Sides

When I returned from my Sabbatical leave at the end of January I felt like I was living in a different country than the one I left in December. You may feel that way as well. Whether you are all for the work our government is about right now, or you are appalled by the changes you see, there is something that cuts through this… and it is increasingly hard to grasp… Jesus… I have never believed that Jesus was on the side of a political party or candidate. We can point at outcomes of policies, or personal practices, and we can claim that one supports God and faith in Jesus over another, but that’s just our perspective showing. It has nothing to do with how God views things. God knows what is really going on. It is dangerous to our souls to grasp so hard onto a political position because it makes us loosen our grip on Jesus. That’s especially true when we claim that Jesus is for one side over another. I’m finishing a series on spiritual disciplines that focus us on developing an openness to the guidance and work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus focused on these things, and they kept him aligning himself with the purposes of God. He took away sides as he lived this way in front of his disciples. He served the person who was rejected by society… whether it was because they wore a uniform, or an ethnicity, or a gender, or an illness, or a background of self-centeredness, or even unethical scandal. If this feels like I’m making a political statement, you miss my point. Jesus took away sides as he served people who would have been enemies of each other in the list above. Paul said, “He broke down the dividing wall,” and “He became our peace.” We have to be very, very careful when we pick a side. Jesus did this for the purpose of bringing us together, uniting us with everyone on the planet, toward building a new society. We must be very, very careful of where we take our stand… Joshua 24:15. Blessings, Geoff