Let's Be Humble on Father's Day

Image taken from Bakken-Young.com

All right y’all, we gotta have a conversation now. I am gonna talk about some stuff that is on my heart after worship service this morning. Pastor Ben brought it home, speaking about how we are behaving, treating one another, whether we are loving or whether we are excluding people right now. His message was from the perspective of recognizing how we treat those of different races than our own, and obviously you all know that I gel with that as it has literally consumed most every post on my blog the past few months, but this morning, I am reminded again about how I present myself…and how I speak and preach, especially toward those who disagree with me or toward those whose perspectives I hope to challenge.

Jesus ministry and attitude 'fathers' me this Father's Day. His standard teaches me, comforts, directs me. Pastor Ben reminded us that us that we have to be loving, we have to remember that Jesus built bridges. Our God is right. Our God is just, but Our God is also humble. Jesus humbled Himself (Philippians 2:8), and in doing so, He bridged the gap. He did not come to earth and put up barriers. He laid down the truth- wrote in the sand; drew the line between religiosity and surrender to God, but He was loving.  He went to the dejected and rejected of the world, and He stood up for them, just like I have encouraged all of us to do, but Jesus did it perfectly. I am not Jesus. SO I want to check myself this morning before I wreck myself this morning, and I encourage my readers who whole-heartedly agree with much of what I say to do the same.

We cannot take joy in the downfall of others, like I kind of did in my previous posting of this article this morning. We can’t ENJOY seeing others get what they ‘’deserve,” because like I also wrote, in speaking of my labor with Eden, God doesn’t give us what we deserve, and God doesn’t give us what we deserve. “The good things we think we earn, and the awful things we think we deserve... God withholds them all in grace, wisdom, justice, and LOVE. All to draw us more and more into the revelation of who God is, our Great Creator King, Savior, and Lord, forever to be praised. “ -Me, in my holier moments.

God is exposing a lot in this year of 2020, and people are being held accountable. I am hearing people repent of their hard-core opinions about certain issues that have kept others down. I am seeing people repent over their heralding of a political leader who neither reflected the faith he was politicizing or which they held dear, but I must be humble and allow space for people to change their minds without sticking it to them. Why revel in the humiliation of our president just because he has humiliated others? Jesus doesn’t revel in humiliating him. I shouldn’t either. I will never stand up for so much of the filth he does and literally tweets. I will never accept it, but I do not want to become the abuser as I call out his abuse.

Pastor Ben preached that God’s heart is for those who are excluded by our societal norms. We see this when we look at the Gospels and consider who Jesus ministered to.. and I suppose I should be careful that I do not make a group of people my enemies just because they disagree with me or because I feel they have misunderstood. Praying for them, gently teaching them, and disagreeing with them in love, those are good things. Humiliating them or highlighting their shortcomings for my own personal benefit is not the Gospel, is not of Jesus. So I am sorry, if I haven’t said as much, and if you have felt your inconsistencies or struggles put on display during my times of standing up for the least of these. There is a line I hope to walk. Division should be made between right and wrong, and I do not want to compromise on the justice deserved to the disenfranchised; as well, I do not seek to disavow or alienate people who are not where I am at… there is grace. Our journeys are different. I do not write this to condescend, although I am still quite assured in the positions I hold. There is space, however, for growth. There is room to grieve, to change, to grow, for all of us…space afforded us by the Cross of Christ… a Cross that reconciles us to one another and to our God. Amen.