The Jamaica Baptist Union has just completed its 170th Annual Assembly So what does this mean? The JBU is over 170 years old, or put another way, it is over 170 years since the Union has been meeting together as a family of Baptists. That’s a pretty long time. It may be of interest to some of us while to others, it means nothing at all.
To those of us who lived in the country we will recall the many times we left our rural communities, journeying to Kingston, getting up early on Sunday morning to get to East Queen Street Baptist Church where the meetings were held in the 70’s. there was meaningful participation as we sung on the national youth choirs, collected our Sunday School Exam certificates and had good fellowship with friends from home and from other churches.
What is the meaning for us today? As the JBU met under the theme “Keeping Faith with the Word in an ever-Changing world: Reaffirming Identity. Perhaps it is not accidental that we are considering this theme at this time. It is quite timely and necessary for us to remind ourselves of who we are. As Christian believers, as Baptists and as Barbicanites. But is any of this changing? Is any of this still relevant? Does any of this makes sense? Hopefully the fact that a Christian group was meeting to celebrate their God, to worship and to renew their commitment to God should certainly mean something. Or, we are at that place where we hear of so many Christian groups having Conventions, and Assemblies, and Synods that we just shrug and say, another one of them?
But should it not matter as believers that another Christian group is reaffirming their faith in God; is standing in solidarity with the poor; is passing resolutions about the need for justice in our society; the need to reduce and eliminate corruption from our midst, from church, government, schools, business and every area of our lives? Should it not matter that a Christian denomination should stand publicly and denounce those who violate and abuse our women and children? Should it not make a difference if this group should publicly challenge its members to make a difference in their lives, by rejecting violence and embrace peace; to mourn and lament with those who mourn? Just thinking, that if you are a believer then these prophetic utterances should appeal. That is not taking us too far from the theme, “Keeping faith with the word in an ever-changing world. As this is what
the prophets of old would declare, ‘what does the Lord require of us, but to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Some of that was said at the Assembly.
But the theme should not only remind us to reaffirm our identity as believers, as people of the word, but also as Baptists. Does that make a difference in a society where there are so many non-brand name denominations? Does it matter in a post-modern society where loyalty is a virtue of the past? Does it matter in an age where the Christian religion is served on a smorgasbord (buffet line) marketed through the media allowing everyone to sample to their taste and satisfaction. Who are the Baptists and who cares? And perhaps this is the time for our denomination not to lose face but to continue to declare and reaffirm that we are a body anchored to the word, committed to declaring the truth, and committed to loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbours as ourselves. This is the time, not to sing a funeral dirge, but join in a song of
renewal, of liberation and victory. It’s a time to remind ourselves of what we stand for as Baptists and to remain proud of our heritage.
And somewhere in the theme is a challenge to reaffirm our identity as Barbicanites. We are celebrating 100 years this year. Barbican has been a little church on the hill over all these years. It has produced some fearless lay and ordained leaders. Leaders who were not afraid to be different; who were not afraid to take Jesus seriously and sacrifice all they had for the ministry; leaders who had a vision and who lived out that vision, leaders who used all their gifts for the glory of God and the promotion of his work in this community. How are we building on this legacy today? What are we leaving for the generation to come? I ask you to judge as we seriously reaffirm our identity. Will the Lord find us wanting as we are weighed in the balance?
Think on these things.
Your Pastor.
March 2020.