Looking Silly? Much Engaged About Nothing?

Maybe it is just because I am older, or because of the recent visit of death of my wife, or because it really is just ridiculousness– but I am so over the Presidential campaign. The name-calling, the focus on fear and wedge issues, the promises being made that are such blatant attempts to buy votes - has made the whole ordeal the stuff of a late-night comedy sketch, funny except that the future of a country I love is at stake.  Yesterday, there was a ray of light shining out of a clip that showed one’s candidate responding to a young man near tears over the tragic state of his life.

John Kasich left the podium and came down to whisper in his ear and to hold him in a genuine hug of encouragement. In a campaign that has largely been about secondary issues, that is focused on minor things, it was a welcome moment. (Yes, I know some of you are such cynics you question very motive of that candidate.)

Internalizing what I had just seen I asked myself if the people around me see a whole follower of Christ, whose life is shaped around things that are of real consequence, or do they see a man who is absorbed by inconsequential things? Christians tend to confuse what we find comfortable within our cultural framework with what is 'right' in the eyes of God! We often lose sight of love and replace it with a faux religiosity, shaped around ‘what I think is right.’  We end up looking silly and much engaged about things that matter little in the scheme of life.

Have we failed on the most important point of love, the mark of the Spirit-filled, by making the Christian life into a system of rules and regulations focused on controlling human behaviors instead of knowing Jesus, the Savior? The Gospel is not about dragging people into our house of worship and teaching people to become ‘just like us’ so we can create bigger groups that have social influence.  Yet, that is precisely what many churches are trying to do.  Our mission is to enter into the lives of people who are slaves of evil, who are broken, who are in pain, who labor under intense guilt – with a message of liberation and salvation. “The kingdom of God has come near you!” is what we are to declare.  “He whom the Son sets free is free indeed,” we are boldly announce.  Do we? Too often, no. We condemn, shake our heads, and blame the sinner for his pain as we invite him to try to like our liturgies and ceremonies.

Have we made the preservation of the ‘holiness’ of our group more important than enlarging the Kingdom? If our churches are not messy groups where sinners are wrestling with real life issues, if we come together with our faces fixed in smiles pretending that we have it ‘all together,’ if we refuse to genuinely accept those who are dysfunctional, broken, or confused into our fellowship; then we are missing the point of the calling of Christ.  

Christian I am convinced that the Devil will settle for making us totally ineffective in the Lord's work by getting us sidetracked into personal crusades that reflect our narrow prejudices over the clear teaching of the Word of God. He does not have to tempt us to gross sin to make us completely ineffective in Christ’s work. The joy of the Lord can be lost as much to a misplaced focus on moral perfection as in total moral collapse!  

Things that are basically neutral: styles of music, order of worship, and what we eat, drink, and wear - are good or bad depending on the motives in our hearts toward them and/or the way we use them. This external religiosity is not unique to this era of Christianity.  Christian of the churches in Paul’s time fell into the same trap. His letter to the Galatians is almost a rant about their substitution of rules for relationship.  “You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it’s obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the cross was certainly set before you clearly enough. Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God’s Message to you?” (Galatians 3:1-3, The Message)  Speaking to their obsession with circumcision (the mark of the Jewish covenant) Paul sarcastically asks the Galatians if they would consider just going ahead and getting castrated! (Galatians 5:12)

Holy lives do matter, and the Spirit and the Word will guide the hungry soul in all things.  God, because He knows our individual weaknesses better than we know ourselves, convicts each of us differently about things like the food we choose to eat, the music we use to feed our soul, the clothing we wrap around our nakedness, the way we use our computers, money, and time.   The Spirit aims to preserve our souls by leading us to Life, not to the building of higher fences.  

So to that person prone to greed, He says, "Give away your stuff!"
To the one prone to spend too much time on the Internet, He says, "Cut off your broadband access!"
To the one who obsesses over image and appearance, He says, "Dress simply and put away your jewelry."  
To the one who loves stuff, He says, “Fast!”

Here is a word from the Word. Pray it, know it, meditate on the truth here. May the wisdom help us to find what is really important, to focus on true kingdom work –  in our ourselves and in our world. "You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, "Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!"? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand." (Colossians 2:20-3:1, NLT)

The universal Rule Jesus laid down for all Christian is two-fold and yet His Words encompasses everything we do:  "Love God whole-heartedly, and love others intensely!" 
May His grace preserve us from debates about things that matter so little.  Amen