Aside from being Christian, a father, a husband, a son, an educator, a writer, a speaker, and an American of African descent, one of things I am most proud of being is a citizen of what I believe is the most influential country in the world. And as a Christian, I unabashedly claim that one of things that makes America great is the way in which it embraces all religions in general, but Christianity in particular.
However,we as a country, are going through a “storm” right now. People in both Washington and Wall Street, who we thought we could trust, have turned out to be what all of us mere mortals are-HUMAN. Human beings unfortunately sometimes engage in manipulation, self-indulgence, misinformation and heightened materialism. And because over time, there are people who have put just as much, if not more trust in both government and corporations then they have in God’s word, we find ourselves in a crisis not of God’s doing but of man’s. People often react to crises with a spirit of fear rather than faith. Fearful people do and say irrational and sometimes mean-spirited things like call each other liars, fascists, babykillers, warmongers, and racists–not necessarily because these people actually are any of those things, but simply because another person’s way to solve the problems that face us differs from their own. When one operates out of fear rather than faith, sometimes the noisy din of their irrational rantings drowns out solutions that are right under their nose. In such instances, I am reminded of Mark 4:35-41:
“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ 39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’[a] 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’”
In these verses, we find that Jesus was on a boat with his disciples while there was a terrible “storm” brewing all around them. In the midst of terrible thunder, lightning, and rain that caused large amounts of water to flood the boat, Jesus remained calm and asleep while those around him were losing their heads and becoming frantic and fearful. His followers wondered if he even cared that they were in the midst of being overtaken by this violent formidable storm. However, I believe that when Jesus said “Peace be still”, he was not only talking to the wind and sea, but to his disciples as well. When reading this verse, I felt like Jesus was telling them, “Calm down, keep the faith…God is in control.” As Christians, we would do well to remember that God is in control before we open our mouths and say mean and vile words to each other that are not of God.
However, in recent months, I have witnessed discussions, where people from both major political parties, who claim to be Christian aren’t relating to each other in what one might consider a Christian manner. When I watch the news, speak with friends, and listen to co-workers talk, I hear Christian Democrats portraying Christian Republicans,who emphasize economic self-reliance and behavioral accountability, as unfeeling people without any conscience or compassion who are happy to let poor people get taken advantage of by the rich and powerful. Conversely, I have seen and heard Christian Republicans portray Christian Democrats as mindless saps who endorse the government’s stealing of money from the wealthy or hardworking people in order to give handouts to lazy people. And to people from both parties who erroneously make those simple minded, uninformed arguments, I ask them this question? You have the choice of being in the Republican Party, the Democratic Party or God’s party….which one will YOU choose?
Now before you answer the question, remember that the God we worship is the same one who sacrificed his son for our sins, so the first thing that says to me is that no matter who you are or what party you claim, we need to be very careful about how we address people and who we call names like racist, babykiller, liar, and warmonger because as Romans 3:23 says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Furthermore, despite whatever disagreements we have their needs to be a civility and respect in our discussion with other that is befitting of the creations of God.
The same God that gives us ten commandments and holds us accountable to them in an effort to give us some measure of responsibility for our own spiritual well being is the same God that used his vast resources in Mark 6:41 to turn some loaves of bread and a few fish into a feast that feed multitudes of people. In times like these, Christians must remember that the most beautiful thing about God is that if we follow God’s plan and play by His rules, we are promised wonderful moments on earth as well as a wonderful eternity in heaven. What’s even more phenomenal is that God’s grace gives us the opportunity to enjoy these same blessings even when we don’t always play by his rules. I am honored to have the opportunity to work for God’s blessings, but God’s “welfare plan” of grace is a “wealth redistribution” plan that we should get down on our knees and be grateful for. I say all this to say that if we show our love for God, by showing love and respect for one another, and ask what Jesus would do rather than asking what Fox would do…or CNN would do…or what Beck would do…or what Olbermann would do…or what Palin would do…or even what Obama would do, then we will be able to take comfort in the words of Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
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