“Religion is one of the safest places to hide from God.”
Richard Rohr
That just about sums it up. There is something about being a good “religious” person that makes us feel good. In many ways it is like a “to-do” list. Our goal is to get everything checked off by the end of the day or week and then we feel a sense of accomplishment…
The language of violence, hate and fear permeate every level of our public conversation.
We cannot avoid it. We cannot tune it out. We cannot pretend it is OK.
If, as children, we had used the kind of insulting and degrading language flowing out of our highest public offices today, our parents and grandparents would have washed out mouths out with soap. (For those under 35 or 40, yes, that was a real thing). Now we consider such language normal. Racially charged insults have moved from the margins of low-bar comedy to the height of political discourse. Degrading the poor or disabled is no longer frowned upon. The so—called “locker-room talk” teenage boys were supposed to outgrow as they learned to respect women has now become a normal part of the workplace and the media…
Those whom we call “sinners”, God calls “beloved.” Those whom we call “tax collectors”, Jesus calls “friend.”
I find it striking that Jesus never refers to people as “sinners.” This does not mean that people do not sin, nor does it excuse their sin. What it does imply is that people are not ultimately identified or defined by their sin. As Jesus said, let the one who is without sin cast the first stone…
Last week we acknowledged the cloud that seems to loom over us even when we try to live out our normal ordinary lives in peace. It is a cloud of fear, of despair, of anger, of blame, of hatred and of outrage. Even in our best attempts to go on with life-as-usual, this cloud reminds us that we are not OK.
It’s like having a great time on vacation and coming back to realize the sky in all your photos looks gloomy because it never stopped raining. The rain may not have stopped you from enjoying the trip, but it likely had a significant impact on your plans and your mood while you were there, even if you tried not to notice.
In the past, such clouds moved in during seasons of great tragedy or turmoil, and then life would go back to normal. Wars and conflicts came and went. The stock market rose and fell and rose again. So-called leaders would fight out their opinions in campaign rallies and debates, the people would vote, and then we would all go home for a nice family dinner and that would be the end of it.
Not anymore…
It’s all about people. It’s always been about people. When it comes to people, there’s only one thing that really matters.
Every person is created in the image of a God who deeply loves him or her.
I am created in the image of a God who deeply loves me.
You are created in the image of a God who deeply loves you.
Your neighbor is created in the image of a God who deeply loves him or her.
Your enemy is created in the image of a God who deeply loves him or her.
Get the point yet? …
… Relationships matter.
Love of one another bridges the barrier between us and a loving God.
First, my apologies to any English teachers out there. I know the word “okay-ness” is not OK. Nevertheless, this “not OK” word reflects the “not OK” reality we live in.
Describing the holiday season of 2019, Dan Rather shared the following on Facebook…
It seems familiar, but the backdrop is not. Friends and family travel and gather. There are cold wars between warring factions who share the same last name…
Walking amidst the jostle of busy shopping streets, with overcoat wrapped tight against the cold, I can feel the nervousness beneath the mirth…
- Dan Rather, December 21, 2019…
Here we sit on the 8th day of Christmas and most of the world has moved on. Our calendar tells us that a more immediate holiday has arrived… New Years Day, 2020.
Yes, it’s a new year. Yes, it’s even a new decade.
We have resolutions to make and break. We have houses to clean. We have bank accounts to reconcile and credit cards to pay after Christmas. We have decorations to put away, assuming they have not already found their way into our basements and attics. And by now, school can’t start soon enough for most parents…
… How do we respond when our desires for security, approval and control are triggered?
Are we even aware when these desires become the driving force behind our actions?
As this year comes to a close, let us examine our hearts and prepare to respond as Jesus did. Rather than allowing our desire for security, approval and control to define us and drive our behaviors, let us simply learn to quiet our restless hearts and find grace at the center.
We often think of Zechariah’s silence as a punishment or consequence of his doubt. In Luke 1:20, we read: “because you didn’t believe, you will remain silent, unable to speak until the day when these things happen.”
Yes, the silence is a result of Zechariah’s unbelief, but nowhere does it say he is being punished. What if in fact the silence was a gift, a difficult gift to be sure, but a gift nonetheless. For it is in this silence that Zechariah’s faith grows beyond measure. When he is again able to speak, he can only speak the prophetic words of the Lord which the Holy Spirit had written on his heart all those months. Silence clears out the rambling chaos of our minds and fills the emptiness with the Word which speaks all of Creation into being.
As Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, “It is silence in which God in known and through the silence of His mysteries that God declares Himself to us…”
