Earthly

Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly . . . 

 - From Colossians 3

Occasionally, my post will be almost entirely directly lifted from Scripture. And I will ask the reader to just read through it, apply it to today. Let the words have their plainest, truest meaning. Let the words be uncomfortable, or unpopular, or unwoke, or illiberal, or reactionary . . . whatever. But them mean what they mean. And then consider: what is it about these concepts that make them spiritual, holy, desirable?

What is it about them that makes them anti-selfishness? What is it about them that, if followed faithfully and truthfully, would actually yield societies and cultures that are free, prosperous, and where the people generally are happy? 

So here is a simple list from today's reading . . . of traits and behaviors that we should NOT do, as the practice of them is selfish, leads to trouble, creates discord among people, is destructive, and actually leads to death. 

What NOT to do . . . 

• Fornication
• Impurity
• Passion
• Evil desire
• Greed
• Anger
• Wrath
• Malice
• Slander
• Abusive language
• Lying

Stupid

. . . like the dull and stupid they perish . . . 

 - From Psalm 49

I've always marveled at the lure of the crowd. 

I come from a proud tradition of people that willfully, even spitefully, resisted popular movements and people. I learned to disdain Groupthink at a young age. As a boy in my neighborhood, I feared and abhorred the crowd more than the toughest bully. A bully is one person. I have a better chance against him, than against the random, morphing, fleeting, highly emotional mob. 

We kids would "gang up" on anyone absent, for no reason at all. The spell of Groupthink is too overwhelming. 

I have observed it among adults as well. In college. In the workplace. In organizations. In neighborhoods. 

Indeed, the one place where I have felt safe from the threat of gangs, crowds, and the mob, is in the family. You're stuck in your family. You cannot be kicked out. Sure, your parents may disown you . . . but they will always be your mom and dad. DNA doesn't lie. I will always be a full member of dozens of different families (even hundreds) brought into being by my ancestors. 

We follow crowds perhaps, exactly because the bully is their leader. Or maybe because they are numerous enough to pound down bullies. Or maybe they have wealth behind them, and can do cool things. Perhaps they get on TV and in tabloids. They are "popular." They also are very, very cruel.

And so we believe whatever the crowd wants us to believe. 

We have learned, since 2020, that the masses can do whatever we want them to do, with a skilled enough of a campaign, packaging the message just so. There comes a point where no one will stand up to the prevailing narrative. No one. And people will even be convinced that this is how they felt, all along. 

The solution is utter freedom of speech, and of conscience, for all. 

The Psalmist alludes to this. None of us end up better off than any of the others. We all wind up in the grave. We're all going to die. And in the line that I referenced, it says that the wise are no better than the stupid. 

Your cool President in 2014 is no better than your outsider President in 2018. And he's no better than your woke President in 2022. The oaf, the moron, the anointed, the pedo, the buffoon, the dealer, the golden boy . . . none is any better than any of the others . . . in the end. 

So again . . . maybe Freedom of conscience and of speech are the way to go, to be safe, to move forward, to avoid making horrible mistakes. 

And we do want safety, right?

Vanity

This also is vanity.

 - From Ecclesiastes 2

King Solomon writes "Even at night their minds do not rest."

Just last week, I had a sleepless night. I had been dealing with a multi-day spell of a sort of anxiety. There were nervous feelings that I could not tame. My heart wasn't racing, not exactly. I did not check my blood pressure . . . for that always makes me feel worse!

I've dealt with occasional bouts of anxiety at times in my life. I do not think I'm alone in this. When you are troubled, and can't sleep - that's anxiety. When you feel intensely angry, or have entered into a mood where you honestly don't care anything about anything - - - this is anxiety.

And it may be traces of clinical depression. I don't know. 

I do know that our mind is master over our physical well-being. When your heart is broken, it is more than a state of mind, or a trite commentary. A good old-fashioned heartbreak causes your chest to ache. You might get a headache. Your breathing might go shallow. You can't do anything about the horrible thoughts going through your mind. You may reach a state of near-panic. 

