When did religion bashing become a part of our political process? I feel more like Andy Rooney than a religion columnist, but I feel I must speak out against this insanity! Maybe my readers are as fed up as I am. What is up with this? Where is our civility? Where is our integrity? Where is our dignity? Where is our respect for ourselves and others? Where is our humanity?
When the disciples came to Jesus wanting to intimidate and/or ignore the Samaritans, a sect of Judaism that worshipped differently than the predominant one, he would have nothing of it. When he spoke out against the pharisees, he only objected to the fact that they were hypocrites, not their religion per se. In the Old Testament, laws admonish the Hebrews to be kind to the strangers and foreigners among them, even equating them with widows and orphans for special care. In the book of Hebrews, Christians are instructed to welcome those who are different from themselves because they may have been messengers sent from God. The prophet Jeremiah says, "This is what the Lord says: Be fair-minded and just. Do what is right! ...Quit your evil deeds! Do not mistreat foreigners, orphans, and widows." Jer. 22:3 NLT Yet on television, radio and any venue they can find, politicians are parading about making fun of the foreigners, those with different religions, and those who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, which, in case they may have forgotten, IS EVERY LAST ONE OF US ON THE PLANET! (paraphrase of Romans 3:23) When did it become their job to sit in judgment on someone else's sin?
As Christ-followers, we are resident aliens in this world anyway. We are working to bring about heaven on earth, but our citizenship is in heaven. In the Bible he instructs us clearly to treat even strangers and foreigners with the utmost respect, and each other with even more respect.
“For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt." Deuteronomy 10:17-19 NLT. How then can we treat people of a different race or creed like they were somehow inferior to our race or creed? If God shows no partiality, how dare we? So what if Romney is Mormon? So what if Cain is African American? So what if there's a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater running for office? They're all children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and worthy to be treated with respect and dignity. When did it become en vogue to be potty-mouthed smarty pants and come out of it looking holier than thou?
I'm saddened by the muck-raking, mud-slinging that passes for debates these days. I'm praying for transparency and honesty. I'll settle for tolerance and respect. Hopefully the Women's League of Voter's "Meet the Candidates" Forum here in Waxhaw will be just that next Thursday. Join me in praying for our local, state and national elections and all the rigamarole leading up to them. It's enough to make you lose your ....religion.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Cleanliness Really is Godly
"Cleanliness is next to godliness." These words are usually spoken to me when I am being neither clean nor godly. Usually by some parental figure. Usually when I am least responsive to hearing it. However, the other day as I cleaned house, I found myself thinking it through for the first time. And theologizing about the whole concept of cleaning.
I clean house on Fridays, my day off from the church. I have a routine. It's a discipline. And for me, when I don't keep to my discipline, I feel out of sorts and overwhelmed. I even clean house before I leave on vacation because I like to come home to a clean house. My friends and family find this rather OCD. I find it comforting.
You see, in this chaotic, helter-skelter world, it's nice to know that all the dust can be conquered, if only for a day. All the dog hair can be overcome, if only for a few hours. Everything can be in its place. And my little world can smell fresh and clean, feel safe and secure, and I find great comfort in that.
It's the same way in my spiritual disciplines. In my chaotic inner self, it's nice to know that all the cobwebs can be cleared out, if only while I focus on the Word. All the insanity can be stilled, if only while in prayer. And my interior world can feel renewed and clean, forgiven and reassured.
"Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and put a new and right spirit within me." Psalm 51:9-11, NLT. This Psalm reminds us that we need to clean our hearts on a regular basis, and we need God's help to do so. Our spirits get dingy and dirty, and we need help getting them "right" again. Only God can do this for us. He's the sacred Mr. Clean Magic Eraser! There's no heart-stain he can't remove, and no heart-pain he can't heal. But we have to be willing to submit ourselves to his discipline to receive this cleaned-up, healed-up heart. And that's when we find ourselves right next to God himself. And THAT'S how cleanliness IS next to Godliness!
I clean house on Fridays, my day off from the church. I have a routine. It's a discipline. And for me, when I don't keep to my discipline, I feel out of sorts and overwhelmed. I even clean house before I leave on vacation because I like to come home to a clean house. My friends and family find this rather OCD. I find it comforting.
