What, therefore, is our task today?

What is, therefore, our task today?

Shall I answer: Faith, hope and love?

That sounds beautiful.

But I would say- courage.

No, even that is not challenging enough to be the whole truth.

Our task today is recklessness.

For what we Christians lack is not psychology or literature...

We lack a holy rage-

the recklessness that comes from the knowledge of God and humanity.

The ability to rage when justice lies prostrate on the streets,

and when the lie rages across the face of the earth...

a holy anger about the things that are wrong in the world.

To rage against the ravaging on God's earth,

and the destruction of God's world.

To rage when little children must die of hunger,

when the tables of the rich are sagging with food.

To rage at the senseless killing of so many,

and against the madness of the militaries.

To rage at the lie that calls the threat of death

and the strategy of destruction

peace.

To rage against complacency.

To restlessly seek that recklessness that will

challenge and seek to change human history

until it conforms to the norms 

of the kingdom of God.

And remember that the signs of the Christian Church

have been the Lion, the Lamb, the Dove and the Fish...

...but never the chameleon.

Danish pastor, Kaj Munk.

Isn't that glorious?
Brilliant truth.

It was written before Kaj Munk was put to death by the Gestapo, with his Bible next to him in 

January of 1944.

Kaj Munk walking with his daughter.

Fighting the wars that matter.

We must remember to keep fighting.

Even with all the noise, the cynicism, the despair in the world.

The weapon of choice still needs to be love.

Love that disarms and surprises people out of violence.

Love that laughs and cries and grieves.

Love that includes, not alienates.

As the election draws nigh-I see so much hate- the unlove of the broken is massive.

I see listening to respond and shout down instead of listening to understand. On all sides.

UNLOVE ON ALL SIDES.

Not okay.

People are broken.  Our country is BROKEN.

Injustice is all over the place.

And I am brokenhearted at all the hard heartedness, the hard headedness, the willful blindness to the things that Jesus holds dear- and that is just the church.

Never mind that we live in a society where young white men think it's okay to shoot up a school because a girl doesn't want to give him her body.  Never mind that we in a world where a young man who was seen raping an unconscious girl doesn't have to pay the consequences for his horrific action because he is rich and he is white. Never mind we live in a world where violence breeds violence and hate breeds hate and it is multiplying all over the place. 

Racism exists.

Misogyny exists.

Hunger exists.

Slavery exists.

Fear and isolation and selfishness reign supreme,

Not overseas, in other countries- in OUR country.
(Well, these things exist all over the world, but that is a blog for another day)

THESE ARE THE WARS THAT MATTER.

And ONLY love can overcome.  Only love.

Perfect love that casts out fear.

Oh Lord, have mercy on us...particularly in this, an election year.

I know that the candidates this year for the presidential election aren't great choices.

I know.

But God isn't going "OH ME!  HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?"

You may hate Hilary because she's a woman, or she's "THAT" woman- I have issues too.

Although, I do find it incredibly interesting that she is being held accountable for the same crimes that her male counterparts commit that we ignore....just sayin'.

But you may hate Hilary.  And you know what, brother or sister in Christ? That is not okay.

You are to love, even who you think are your enemies.  And you are to pray for them and bless them.
Says who?  

Jesus.

If you claim to be a christian, you better think twice before voting for Trump.

You will be held accountable for it by God.

He has children by 3 different women.  He is a narcissistic, pathological liar. 

It is out there in the ether for EVERYONE to see.  He contradicts himself CONSTANTLY.
There is NO fruit in his life that in any way, shape or form reflects that he knows or loves Jesus.

He is arrogant and selfish. He slanders and makes fun of people.  He doesn't care.  He doesn't love.

He has never repented.
He lies.

He is protecting all the brokenness and sin in our country that God is trying to topple.

Systems that are racist, misogynistic and corrupt- this man will not only keep those systems in place- they will flourish under his tenure.

This is not the "lesser of two evils" for you, my friends on the right.

You better pray for him too.

I know that a lot of people will vote for him because they think he's supposedly pro- life and "anti-abortion."

But here's the thing people, being pro-life is way more than being anti-abortion.

If you don't want women to have abortions, then you better be prepared to take care of some mamas and some babies.  THAT is pro-life.  You can't rail at the government for trying to provide programs for women who through choice or circumstance (by the way- not your place to judge them for that call, nor is it mine) have had babies out of wedlock and can't work- and then say you are pro-life.  YOU CAN'T.

That, my friends, is hypocrisy.

You can't say you are pro-life and waltz by the starving, the homeless, the mentally ill, and the poor like they are non-people.  "But, Sarah," you say, "I feel so helpless, I don't know what to do, I don't want to feed their addiction. I don't have time."

I get it- I do.

But that doesn't give you the right to do nothing- not if you claim to be pro-life.

We need to figure it out, people.  

I need to figure it out.

Jesus was so pro-life that He died so we could live.
He did nothing wrong, ever. We did and do everything wrong.

He died for us anyway.

THAT is pro-life.

Being pro-life requires sacrifice- it may even cost you your life.

TRUTH.

Here's the thing.

We have no idea what will happen in this election.
Quit reading all the "facts" on the interwebs and get before God and pray.

Quit it, all of the "news" is spun right or left to whichever side makes you feel better or superior and self-righteous. The other side is WRONGWRONGWRONG.

Have mercy.

Get out while you still can.

I can't tell you how many people I have "unfollowed" for a couple of months- I will follow again after the election- I love y'all, but I just...can't.

Pray for wisdom, for humility- and for what God wants us to do.

Vote- but ask God first.  His answer may surprise us all.

Whoever ends up being president doesn't change who we are or who we are called to be.

It doesn't change what we are called to do.

God wants us to LOVE.

To care, to serve, to protect those who are:

weak

immigrants

poor

naked

hungry

sick

blind

deaf

mentally ill

poverty stricken

not like us.

We don't get to choose who we love.  If you claim you love Christ- then you are to love the "least of these."
That is the deal.

And if you don't like it, well...tough noogies.
Get a grip.

I know, I am trying too- I don't have it all figured out- I am not good at this loving thing at all.

I just know that issues in the world have not changed in what....72 years?  Since Kaj Munk wrote those lovely words that still resonate today.

Thanks for reading my blog. I appreciate it.
Now, turn off your damn computer, put down your phone, turn off CNNFOXMSNBBC or whatever.

Pick up a book.

Stare off into the distance and think.

Pay attention to the brokenness and people around you.

Pray.

Repent of the unlove and lawlessness we ALL carry in our hearts.

Feed someone.

Hug someone.

Listen.
Love.

If my people, which are called by My name,

shall humble themselves and pray, 

and seek My face,

and turn from their wicked ways;

then I will hear from heaven,

and will forgive their sin,

and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14