It affects you physically. 

I also know that I am more prone to this problem, when I have not been praying, or studying God's word.

If you're more focused on DOING, than BEING, you are more prone to anxiety.

The worldly, physical person says "I have to be at work at 8:00am." You are a slave - - - you do things because you HAVE to, not because you want to. You do not serve anybody. You're serving yourself. Everything's a chore. Everything is toil. It makes you very nervous. 

If you say "I will arrive at work at 8:00am," then you are acting out of service. You CHOOSE to be there. 

All this work. All these schedules. All these emails. All these deadlines. Solomon said it's all "vanity." It's all, in reality, pointless, because in the end you'll have nothing to show for it, and it does not add anything to your eventual eternal existence. 

So, focus on being a child of God . . . rather than on keeping busy all the time. 

Gathered

He gathered them out of the lands . . . 

 - From Psalm 107

The children of the Creator of the Universe always have to be redeemed. They have to be saved. They have to be rescued.

They always get attacked and are forced to leave their homes. They get to a point of wealth and freedom . . . they set the standard for advancement in the arts, in science, in technology, in social progress. They become a place that others take great risks to get to . . . other people always have to escape horrible conditions to get to the land of God's people. 

And then, I guess out of some sense of mercy, the invaders don't kill all of them outright, but will just scatter them throughout the world, where they can no longer cause trouble building wealth and freedom, and spreading such toxic ideas as the innate dignity of every single individual, and the right of all people to express what's on their own mind. 

So, when God goes out and saves His people, He always has to go gather them . . . and bring them home. 

Wouldn't it be better if the world, that hates God's people so, would just figure out what it is, that makes them so free, and wealthy, and happy . . . and maybe try to emulate, and learn from . . . them? 

Isn't that better than violently attacking them, and ruining their lives, and cultures, and all the attending benefits to the world?

Return

. . . and I will return them to their homes, says the Lord. 

 - From Hosea 11

Hosea 11 is one of Scripture's tenderest passages. It is like visiting the aging father of a son that grew up and went bad. The child had been raised correctly, faithfully, warmly and lovingly, in a home that loved the Lord. 

But sometimes, there just is no explaining how people turn out. Is it in the DNA of some people, to just be trouble? Do they start out with the seed of evil (perhaps we all do), but circumstances, and the environment, conspire to cultivate the bad seed? And once they start down the wrong path, they soon feed these impulses with liquor, drugs, sex, and other intoxicants. 

It is easy to persuade an already vain person, to focus on themselves: "You be you!" and "You deserve to be happy!" Soon, it feels so good to be vain, selfish, and in the end . . . evil itself. And as Scott Peck wrote so convincingly, evil is nothing more than the extreme expression of selfishness. 

The good feeling of wrongfulness soon gets confused with Good, itself. "If it feels good, it must be Good."

To paraphrase the song If doing bad is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

In the Hosea passage, as I said, God is the elderly man, that has not heard from his son in years. He has heard about him. He knows that he is in trouble. The old man has visitors, and pulls out the family photo album. He points to photos of his son-gone-bad, before all of that. Here is the boy at six years of age, with the family dog. Here he is in a Cub Scout uniform. Here is is playing varsity basketball. The old man beams with pride at the joy his son once brought him.

When Israel was a child, I loved him . . . 

But all is takes is for the son to come home. To treat the father with respect and love once again. To change his ways and make the family proud . . . again. 

And all will be forgotten. 

That's God. 

Store

So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God. 

 - From Luke 12

We're all rightly concerned about the future of the planet. We see how easily, and quickly, things can go wrong; and how near we are to conditions not unlike the worst in the world. 

One of my favorite teachers, in my life, Dexter Schools Band Director, Martha Scharchburg, told me once: "It only takes one year to turn a great band program into a mediocre one."

The problem, you see, is our tendency toward "What have you done for me lately?" A fifty-year legacy of greatness is good, is very admirable, and draws people to it. But if you have just one down year, it may take a decade to rebuild things. 

Just look at the University of Michigan football program, since about 2005!

Or, think about the topic of Church Growth. I have been involved in several Church Planting, or Church Growth projects, in my life. Many times, we have noted that, if people would just stick around another year, or two, the size of the church will be as big as they always hoped it would become. Each year, there's a wave of people that drop off because it's taking so long. They are replaced by another wave of people that also will get discouraged in one year, and quit. 

My music studio, that I operated between 2017 and 2022 - we always needed 100 active students, and growing, to allow us to continue investing in other programs and paying for admin help. If just 10% of the people that quit, would stay . . . even for just half a year, we would always attain our goal, and the growth of the business would be easy. 

It doesn't take much to make a good thing go wrong. 

In good times, we are advised to save for the bad times. This is excellent advice. It's timeless and wise. But for every one person on the planet that expands their income and assets, there must be a hundred that are barely scraping by. And many of them are in desperate poverty. 

They don't care about your hard work, your wise money management, or your expanding wealth. They will take it from you, without batting an eye. 

While we're going about saving money that we will never use, let us act as though it all may come crashing down tomorrow. Make sure those around you are doing well. Take care of the widows and orphans in your family, your extended family, and neighborhood. 

Take one less vacation, or two. Lose a vacation home. Drive a smaller car. Cut out a wasteful hobby. 

And help someone that will not eat well today, or someone whose heat has been shut off, or whose child is getting bored and bitter because Mom can't afford a nicer home, and piano lessons.

Relief

The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea.

 - From Acts 11

Yes . . . so much evil comes from nations - such that nations will figure prominently in the coming judgment, as criminals charged, and convicted. 

Here, during the reign of Claudius Caesar, and of Herod in Judea, there was a famine. The response to the famine was immediate on the part of the Church in Jerusalem. Everybody there, all of them, gave to support the relief funds. 

As has been the case down through history, the Church responds effectively to the urgent needs of others, throughout the world. A strong and unified Church does what no one else - no government, no NATION, can get food and medicine to the suffering, like the Body of Christ. It's provable by Science. And indeed, it is so much a certainty, that it may be called scientific fact. The Church is the world's greatest responder to the human needs of the world. 

It is the case today. Global Methodism has a well-oiled machine that sends people and supplies in the wake of hurricanes and famine. 

Catholic charities throughout the world have an abundance of resources, that are put to work as needed. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints may have the most enviable of operations, and can provide relief almost instantly, to anywhere on the planet, as needed.

Billy Graham's ministry has access to doctors and funds that can be put to use.

The only thing stopping any of these great charitable organizations, is government. It has always been government, and always will be. Yes, "government." The same government that promises to do so many good things for the people, but that instead lines the pockets of lobbyists, politicians, and bureaucrats. That government. They blocked the Mormons in getting support down to the US's Southern border, during the reported crisis in the years 2017-2021 (which got worse beginning in 2021; but was no longer reported as problematic). They blocked the Billy Graham operation from supporting doctors in New York City, at the start of the covid situation. 

There's something they don't like about the church - but it probably goes back to someone getting their feelings hurt over a discussion with a Christian about such topics as servant-leadership and being unselfish. 

And they did it two thousand years ago. Herod was still smarting because John the Baptist had called out his corrupt and lascivious behavior. When there was a famine, he needed a scapegoat, and chose the young Church for that. And in so doing, took out an organization that was actually doing something. 

Which made the problem worse. But gave the government someone to blame. 

Just like in 2022. 

Nations

O Lord, judge the nations. 

 - From Psalm 7

When your heart and soul are being battered by world events; and you are overwhelmed with worry for the next outrage around the corner; and you suffer in constant anxiety that affects you physically - it is easy to retreat into a fight-or-flight response. Even a committed pacifist may lash out when cornered. 

And I think an awful lot of us are feeling cornered by hoards of people that mean us malice, here in 2022. 

When violent criminals are let free, and public safety officials' hands are tied . . . 

When wealthy politicians and billionaires get away with near murder, without as much as a slap on the wrist . . . 

When good and humble people, just showing up at school meetings to defend their kids, are treated as society's pariahs . . . 

When the nation's hard-earned wealth is wasted on nations that hate us, and on newcomers whose intentions toward us are known . . . 

Then what do you expect, if violence and infidelity increases, in turn?

Humans are emotionally-driven creatures that may lash-back when pushed into a corner. 

It is all being done by nations. The chief criminals in subjugating and enslaving people, are nations. "Nation" can mean something good, when it refers to a generalized concept of "people." (In a recent blog post, I touted the value of the word "family" as a much better goal, than "country-nation." You are subjects of a nation, but members of a family).

Even the world's 1% are basically powerless, without having the resources of a nation at their disposal. The goal is to influence nations. The nation is the culprit in doing the dirty work of Evil. 

This is why the only nation that's worth a darn, is the nation which has free people as citizens. Only a nation of families can be remotely trusted. 

Nations will bear the brunt of judgment, one day. And the court proceedings of that trial, will be something to see!

Great, Pt II

And you, do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them . . . 

 - From Jeremiah 45

At the time Jeremiah dictated these words from the Lord, Judah was very near it's end. They had just experienced a golden years coda under King Josiah, and now his son, Jehoiakim, was in charge. Under Josiah, the people were happy and prosperous. 

Josiah revived the culture of freedom, wealth, security, and safety. The only real safety that counts, it seems, is the kind the results from freedom. "Safety" coming from a strong arm of government is not safety at all. You must be free to be truly safe. 

Under Josiah, the law enforcement infrastructure was effective. You could walk around city streets after dark, with no fear. The farms produced an abundance: a surplus! Trade was very favorable, as Judah's goods and produce were top-notch. 

The military was respected and feared abroad. No one dared attack Judah.

But that doesn't mean they didn't want to attack Judah. God's enemies are always envious of the lifestyle and bounty of His people. They always need, and only need, just a little vulnerability, and to strike (brutally) as soon as God's people let their guard down, just a little. 

We can reasonably conclude that, under Josiah, crime was down, incomes were up, unemployment was down, public happiness was unsurpassed. People got out and about. They mingled. They got close . . . regardless of all other considerations - people build their communities and families, and celebrated everything. King Josiah had one primary indicator of the State of the Kingdom: Everybody smiled, a lot. Even his political opposition smiled. 

But shortly into the reign of Jehoiakim, unemployed went back up. Inflation soared. The national borders were overrun. Crime filled the streets. Vandals destroyed artwork and major hubs of commerce. Opposition to the crown has empowered, emboldened. They took to the streets in protest. They probably even had a resurgence of various viral outbreaks. And Judah's enemies licked their chops. 

In that context, Jeremiah says "Don't be thinking about adding anything great to your resume, or lifestyle. Just be thankful for your life. Be content with that."

Great

. . . whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant.

 - From Matthew 20

We will never know the name of the greatest person in America. 

This person doesn't have a real job. He or she may not even own a home. He or she may be totally alone in the world.

This person does not draw attention to himself. He does not stand behind a lectern on a regular basis. She does not review the books and pronounce all the finances in order. He does not operate, skillfully, a large machine in a factory.

She does not rule over cases in a court of law. He is not a great recording artist. She is not a career teacher that has had only two pay increases in twenty-five years. 

She is not a professional athlete kneeling, or holding hot-button banners in front of international TV cameras. He is not a wealthy celebrity that contributes millions of dollars to the neighborhood and school of his youth. 

He is not the custodian in the elementary school, that all the kids love. She is not the legendary local band director that achieves excellent ratings at every festival. 

She may attend church regularly, but never gets asked to be the spokesperson for the latest campaign. Her name does not appear in the bulletin much, except for the roll of birthdays or special prayer requests. 

People talk about him behind his back. They thought they saw him touch a pre-teen girl in town, when in reality it was his troubled niece to whom he offered a hug. They do not believe she looks as though she has been very successful, therefore she does not have as much value as the people that do. 

He has buried troubles, and worries, and anxieties deep into his heart and conscience. Nobody knows what she has been through. Nobody asks. 

We do not know the identity of the greatest person in America. There are no spotlights on this person. 

So . . . perhaps we had just better assume that . . . maybe . . . everyone we come across is the greatest. 

Disarmed

He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it. 

 - From Colossians 2

There you have it. 

In our times, we have had the sad splintering of the Church, thanks to the one half of it, that has placed more trust in rulers and authorities than in their fellow believers in Christ. 

Paul talks about rulers and authorities. He does not qualify the remark. Rulers and authorities. All of them. You may consider the phrase with prejudice. Rulers and authorities means all rulers and authorities! Even the ones claiming to be believers. If they hold a temporal political position of authority, or rule, over all of us, they will find it very difficult to be both a bold and humble servant of Christ, as well as a temporal leader.

In reality - it may be impossible to do. 

Paul employs an ages-old rhetorical device. He appeals to people's desires to be thought of well by others. He taps into our yearning to be on the right side of history. Nobody likes being wrong. In fact, we hate being wrong. Our resistance to ever acknowledging our errors may be even more responsible for suffering on the earth, than romance, commerce, or even . . . yes, that ancient scapegoat for everything wrong: religion. 

Paul says that God will make an example of rulers and authorities. 

They will not be allowed to just slink off into some corner. There is going to be a reckoning. 

It's a very safe bet: When you have a choice to make - between siding with your family (both earthly and Heavenly families) and the world's rulers . . . uhhh . . . . 

 . . . Don't choose the world's rulers. 

Lowly, Pt II

He cares for the lowly . . .  

 - From Psalm 138

I don't know where people get their misinformation about Christianity. It says in today's Psalm, and all over the place in the Psalms, and constantly throughout the Old Testament, as well as the New, that God cares for the lowly. 

I don't think we need to review the definition of "lowly." Nor is a discussion in order, of what it means "to care." It's quite simple. 

God cares for the lowly. This is central. It's essential. It's basic. It's foundational. 

There is no level of inconsistence to the point - - - I'll write it again: God cares for the lowly. 

If you have any part of an eternal perspective, if you really believe that the last shall be first, there's no way we should have the kinds of problems that we're facing, in the world. 

In eternity, as we gather at Cafe Omega, and talk about current events, we will marvel that, in the temporal realm of years like 2022, we let so many nitpicky things upset us so. 

Someone might say, at some future point on the infinite, endless timeline: "I guess it's true. He really does care for the lowly. I mean, look who's got it made here! And to think that, compared to our mortal lives, this awesomeness will never end!"

If you really, really believe that God cares for the lowly, then I suspect that every one of us can find some ways to change. We all have some attitudes we can, and should, adjust. 

Good Prejudice

For the sake of ten I will not destroy it . . . 

 - From Genesis 18

Earlier today, I read an article critical of a statement by Lebron James. He was asked why he hates the city of Boston. His answer: "Because they're all a bunch of <blankety-blank> racists."

Where was his evidence? Well, he was playing in Boston, and one or two fans, out of thousands, hollered out some racist epithets at him. 

Lebron was condemning the entire city of millions, because of a couple of isolated catcalls from the stands of a hyped-up sports crowd. He was being prejudiced, or even racist, against an entire group of people, because of the words and deeds of a thin sliver of the total population. 

That's what racism is. 

In like manner, otherwise good people . . . otherwise wonderful people . . . are having their very lives ruined if they do not hold the "correct" viewpoints, according to today's "woke" doctrines. A casual remark . . . even one made decades ago, can be used to destroy careers, families, lives. 

Even members of the same family are stereotyping each other, to the point of racist-like treatment. A cousin you have known and loved for decades, in whom you placed all of your trust, is suddenly anathema, simply for voting differently than you, in the last election.

But God does stereotyping differently. In Sodom and Gomorrah, He was ready to wipe out the entire two cities, leaving only the smoke drifting off into the Heavens. All of the citizens of the two wicked cities would be eliminated, almost instantly - each one, like all the others: gone, in a whiff. 

UNLESS . . . 

Unless, ten good people could be found, out of the city of maybe hundreds of thousands. And while Abraham did not ask God about changing His mind for the sake of five, or even one good resident of the cities, I think we get the point. 

Where humans see one bad apple, and extend their judgment upon every other person like the bad one; God looks down upon an entire city of wickedness; but if he finds just ten good people (or less), He will view the entire city as "good," and  withhold His judgment. 

We need more prejudice. But we need the good kind of prejudice. The one that sees one good person, and then assumes that everyone like that good person, must also be good. 

That would help the world's problems. Right?

Together

Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. 

 - From Psalm 85

"Together" is a word that we take for granted. We do not dwell enough on it: it's meaning. It's important. It's urgency for enhancing human progress.

Together works, as a great idea, because it implies the coming together of two formerly discordant ideas. Together is wonderful, because it implies that I may find common ground with my enemy. We may be worlds apart in our values, our worldview, our highest hopes and aspirations (although I doubt people are too far removed from each other in each of these ideals); but if we're together, it means we will keep each other's backs, against common foes. In fact, it means that, since we have covenanted with each other, that anybody threatening our unity is a foe. 

Together is the lifeblood of the idea of marriage: that two people, as different from each other as the typical male, and typical female is, can wield an alliance that literally makes them one: one flesh, one symbiosis, one purpose under Heaven. The classical concept of male and female carries with it the powerful notion that two people, made essentially different from one another, are able yet to combine into an inseparable whole. 

If humanity is to survive, we must have this sense of total unity, between people that heretofore would never want to be in each other's company.

This is why the harsh divisions in the world are so dangerous today. You can't have together, if you can't at least admit that together is desirable, especially between two incompatible parties. 

And we will utterly fail as a species, if we cannot get ourselves together.

This is also why it's such a big deal, for mercy and truth to come together in God's strategy. Total mercy requires that we arrest our devotion to truth. But truth without mercy can be a lifeless corpse. Righteousness and peace, too, are risky partners. An excessive enforcement of righteousness is anything but peaceful, for the half of the population falling short. 

But we need to be together. Like oil and water. Like fire and ice. Like lions and lambs. We need that first. We need a commitment to each other first. And then let nothing tear us asunder. 

Punish - Pity - People

. . . it shall be said to them, "Children of the living God." 

 - From Hosea 1

Hosea had a decidedly anguished life. As a prophet, it seems, the nature of his prophesying seems to have been, to conduct his life so that he might experience, in parallel, what God had been dealing with, for generations, via the infidelities of His people Israel. 

The passage seems wrought with inconsistencies. Is God done with Israel, once and for all? Or what does it mean, though, that Judah will retain some favor in God's eyes?

Hosea's three eldest children received names with bitter meanings. One of the child's names represents God's punishment. The next represents God's withholding of pity, from Israel. And the third bears the message of "You are no longer God's people."

Somehow, those three kids got through life, with such names that may cast them as pariahs. Every time you said one of their names, you were reminded of God's horrible judgments upon His own chosen people.

But there's an interesting twist at the end - which is often the case when it comes to God ("but God . . . "). 

The people that had been pronounced no longer God's "people," are now called "Children of the Living God." Somehow . . . God is going to remain true to all of His pronouncements and dictates. He will not fail in a single iota of His assertions.

He gets around all of it, by converting what were once His possessions . . . His PEOPLE . . . into His family . . . His CHILDREN. 

And now we see how Hosea, with a wife and children that bring him such constant grief, can love them anyway, can love them as God does: They are his kids! 

And in thinking about other religions and how they may talk about being members of a nation, or a people, always remember: While they are a people, or a nation . . . we are a family. 

Lowly

Your strength does not depend on numbers, nor your might on the powerful. But you are the God of the lowly, helper of the oppressed, upholder of the weak, protector of the forsaken, savior of those without hope.

 - From Judith 9

My reference today is from an Apocryphal book, Judith. Although not part of the accepted, final Canon of Scripture, I find the Apocrypha, with its setting during the time of the captivity of Israel between the Testaments, as particularly relevant in 2022, a time of increasing trouble for Western culture, of threats to freedom of speech and conscience, and of aggressive attacks against the institution of the Church, from official channels. 

It has been said that Christian European culture has held sway for too long, that a legacy of brutal racism and colonialism is the true characterization of Christianity having too much influence.

But that's bunk. 

People can appropriate Christianity for all kinds of purposes, from the most benign to the depths of terror. But that doesn't make it Christian. 

Let's review a sampling of those to whom the Christian message is sent:

• The lowly
• The oppressed
• The weak
• The forsaken
• Those without hope

It's hard for any of the above, to colonize anything. 

But temporal governments, the rare ones that may actually care for the groups in the list, can actually help them most effectively, by protecting freedoms of speech and assembly, and requiring due process, blind justice; prohibiting violent aggression, and supporting the right of people to defend themselves and their property from others that mean them ill. 

Christ is for the most needy of all of us. We don't need a class of power-hungry politicians and bureaucrats defining the needs of the needy for us, or presuming to have the right solutions. 

If the Church implemented it's mission faithfully, consistently, we may find oppressive governments disappearing, for lack of anything to do. If oppressive governments backed off  . . . we may find the Church thriving in its prime directive: Caring for "the least of these."

Brothers

But go to my brothers . . . 

 - From John 20

There's always a designated response involved in every interaction with the Lord. He gives us instructions, that usually begin with the word "Go . . . "

And when we have gone . . . the objective is usually, just to report what we have just seen, and heard, with our own eyes and ears. We are to be a witness of what has happened. We are to go, and tell others. 

Jesus directed Mary to go to "my brothers." She was to tell them that He was ascending to His Father and our Father; to His God and our God." But I think that what He was really saying, what I would guess is meant in the original language: "Hurry now. Go tell my brothers that I am here. I'm alive. But stress to them, that I am leaving soon."

Time was of the essence.

If you knew you had only 40 days left with your brothers and sisters . . . what would you do? What other activities would you give  up? What hobbies would you put on hold? What vacations, self-indulgent purchases, recreational plans, would you put on hold? And when you got together with them, how would you spend your time?

I would probably make it so our time was spent in a wooded, secluded setting. I would have musical instruments around. I would have good food available. I would have various meeting and recreational options for all of us. 

The entire dialogue between Jesus and Mary is touching in its urgency. And it is woven through with tenderness, courtesy of the phrase "Go tell my brothers."

My brothers. 

Family is a big deal. It's so essential of a concept, that God made it paramount throughout the Old Testament, and when the plan of salvation was finally laid out there, one of the main outcomes was that we would all be family. We're family. Brothers and sisters.

So, don't let anybody put-down the concept of family. Unlike the popular memes going around, that diminish the idea of "family" as, basically, people that make you feel good. Jesus' definition of family is describing people with imperfections. People that don't get what you're saying. People that doubt you all the time. People that deny you. People that betray you. 

People you're stuck with. 

This is what family is. We learn about it in the blood-related group we're born into. You can totally split with your father. But he will always be your father. 

This is the construct we are to operate under, when we look at our brethren in Christ, and are told that they are our family. 

Themselves

And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. 

 - From 2 Corinthians 5

Self-importance is a tense, stressful lifestyle. 

Until we're perfect, and immortal, there will always be something a little bit wrong. There is always something to complain about. The person that wants to complain does not need to look far. 

When your focus is on your own feelings, your own aches and pains, your own disappointments and frustrations, you find that the feeder of things to worry about, is constantly replenishing itself. 

There is no such thing as a perfect day. Even a sneeze, or a mosquito whirring about, makes a perfect day imperfect. Everything may be going right, all day. But inevitably, something goes wrong. And if you look just a little, probably scores of things are wrong, right there in your orbit. 

But if you live for others . . . if you live for Christ . . . even the little bit you do for them, seems like a refreshing sacrifice. When you feed your desire to care, and to serve, it multiplies in effectiveness in the good it does, and it multiplies in its benefits to you, personally. First, it takes your focus off of yourself, which has it's own benefits - you aches, pains, and worries magically drift away! Second, it helps a person with hidden pains and griefs buried deep, that you do not know are there. 

We never know the lasting impact of our good deeds to others. 

Living for yourself is costly, overwhelming, hurtful, disappointing. Yet, we emphasize it because, like children, it may be all we know. 

But living for others, is liberating. 

Heaviness

 Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul? 

 - From Psalm 42

The Psalmist was suffering depression, brought on by the trauma of exile. He was facing continual mocking from his Babylonian captors, that laughed at him and asked "Where is your God?"

When you have experienced trauma, your life seems to stop at one point in time. Your forward movement is blocked. You freeze. Your own thoughts become your enemy. It takes a toll on your physical health. Your soul, your very spirit, becomes heavy. There is a very real sense of stress, pain, and distress, in your chest, as though it had been weighed down by some force . . . except the sensation is like the weight is attached to your lungs, your heart, your other organs, and was pulling it all away from the safety of its skeletal support. 

When my marriage was at its lowest point, I became so troubled that the physical pain in my chest became overbearing. The pain traveled to my shoulder and down my arm. My breathing became weak and my heart raced. I felt that perhaps I was having a heart attack. An ambulance trip and overnight at the hospital showed me that it was not a cardiac problem. But stress that is severe enough, will do that to you. 

The last thing you need, when you're dealing with the effects of trauma, is a crowd of people gathering around you, mocking you. And it doesn't need to be Babylonians. It can be your closest friends and family. They mean well; but their misplaced words come across as taunts, like the friends of Job. 

Today, in a conversation, someone suggested to me that everybody should receive regular therapy sessions. Those that are emotionally and mentally well would need it, for training on how better to interact with the people around them who, inevitably, suffer from hidden emotional distress. 

If we knew the harm we do to others, by way of ordinary, simple words and deeds, we might act totally differently. And the world, in turn, would be a much better place. 

Conspired

I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, `Go, prophesy to my people Israel.

 - From Amos 7

Amos was no expert. He prophesied, while not being a prophet. He was not considered to have prophet talents. He didn't earn credentials in prophesy by going to a prophet college. He had no published, peer-reviewed writings that demonstrated his authority. He received no grants, did no research, studied no foreign languages. He was not ordained, nor had the hands of respected elders ever placed upon his head. 

He was just a herdsman. 

A guy from Flyover Country. He did not "appear successful," so he was not treated with deference. 

He might have worn a MAGA cap. He might have been called a Deplorable, from out of a basket of Deplorables. 

He might have resisted mandates from secular government . . . even those that were for our own good, or that were designed to keep other people safe. He held his own counsel. 

Whatever he did, though . . . it drove the movers, shakers, the wealthy, the puppetmasters, the experts crazy!

Amos was a spreader of misinformation, and he was a spreader of disinformation. He called out people with the power to have him executed. He was a spreader of conspiracy theories, or so the projecting authorities would have you believe, as they conspired, themselves, to keep themselves in power, and anyone challenging them, in check. 

Did Amos live in America, in 2022?