You see, in this chaotic, helter-skelter world, it's nice to know that all the dust can be conquered, if only for a day. All the dog hair can be overcome, if only for a few hours. Everything can be in its place. And my little world can smell fresh and clean, feel safe and secure, and I find great comfort in that.
It's the same way in my spiritual disciplines. In my chaotic inner self, it's nice to know that all the cobwebs can be cleared out, if only while I focus on the Word. All the insanity can be stilled, if only while in prayer. And my interior world can feel renewed and clean, forgiven and reassured.
"Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and put a new and right spirit within me." Psalm 51:9-11, NLT. This Psalm reminds us that we need to clean our hearts on a regular basis, and we need God's help to do so. Our spirits get dingy and dirty, and we need help getting them "right" again. Only God can do this for us. He's the sacred Mr. Clean Magic Eraser! There's no heart-stain he can't remove, and no heart-pain he can't heal. But we have to be willing to submit ourselves to his discipline to receive this cleaned-up, healed-up heart. And that's when we find ourselves right next to God himself. And THAT'S how cleanliness IS next to Godliness!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The Times, They are A-Changin'
I've heard it said that the only thing constant in this world is change. My life certainly proves that to be true. I'm typing this column on a laptop, using a blog, and submitting it by email to my editor. Laptops, blogs and email have all come into being since I graduated from college (and, no, I'm not THAT old). Cell phones, blu-rays, cds, and DVDs - all happened in my lifetime.
You'd think we'd all get better, then, at embracing change. Yet, most seem to oppose it with every fiber of their being. I'm finding that the more rapidly things change around me, the more I seem to resist. Yahoo! changed my mailbox. Internet Explorer changed and I still can't figure out how to do half the things I used to do! What I used to find exciting and challenging is now sometimes overwhelming and tiresome.
God is all about change. God looked into the void, envisioned creation, spoke a Word, and it came to be. God's son shook up the whole religious and political order of His time, and changed the world forever. The Spirit moves among us and through us and changes our hearts and lives, empowering us to be the change that brings about the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
God's presence changes despair into hope. God's love changes enemies into friends. God's economy changes swords into plowshares. God's politics changes sinners into saints. God changes the world one person, one heart, one life at a time.
And we humans, we resist - kicking and screaming, digging our heels into the muck and mire we've made of our lives. We forget or don't care or don't get it. We miss the point - that God is changing us for the better. That each time we put God in charge we change - and it is very, very good. We are the eighth day of God's creative Word at work in the world. God's original blessing continues on each time we submit to be changed.
It's always seemed so strange to me that we will go out and buy the latest gadget and technology and make ourselves learn to use it, no matter how much we have to change our way of living. Yet, the tried and tested, true and reliable means of grace, like prayer and fasting, we cannot learn or master because it's just too hard to change...
You'd think we'd all get better, then, at embracing change. Yet, most seem to oppose it with every fiber of their being. I'm finding that the more rapidly things change around me, the more I seem to resist. Yahoo! changed my mailbox. Internet Explorer changed and I still can't figure out how to do half the things I used to do! What I used to find exciting and challenging is now sometimes overwhelming and tiresome.
God is all about change. God looked into the void, envisioned creation, spoke a Word, and it came to be. God's son shook up the whole religious and political order of His time, and changed the world forever. The Spirit moves among us and through us and changes our hearts and lives, empowering us to be the change that brings about the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
God's presence changes despair into hope. God's love changes enemies into friends. God's economy changes swords into plowshares. God's politics changes sinners into saints. God changes the world one person, one heart, one life at a time.
And we humans, we resist - kicking and screaming, digging our heels into the muck and mire we've made of our lives. We forget or don't care or don't get it. We miss the point - that God is changing us for the better. That each time we put God in charge we change - and it is very, very good. We are the eighth day of God's creative Word at work in the world. God's original blessing continues on each time we submit to be changed.
It's always seemed so strange to me that we will go out and buy the latest gadget and technology and make ourselves learn to use it, no matter how much we have to change our way of living. Yet, the tried and tested, true and reliable means of grace, like prayer and fasting, we cannot learn or master because it's just too hard to change...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)