The big issue in the news this week is the so-called "Ground Zero
Mosque" that is proposed to be built a couple of blocks from the former
site of the World Trade Centers. Right-wingers and Islamophobes have
tripped all over themselves to condemn the project, but that's pretty
much par for the course. What's more disturbing is the relative paucity
of voices on the left, at least among elected officials, who have had
the courage to speak out for religious liberty and tolerance. President
Obama did say that Muslims had the right to build on the site, but other
Democratic leaders like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and New York
Governor David Patterson have either opposed the plans outright or
waffled in their support (i.e., suggesting that it be built somewhere
else). The moral cravenness of politicians is, unfortunately, not
something that's unexpected, but it's still disappointing to witness.
Too often ordinary citizens, too, are afraid to stand up for what's
right in the workplace, the community, or even the virtual community,
fearful of what others might think of them. The prophet Jeremiah had an
assignment from God that was much more difficult than simply standing up
to standard issue purveyors of racism and religious fanaticism. He was
charged with telling his people that God was bringing judgment on them
and that they would fall to their enemies. Such a message is never
welcome, either in Jeremiah's day or our own. But God offered Jeremiah
this encouragement: "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to
deliver you. . . . See, today I appoint you over nations and over
kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to
build and to plant." Almost everyone prefers to be seen as
communicating words of hope than words of doom. Even those preachers
who are thought of as doom and gloom preachers, messengers of hellfire
and damnation, are really negative only in a very narrow, and socially
acceptable (within their religious tradition), sphere. Just look at the
trouble that another Jeremiah, Jeremiah Wright, faced with his
relatively mild criticisms of the U.S. He was condemned by many on the
left as well as the right. Why? Because most people really only want
to hear a message that makes them feel good about themselves. They
don't want their sins and failures pointed out, nor the structural sins
of their beloved country. Sometimes, though, God calls us to speak out
against injustice that most people can't see or haven't noticed. God
calls us to stand with an unpopular group of people, because it's the
right thing to do. God calls us to sacrifice the comforts of anonymity
and take up the mantle of a prophet. If God is calling us to do that,
we can be sure, as with Jeremiah, God will stand with us.
Psalm 71:1-6 (first published 22 August 2004)
A common recurring dream that many people have involves them standing
in front of a crowd or going to work or school, when they suddenly realize
that they aren't wearing any clothes. Regardless of the exact meaning of
such dreams (Freud said they were "exhibitionist" dreams, related to a
desire to return to the innocence of childhood), the sense of shame that
people feel in these dreams is nearly universal. You can probably
remember a time from your childhood when you were embarrassed and felt
shame. Maybe you tripped and fell on your face in front of a group of
friends. Maybe you said something mean about someone, then realized they
were standing right beside you. Maybe you wet your pants in class.
Sometimes we feel shame not because of our own actions but because of the
actions of others with whom we identify. Maybe your pastor, whom you
admired, was discovered to be involved in criminal or unethical behavior.
Maybe your denomination has taken a public stand that you believe to be
contrary the teachings of Christ. Maybe your nation has acted arrogantly
and belligerently, imposing its will on weaker countries. I have
frequently felt a measure of shame, either because of my own action or
because of the actions of others, but I have never been ashamed of God.
The psalmist prays, "In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to
shame." Religious leaders fail us, political leaders fail us, community
leaders fail us, even parents and siblings sometimes fail us, but God
never fails us. In a world full of uncertainties, it's nice to be able to
count on the fact that God will never let us down, will never lead us
astray, will never cause others to act in ways that are contrary to God's
divine plan. Since that's the case, it's up to us to do all we can do to
make sure that we don't bring shame on other people or on the church of
God.
Hebrews 12:18-29 (first published 22 August 2004)
For decades the U.S. Forest Service had firefighters on standby to
fight recurring summer forest fires. A fire would start, perhaps caused
by a lightning strike or by an unattended campfire, and firefighters would
be called in to squelch the blaze. Over the years, however, Forest
Service officials noticed that the fires got worse and worse, and
eventually there were too many fires of large magnitude to handle
properly, the results of which were serious property damage and often loss
of life. Only in the past few years have resource managers realized that
not all fires are bad. In fact, some fires are essential to the health of
forests. Fires clear away the underbrush and allow certain types of seeds
to germinate. They also rid forests of dead trees, clearing space for new
growth. The author of Hebrews describes God as "a consuming fire."
That's not necessarily the way we like to think of God. We'd rather think
of God as a loving parent, a strong rock, or a shelter in a time of storm
than a consuming fire, unless we're calling on God to consume our enemies!
We don't want the scorching heat of God's fire to get too close to us.
Yet, like the overgrown forest, we sometimes require God's cleansing fire
in our lives. What habits have you developed over the past few years that
are detrimental to your spiritual growth? Do you spend your time in ways
that are ultimately counterproductive to your mission in life? Is your
faith wavering from lack of use? There are many reasons why we might need
God's fire to blaze through our lives from time to time. The hymn writer
asks God to send the Pentecostal fire on the people of God, as well as on
unbelievers. Evangelistic revival meetings are far less common today than
in past days, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, since many of those
I personally witnessed focused too much on emotion and guilt and not
enough on real change in people's lives, believers as well as unbelievers.
However, even if we set aside evangelistic revival meetings, we shouldn't
set aside the idea of regular repentance and divine cleansing, because we
all need it. Some Christian groups, such as the Catholics with their
sacrament of penance, integrate confession and repentance into the fabric
of the Christian life in ways that keep the need for God's cleansing ever
at the forefront of people's minds. Others weave the need for confession
and cleansing into the liturgy of the church, and still others have times
of special emphasis on repentance. All of these ecclesiastical attempts
to remind believers of the importance of confession and cleansing are
good, but none is sufficient in and of itself. As individuals, we must
each recognize the need for cleansing and must willingly submit ourselves
to the divine fire on a regular basis. Only by doing so will we continue
to be effective in our Christian lives.
Luke 13:10-17 (first published 22 August 2004)
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| God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life! |
2010 update: The war on Iraq came to an official end this week as the last U.S. combat troops crossed the border into Kuwait, allowing President Obama to fulfill one of his campaign promises. About 50,000 troops still remain in the country, ostensibly for training purposes, so the potential for further violence involving Americans is high. Still, it's a welcome "end" to an unjust and shameful war.