(Readings)
A professor
gave an impassioned lecture on his area of expertise in class. After class a
usually half-asleep-back-row student came up and said “Wow! You take this stuff
seriously!”
People take
stuff they are passionate about seriously. Just look at politics: Democrats and
Republicans, Liberals and Conservatives. They take their stances passionately.
But in that passion, do they live the ideas they express?
In a
restaurant recently, I overheard a man speaking with his coffee break buddies
about the virtues of the Democratic party in his county, He stated he would
rather do something reprehensible than to shake a Republican’s hand much
less vote for one. Then he went into an
elitist and racist tirade against everybody else.
Hearing the
rhetoric shouted by Conservative Republican Christians, I wonder do those words
go together. Christians are to announce the praises and
live the gospel of the one who called then out of
darkness. But, praising Christ and living the gospel can go against many
people who identify as Conservative or Republican or Liberal or Democrat.
Jesus told
us it would even be hard for Christians to praise him and live the gospel. "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy
of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me….”
Democrat or
Republican, Liberal or Conservative, no Christian should ever deny justice to the
poor, the sick, the naked, or the homeless. Every Christian should respect the
life and dignity of every person, unborn, newborn, elderly, terminal, and even
those in prison. For believers to fail
in these is the worst nightmare of our faith.
The media’s
new buzzword is “social justice.” This is not something new, Jesus tells us “Take up your cross and follow me.” For Christians,
social justice is defined by following Christ. Social Justice must be part of who
we are, our faith, and the cross we carry; yet, we fail.
We don’t
care enough. We stand behind fake crosses and ignore what we champion. The cause
of the weak and poor are just papier-mâché crosses we rally behind. We rail
against politicians for in action thinking we are being compassionate but only
place blame and never carry the cross.
We live in
centrally cooled and heated houses with spare rooms and the homeless people are
sleeping outside on pavements. We scrape good food into our garbage disposal, compost
piles, or garbage cans; and, under a bridge on the opposite side of town hungry
people wait in line for handouts. We want more stuff; yet, the tattered person
on the corner scavenged possession fit in a shopping cart. The list can go on
and on…
Good people
say there are agencies; but, can a mentally ill person find safe shelter or a
person with a history find a bed for the night? These will be turned away. And,
the world still stands behind labels, throwing insults and rocks to protests. Even
Christians fail in the responsibility of their faith.
In all our
passion, do we do more than just ask, “Can something be
done for them?” The answer is “Yes!”
Whoever
gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because the
little one is a disciple— amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his
reward."
Instead of
going out to the incarnate suffering world to bring relief, most find it easier
to argue, oppose, critique, judge, and evaluate those in need or those who
don’t agree. But those of us, “…baptized into Christ
Jesus are baptized into his death. If we have
died with Christ, we shall live with him.” We are to live His ministry, his works, his
caring, and his mercy. Most of all, we are baptized into his love.
My worst
nightmare is for all of us to go through life as half-asleep-back-row
Christians speaking justice, bringing none. The Lord takes this stuff
seriously. “And whoever does not take up his cross and
follow after me is not worthy of me.” It is time for us to take our faith
seriously.
Yall be
good, yall be holy and preach the gospel by the way you live and love. Amen.
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