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.
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