Immediately, there was food. And singing. And friends and family to send a group of “pilgrims,” as we were called, on our way. Our way to what? I had some inkling of the type of weekend my Memorial Day weekend would be. It would not be filled with barbeques and American flags, loud music and beer, hundreds of people clamoring for a sight of the “Rolling Thunder,” on Constitution Avenue, or an awkward meal at my in-laws house. My weekend, I thought, would be filled with some prayer, some sermons, some Christian music, and maybe, just maybe, an insight into what my purpose was – with the hope it aligned with exactly what I wanted it to be.
Nothing in life can prepare you for how wrong you are when you’re really wrong. I can’t share the details of everything that happened, but I was beyond humbled and amazed at the people I encountered, the stories I heard and the experiences I had. Now, the lack of sharing has nothing to do with “you have to be a Christian to understand,” but it has everything to do with keeping the experience sacred for anyone else after me who may attend a Walk to Emmaus. The overwhelming theme of the weekend – and a message that should be carried into every aspect of life – was LOVE. Unconditional, unforgiving, unexpected, undeserved Love. The focus was on how much God loved us and how we in turn can reciprocate that love by loving others. Yes, there was the tried and true topic of John 3:16, but there was more than that: There was the Samaritan woman, God’s love for Saul (later Paul) and Peter despite their inability to accept Jesus when it was asked of them. There was a focus on his love for Miriam and Lazarus, his dinners with those less desirable, and the healing of the women who would not stop bleeding.
Now, to those without faith in Jesus, these may just be stories to make one feel good about their lot in life. To give hope where there may not be any. But my question is why? Why make up a story about someone who loved unconditionally and told us to love him by doing the same to others? Why consistently choose less than less than perfect people to lead nations and revolutionize how we treat one another? Why die for other people who don’t believe in you, don’t accept, and many more who will never meet you? The better question should be – Why aren’t more people listening and practicing this kind of love?
You may be thinking, “if you’re a Christian, where is your persecution of homosexuals? Why don’t you put down those on government aid? Where is your scripture that teaches us to lash out as Muslims/minorities/poor?” That’s what the media shows us, right? That’s what the Far Right, Tea Party, and Westboro Baptist Church want you to think of when you see Christianity, correct? Here is the issue with all of that: None of that is the teaching of Jesus, the central part of the Holy Trinity of Christianity! In the Old Testament, Leviticus 19, verses 13 -15, the scripture states:
Do not defraud or rob your neighbor. Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight. Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord. Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
In the New Testament Romans 14:12-14 takes it even further:
So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.
Even the conflicted Paul encourages in 1 Corithinians 12:
verses 12-14: Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
verses 27-31: Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues[d]? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
Okay, sorry for the scriptural rant, but I feel so many of those calling themselves “Christian,” who have obtained a media spotlight are sending the wrong message. Most of what is taught in scripture, and should be the focus of Christians, is not to put others down, but lift others up; no matter their origin, orientation, or obstacles in their life. If we focus on the beauty and amazing capacity of each and every one of us, there is so much more to embrace than degrade. Do we really wonder why our society has stopped making meaningful progress and why the gap between classes is so huge? We focus so much on pitting one against the other: native (or those who claim being native) vs. immigrant, rich vs. poor, hetero vs. homo, North vs. South, Christian/Catholic vs. everybody else, government vs. independent, young vs. old. . . It is really neverending.
My weekend encouraged me to encourage others to love – EVERYONE – regardless of how different or how similar. I feel we are all called to stop trying to be more and more divisive in gender, ethnicity, cultural, and economic class. There is so much that makes us a similar; so much that makes us HUMAN, that the only thing that should divide us is our ability and inability to love. And that is a challenge that can only be met with a closer walk with one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment