Anyone and everyone has been weighing in recently on the issues of free speech, gay marriage, and gay rights. Unless you’re living under a rock, in which case you won’t be reading this blog anyway, you know that what sparked this round of passionate debate were comments by an executive for a national fast food restaurant that happens to be run by a Christian family. I'm not against passionate debate. However…
As I look at the interchange that has taken place over the last couple of weeks because of this issue, I get {cough} slightly frustrated.
This is going to upset a lot of my brothers and sisters in Christ, but since I’ve never won any popularity contests anyway, I’m throwing caution to the wind. I am ashamed of a lot of the “Christian” response to all this. I have watched as post after post on Facebook from those in the Body of Christ have taken an “in your face” and “so there” attitude. I’ve seen posts that ridicule, rant, and are just downright rude. Granted, I’ve seen some of the same coming from the other side of the fence, but the overwhelming majority of the “mud-slinging” has come from Christians.
Beloved, this should not be…
“Sling mud at those who oppose you! Ridicule them and treat them like pond scum! Then everyone will know how you feel and how righteous you are, and that you’re not going to take any garbage from anyone!” Is that what Jesus said? Um…no. The proper instructions tell us just the opposite (see Luke 6:27-36). Did Jesus get “in your face” with people? Well okay, yes, he actually did. But it was with {gasp} “religious” folks (see Matthew 23 and Luke 11). Some of us tend to forget in our zeal for what we believe that the greatest commandment according to Jesus is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind….And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40) I haven’t seen a lot of this lovin’ going on lately…
To my Christian brothers and sisters, the “royal law found in Scripture” (James 2:8) should guide our interaction with anyone and everyone we meet. In this country, we may have a legal right to shake our fist and give someone who disagrees with us a verbal “what-for” but that doesn’t mean that we should. The example given us by the One we claim to serve is an example of humility and of not grasping at our “rights” (Phil. 2:5-8). In our Father’s Kingdom, we serve to lead, surrender to win, die to live. That’s how it works. Let’s trade our indignant outrage for humility; our bitterness for gentleness; our anger for love. It is possible to be true to God and still love people in the process.
Two other posts this morning related to this whole thing have grabbed my attention. The first made me horribly sad. It was a picture of the lines outside of the heretofore un-named restaurant and the caption said, “You’ll never see that many Christians line up to help at a food bank or a homeless shelter, and that’s something Jesus actually said to do.” Unfortunately, there’s a lot of truth to that statement and it breaks my heart. Not just because a majority of Christians aren’t lining up to help those in need, but because I haven’t lined up at the food bank or the homeless shelter either. I won’t embarrass myself by making any excuses. I need to do better.
The second post made me glad because it gave me hope that as Christians, we CAN get it if we would just get down off of our soap boxes and figuratively pick up the towel and basin of water. The post is from a friend and colleague of mine, Rev. Amy Williams (www.amylynnwilliams.com): “Before people get bent out of shape remember that you had the freedom to participate on Wed, they have the freedom to participate today. Why don’t you buy them a lunch while they are there (or at least offer).”
May we all be as gracious to others as our God is to us.
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