Righteous Reactivity

I am tired, dog tired today.  A night of no sleep hit me, sparked initially by the fireworks display in the backyard by our neighbors who put on their own private show for hours.  Goldyn does not do well with dramatic "pops" and "booms." Not only must he be kept inside, but he barks at what he cannot not see and quivers by the sounds that completely unnerve him.  If only I could find earplugs for him, it may solve the issue for both of us.  Even with the door and windows closed, the noise still won. . . oh, 4th of July . . . 

Grabbing his leash, I called for Goldy so I could fulfill my promise for his walk today.  The cool gray foggy morning matched my sullen mood, and perhaps in my solitude I would find that former peace and creativity that seemed to have vanished like my sleep.  We made it up to the park and were greeted with a small flag lined path.  It was a pleasant sight and surprisingly simple.  My hunch was that a veterans or city group probably sponsored the event, but bending over to read the tag that displayed "We (heart) our city" was the reference from a local church.  The back side spelled out a verse of blessing.  I liked that gesture and thought that was good way for a church to be a blessing to their community.

I thought back to the conversation the night before on living in a "Babylon."  Personally, I find that the church (in very general terms and not by any means all of the church) has lost its way today.  Yes, there is a way to live and follow after Christ, but that does not mean that I need to have the surrounding world, culture and government be "Christian" so that I can live and thrive.  Unfortunately, I find that for many, Christianity and politics are the same bedfellows.  That is when our vision becomes myopic and we the "righteous" respond in a reactive defensive manner. 

Case in point, supposedly a local pastor announced to his church he would no longer perform any marriages, due to the recent Supreme Court decision on gay marriage rights.  I guess, I am assuming from the conversation that I had, this was to protect him from being sued if he chose to not perform a gay union.  Once again the response is one of fear and "what if's", instead of looking at the situation in a reasonable manner.  The pastor, the clergy, the priest has always had the choice to say "yea or nay" for who they want to marry.  Years ago, the decision revolved around marrying people that had been divorced, then it was marrying people that had been living together, and I think (although I am not Catholic or Jewish) it was marrying people that were not of the exact religious belief, etc., the list goes on.  That is the whole point of separation of church and state, one is able to ask the clergy for their marriage, and the clergy has the choice.  One can get married even without the church, there isn't any need for coercion in this matter.  So again, the point this particular pastor seems to be making seems one of reactivity and personal agenda. 

It is similar to the "Christian" bakery that made news recently by refusing to make a wedding cake for a gay couple.  Since when do we discriminate against those who are different from us?  Yes, we are called into this world to be lights and to draw people to Christ, but how can we do that by always putting our limitations upon them?  You can't legislate a change of heart, but you can open an heart to the love of God by showing grace and kindness.  I bet that gay couple would have been more impressed by having the best, most delicious, gorgeous wedding cake ever made by those who expressed their love and concern for them as individuals, rather than being told "we don't bake for your kind."  How did we become so "ungraceful?"

I'm tired of the righteous reactivity.  God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, He did not force His only Son on this world, He lovingly gave His Son.
He left the choice of receiving Him to us, the choice was not the law nor the will of the land, the government or the culture.  The choice has always rested with the individual and when it has been imposed otherwise, the results have been  disastrous.   God cannot be forced or squeezed into the political agenda, so why don't we just own up to our prejudices and self serving behavior?

Yes, I am grateful to be living in this country, I am thankful for the ability to choose.  I am thankful for all of those who have served this country with their lives.  I will continue to pray for our leaders and President who have the difficult decisions to provide justice for such a diverse population.  But the God I love and serve is not this country nor this government.  I may at times have to live with its decisions I do not personally favor nor find consistent with the Jesus way of life, but that does not mean I need to treat those who hold a different view with disdain and disrespect.  I am thankful that there is a separation of state and church.  My only hope is that we the "righteous" remove our own log in our eye and release our offensive reactivity.  It's time to give up the god of political power and follow the One who gave up all to save and serve . . .  

"And seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare."

Jeremiah 29:7