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

17When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

When Christians talk about animal rights with other Christians, there are involved Christians who consume animals and exploit them as well as those who do not. Are vegan Christians to eat with non-vegan Christians? If you are not vegan yet, it might seem a bit too exclusive to not eat with others, like a secret club, though for many it is simply upsetting to watch another being eaten. The violence in family homes where products of violence are brought in can feel oppressive for vegans, still to be vegan we do not have to take on the role of living in a sanctuary, even if some do.

Jesus was not a monk living with only holy people. He came to save the sick. God does already reward those who don’t destroy, as those who don’t consume animals who can praise Him are often blessed with good health. But Jesus didn’t come to cure the healthy. His reply to the Pharisees who criticised Him for eating with tax collectors was to say just this; He came to cure the sick.

We should remember that being vegan is about more than dieting - it is about not destroying or harming animals in all senses. One may walk with people wearing animal skins - animal skin products cause destruction and harm, still, though we walk, let us show all a way of not destroying.

At the last supper, in terms of food, Jesus at the time famously taught us to eat bread and drink wine to remember Him by and Jesus, by example, ate no lamb. However the last supper is not about food alone for Jesus. There were others in the Passover festival involved with eating lambs but Jesus also focused for a while on washing His disciples’ feet using a towel that He was wearing and water:

John 13 5-8

5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

From God’s point of view, the life in all His creatures is about all elements of life and living.

Jesus did suffer for others’ sins. The cup He drinks from was not an easy one as in forgiving sins He suffered and died. When we are asked to take up a cross for Jesus it is not a light task of only being pure ourselves. Destruction is outside of ourselves if we are already vegan, and to forgive the sins of others is a hard burden.

There is joy as when people are gathered in Jesus’ name the Holy Spirit is there. For some Christians this is enough for happiness in their own salvation. However Jesus did not come to be clean but to cleanse others. Importantly after cleansing others from sin He asked the cleansed themselves to embrace repentance.

This word is at the end of the Mark 2.17 verse

“I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

This is sometimes overlooked by Christians trusting in their own righteousness. Overlooking this results in a consequence - thinking it is okay to destroy or hurt others as there will be more forgiveness waiting for you. Whether God will forgive or not is not in our control - we are asked to repent from sin. For the victims of the consumption of animals, this overlooking of repentance results in exploitation and slaughter.

Faith healing

Let us think of faith healers who cleanse spirits for people in Jesus’ name. Once the unforgiving spirits of killed creatures are cleansed from someone’s body there is still need for repentance from the one who is healed. As God gave us free will there needs to be a will in us to follow Christ to be healed. After baptism, for example, we are asked to promise to ‘turn to Christ’. To turn to Christ we need to repent of our sins and turn away from the nets of destruction.

Hypocrisy

If Christians see hypocrisy in other Christians sometimes it can have the effect of making them even lose their faith. For example when things do not work out justly in wars, and when those who are not Christian seem to be living more justly by living in peace. In this example maybe the warring Christians are not expressing the true will of God and misinterpreting the stories in the Bible where war occurs as if it is God’s will for people to start wars. I suggest this was never God’s true will.

Likewise, vegans should not lose their faith in God just because other Christians destroy and harm creatures. In comparison to wars there there is hope that even one person being vegan very easily saves hundreds of lives, but also this easiness of simple healthy abstinence from the killing and exploitation highlights how unnecessary animal exploitation is, which can also induce feelings of exasperation.

As Jesus taught us, let us simply read the words of the Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

Amen

Jesus calls us to pray and talk to God for our own forgiveness.

Now when we realise that we are forgiven, let us also remember repentance.

We are not only here for purity but to let others pray too. One is not the only person or creature ever to have called out to God. We use the pronoun ‘us’ in the Lord’s prayer as a simple plural meaning more than one. When many stop killing and exploiting, even more are saved. This is how we may call out to God to save others - for God to reveal His peace to others as well as ourselves so there is no killing and harming of any creature or person. It is through Jesus that sins can be forgiven and through letting every creature call out to God for salvation that many are saved.

Let us praise God in song

Jesus I love calling your name.. (repeat) You are worthy to Be praised

Jesus we love You Jesus we love You (repeat) The sweetest name we know

Jesus we love calling your name.. (repeat) name above all names