February 17, 2021
{In From the Cold}
Is it safe to go out again? I don't mean literally. We're finally enjoying some typical Michigan weather, so I'm not at all fretting about going outside in cold and snow. I'm talking figuratively.
Since the start of 2021, on a national level, we've seen bizarre exploits of all kinds. Mobs making irrational demands and breaking things have never been to my liking. There's an unhealthy dimension to those sorts of events. Mob action, of almost any kind, cannot hold up under Biblical scrutiny.
The second kind of mob action is mob action of a different, more partisan stripe. While I'm no constitutional lawyer, and I've never been asked to play one on TV, it seemed odd to impeach a former President of the United States. I'm just weird like that. Even odder were the strange bedfellows in the spectacle. One politician, who allegedly had sexual relations with a Chinese spy, banged the podium in moral outrage in making his argument for conviction. Another politician decried the moral turpitude of the accused, as if people have forgotten the millions of dollars he has made as a vulture capitalist.
And the band plays on…
The point is both Biblical and theological. Sanctimony hovers over so much of life. And anger. We see hatred in the mobs and in the rhetoric. I saw a T-shirt once that said, "Y'all Need Jesus." Exactly. More Galatians 5:22-23, and less everything else. It's so frustrating when people either can't or won't dial back the vitriol and judgmentalism a little bit. Jesus had lots to say about that, whether it was about removing the log in my eye or loving my enemies and praying for those who persecute me.
Is it safe to go back outside? Probably not. Really, never was and never will be. I suppose that's why some people are part of separatist communities. I could never do that. All I know is, in Christ, we are in the world but not of the world. In other words, we can be different. We can be a positive, encouraging presence on social media. We can be a voice of reason when others seem to be out of their minds. Instead of "follow the science," how about "follow the sound teachings of the gospel"? We do that, and we make inroads to a better place for ourselves and our loved ones.
One of the positive things out of this whole pandemic has been the extended reach of our worship services. Last week, I received an email that deeply touched my heart. A couple, who I had known from serving my previous church, shared with me that they have been worshiping with us online since this whole thing started. They split their time between West Virginia and Florida. It's amazing to think about the friends in Christ God places in our lives and somehow keeps the connection going over the years. God is good all the time…
In a related vein, Owen Strachan has observed that:
The central challenge of the Christian life is our circumstances. Is my faith
driven…and defeated…by daily circumstances?
Or
Is my faith lived amidst tough circumstances yet anchored in an immutable
God, an overpowering cross, an empty tomb, and an already-begun
eternity?
And finally, your Charles H. Spurgeon moment:
"He who demands a reason from God is not in a fit state to receive one."
With Much Love and Affection,
Richard