Readings for today: 1 Chronicles 26:12-27:34, Romans 4:13-5:5, Psalms 14, Proverbs 19:17
Our nation is suffering. Hatred and anger and rage are on the rise. Forces of racism and bigotry seemingly on the march. Spurred on by political leaders on both the Left and Right who desire nothing more than power. The play to their base rather than appeal to the whole country. Partisan politics devolving into open warfare. The result is division. A chasm that is growing with each passing day. With each passing speech. It is hard to see how this ends well. In the meantime, real people in real communities across our country are suffering. The fruit of our rotten political discourse emboldens the worst among us. Racists march. Anarchists attack. Hate crimes rise. Fear gives way to violence. Casualties mount.
Why is all this happening? Where is God in all this? The words of the Psalmist ring true this morning, “The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” (Psalms 14:1-3) God is looking down on us right now. But what does the Lord see? A people who have turned away. Foolish people who no longer believe in God. Idolatrous people who have recast God in their own image. We have sown the wind and are reaping the whirlwind. In our pride and arrogance, we believed we didn’t need God. Didn’t need His guidance. Didn’t need to follow His ways. We thought we could relegate Him to the private sphere. We thought we could put Him in a corner while we got on with the rest of our lives. We thought His ways were too naive. Too weak for the harsh realities of this world. We refused to humble ourselves and acknowledge our national sins of slavery, racism, abortion, and genocide. So our foundations began to crumble. The ground beneath us turned to sand. And we are suffering.
So now, in what feels like the 11th hour, where do we find hope? Only in the Lord. Friends, we have peace with God only through the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of what He accomplished for us on the Cross, we have been reconciled to God. And God entrusts us with the message of reconciliation for the world. God is even now sending us out as reconcilers into a world that is full of brokenness, hatred, violence and evil. He is sending us out as sheep among wolves. He is sending us out to be wise as serpents but harmless as doves. As such, we will suffer for our faith. This is to be expected. The world will not receive the message of love we have to offer. They will reject it as naive and foolish. Weak and helpless. Because their minds have grown dark and their hearts hard, they will turn on us. They will find us to be the easiest targets for their rage. Such has always been the lot of the people of God. But we, like Jesus, “rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5)
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ then God’s love has been poured into your heart through the Holy Spirit. God has literally filled you up with His love so that you can go out into the world and give it away. It is a fresh spring in your heart that never stops flowing. It is a deep well that never runs dry. You don’t have to manufacture it. You are not in charge of creating it. You don’t have to muster it each day by your own strength. It is there by virtue of your faith in Christ. My challenge to you is to give this love away. Give it away to your family and friends. Give it away to your neighbors and co-workers. Give it away on social media and in your conversations with those you meet. Give it away even to your enemies and those who hate you. The only hope our communities, our nation, and our world have are the people of God living as the light of God by sharing the love of God. Go and share God’s love today!
Readings for tomorrow: 1 Chronicles 28-29, Romans 5:6-21, Psalms 15, Proverbs 19:18-19