11th October 2009
Preacher: The Rev'd Dr Nigel Leaves, Associate Priest
Theme: We have killed him: you and I

This coming Thursday – October 15 th – marks the 165 th anniversary of one of the most influential philosophers of all time. The day will probably be ignored by most people as philosophers tend to be dismissed as unproductive and dysfunctional. But, in fact, this philosopher’s ideas have had an enormous influence on Western cultural thought; and he deserves a mention as his ideas still live on. He was the son of a Lutheran pastor and his name was Friedrich Nietzsche and he became famous (or infamous) for one parable in a book called TheJoyous Science. It is the parable of a man who runs into a crowded market-place shouting: “I seek God, I seek God.” The bystanders think that he had gone mad and taunt him – “Where has God gone – has he run away or even emigrated?” The man glares back: “Where has God gone?” “I mean to tell you: we have killed him; you and I.”

You might be wondering what this parable has to do with us here in Brisbane this morning as we journey in faith on yet another (19 th) Sunday after Pentecost. But just ponder those final words of the parable: “We have killed him: you and I.” They strike at the heart of the crisis of belief in God that is found not only in this country where less than 2million people across the churches attend on a regular basis but throughout the Western world. “We have killed God: you and I.”

So, what have people replaced God with? What do we now worship more than God? If I took a straw poll of answers from this congregation the usual replies would be: “Money/Wealth,” “Greed,” “Sport,” “Television,” “The Internet/Twitter/Facebook,” “Sex” and so on…. In some sense that might be true but the answers point towards something else. This morning I want to propose that the new religious object, for most people, is a small four letter word that begins with L and ends with E. You are probably all saying “Love” (a very religious word), but you would be wrong. No – the new religious object – the thing we now worship more than ever is LIFE .

And this is revealed in our ordinary, everyday language. Think of how we now describe life by the words we use. We have “respect for life,” there is “the sanctity of life,” “the holiness of life.” We tell people to “get a life” or “get the most out of life.” What have you heard this week after such appalling tragedies in Indonesia , Samoa and the Philippines : “that life must go on?” We tell our children to “make the most of their lives,” and that they “have the whole of lives before them” and that today is “the first day of the rest of your life.” We give someone the “kiss of life.” We say that “life’s like that,” or “life is a lottery.” There is a “mystery to life” and we are warned that “you only live once” and “live one day at a time” and we give thanks for “the miracle of life.”

All the traditional attributes of God – mystery, awe, creation, wonder – are now put squarely on to “life.” Consider a funeral service: the emphasis is now not on the commendation of the soul of the deceased as in the 1662 Prayer Book; but in the affirmation and celebration of a person’s life. We even rename the funeral service as “A Thanksgiving service for the life of…” What is the central act of the ceremony? It not the Sermon (if indeed one is preached) but the Eulogy – words spoken about the life of the deceased by a friend or relative. And the coffin is adorned with mementoes and photos of the person as they were known in life.

More than half the funerals in Australia are conducted not by ministers of religion but by “Life-centred” celebrants. Likewise, weddings and baptisms are favoured in the open air, rather than in a church. Baptisms are replaced by naming ceremonies in the back garden but are really “thanksgiving for a new life” ceremonies and weddings are conducted “in the midst of life” – by the ocean, in country/sporting clubs or in public open spaces. All this is happening on our very doorsteps and in front of our very eyes. This would have been unthinkable fifty years ago. Yes – for the majority of Australians God has not only been killed but replaced by life.

All well and good, you are thinking. Not a bad analysis, but you’ve missed one thing. Isn’t God invoked when there is danger or trouble? Isn’t the expletive: “O God!” really a cry for help and a recognition that there is something more that undergirds the Universe? When the airplane is about to crash or the chips are down don’t people cry out for God to intervene? You would be correct, but only half correct! Think for a moment what in fact people are uttering when they cry out “God save me!” What are they asking for? More often and not they cry out to be given prolonged existence here on earth – they want more of this life. They do not want the orthodox Christian belief of resting in the loving arms of God. They do not want, as the repentant thief is recorded as saying: “to be with you in paradise.”

Do you all remember that prayer that was traditionally said by children at bedtime: “And should I die ere I wake I pray the Lord my soul shall take.” That is not what most people want today. And the reason is clear because people have not accepted the doctrine of eternal life. They would not ask that question posed by the rich man in St Mark’s Gospel this morning. Most want this life more than reward in heaven because for most people there is only heaven here. There is only this life and “let’s get the most of it” people declare. Yes, in Australia , Nietzsche’s message is very much alive: “We have killed him: you and I.”

So, can the tide be stopped and can Christianity once again appeal to people to put God at the centre of their lives? People talk about the secularization of society but it really should be the sacralazation of life. People have made life holy. The major, perhaps, the only challenge that faces us as Christians is to reverse the trend and put the “God-talk”, not “life talk” back into everyday speech. Otherwise, numbers will continue to fall and: “last one out please turn off the lights.”

This is where the education work of the Cathedral must begin. The vision before us is to provide educational forums where we can re-connect with the God who is at the centre of all things. In the ensuing months and years I trust that we can begin to establish courses and programs where we can explore our theology – our God-talk – and our spirituality – our relationship with God. What does it mean to be God-people in the midst of this city? What is the future of our faith? How does our spirituality connect with what we do in our daily lives? I hope next year to begin a spirituality series on Wednesdays of “Wasting Time with God” when we explore such topics like spirituality and art, poetry, music, the media, health, politics, education and the like. Wasting time with God – now there’s a thing!

We have a wonderful completed Cathedral, but it is an empty shell if it does not speak to its 4millon inhabitants. The Church needs to reconnect with the culture in which it stands in order to present its message to its people. I wonder if in the Church we have become fixated too much on providing a sense of community that we have forgotten that it is God in Jesus that we proclaim. How many sermons do you hear that are actually “theological?” How often do we talk about God to each other or to our friends?

Friedrich Nietzsche might turn 165 years old on Thursday but his parable is still a timely wake-up call to the Church. For many Australians in 2009 God is now obsolete and not part of the conversation. For those of us who still cling to God then we have a lot of explaining to do and plenty of God-talk to promote. I hope that you will join me in that conversation with the One to whom we ascribe all might majesty and power: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Reverend Dr Nigel Leaves
St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane