This week I browsed the internet for something funny to add to Sunday's bulletin. I thought some church signs might display some funny sayings that might work. Well ... some of the signs are downright disturbing. For example: "I kissed a girl and I liked it, then I went to hell"; "Jews killed the Lord Jesus"; "Christmas - easier to spell than Hannukah"; "Dictate Dominate Devastate the world for God"; "Obama Osama Humm Are they brothers?"; "Sacred Cows make the best hamburger".
Since when is trashing Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism on a public sign part of Jesus' teachings? Which gospel has this teaching in it? I can't find it.
What on earth is wrong with Christians in our world today? Well, thankfully, we can't lump all Christians into the "hate-mongering" type. Sometimes I just want to scream "READ THE GOSPELS!!!" The main message of the gospels of Jesus Christ is LOVE. "The first [commandment] is , 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this, 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Matthew 12:29-31, NRSV)
Jesus told a very famous parable to illustrate just who our neighbour is. Look it up in the tenth chapter of Luke's gospel. The Good Samaritan stopped to care for a man attacked by robbers, even though the victim was ignored by his own people. If Jesus were to come to us today, who do you think he would hang around with? Who would his people be? The wealthy, church-going, bible-thumping Christians? Somehow I don't think so. I suspect Jesus would hang out in a homeless shelter; he would eat with people who live on the streets or spend their days wandering around; he would visit and hold people with AIDS and cancer and dementia; he would bless same-gender marriages. Hey, he might even take a prostitute to breakfast, or sit with drug addicts as they ache for a fix.
That is my vision of the 21st century Jesus: kind and gentle, laughing uncontrollably with children, furious at the injustice that seems to be rampant in the world. Jesus would be equally at home with Christians - Catholics and Protestants and orthodox, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists, and many more. Who knows, Jesus might even be female? Wouldn't that be a hoot!
If it were me doing all this public non-Christian bashing, I think I'd be pretty worried about how a vengeful, judgmental God (that many seem to believe in) is going to take all this meanness.
Or maybe I'm all wrong and "they" (whoever they are) are right. They have a right to their beliefs, just as I have a right to mine. But it still bugs me when those beliefs assault my eyes and ears. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Thanks be to God for the life, teachings, death and resurrection and LOVE of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment