Many years ago, the agnostic Albert Camus, noted that the world would be a better place "if Christians would just be Christians," and while his context was much different than ours, I think the fact remains... that many of our problems would be alleviated if Christians acted like Christians.
In Christ, the Bible says, there is no slave or free, no black or white, no male or female... because barriers of skin color, wealth, and party affiliation are swept away by love. It was Christ who noted that all sorts of sin and troubling behaviors originate on the inside of a person. Racism, sexism, discrimination, betrayal, adultery, murder- and all the rest... are born within a person's mind and heart. They're nurtured in thoughts and inflamed by bias and resentment until they break someone's heart or take someone's life. This is the way of life and it may continue to be a way of life for people who are not Christian because they march to a different drummer. They may be driven to win; they may be obsessed with money or power; they may feel superior to others. Who knows what their north star is, but as Christians, our anchor is Christ Jesus and our goal every day is to live our lives as he lived his. Thus, instead of holding grudges, we forgive again and again and again, to the point where the world laughs at us, and instead of measuring success through the lens of materialism, we measure it though the lens of faithfulness. Whether others agree or not, we celebrate meekness and humility, and even though we could move faster alone, we carry our crosses and stop to pick others up along the way. Because we're Christians, we pray every day and take inventory throughout the day- how am I doing Lord? Where have I pleased you? How have I disappointed you?
Friends, at the risk of sounding naive or simple-minded, I really believe that the world would be a more loving place if Christians acted like Christians... because conflict and hatred begin in the heart. This brings me to the tragic shootings that have stunned us all- the one in St Paul, the one in Baton Rouge, and the ones in Dallas... because fear and anger start within a person and because violence begs for a Christian response. There are other voices, no doubt, and we will hear them again and again as the "talking heads" fill our cable shows... but today, I want to lift up a distinctly Christian response. In Jesus' day, there were ongoing debates about social issues like divorce and all sorts of responses to Roman rule, but Jesus' response was transforming and spiritual...and our response must be anchored in Christ, who taught us to love God with every fiber of our being, to love one another as a witness to the world, and to love our neighbor as ourselves
Others will say and do what they want to say in do, but our response must be in Christ. It must be anchored in his ministry and in the word of God that he adored, beginning with the Old Testament command to "love our neighbors as our ourselves." (Lev. 19:18), and continuing in Paul's words, "Be indebted to no one, except to love one another, for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law of God (Rom. 13:9), and finally, to James (2:8), If you really keep the royal law of Scripture and love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well." Friends, I'm concerned about the hatred and divisiveness that is killing us and I know that there are a host of solutions... but for people of faith,
the answer to hated and violence is a matter of our own faithfulness. We can't control others, but we can anchor our own thoughts and prayers in Scripture... and we can embrace the great promise that, in Christ, we will be dead to sin and new creations, who are capable of being fully human and faithful to our high calling.
Christians must have a distinct response to these recent killings, and this response must transcend politics and our own prejudices. If we are in Christ, we will see the world through his eyes... and there will be no black or white, nor anyone who cannot be forgiven... or treated with anything other than the greatest respect. If we are trusting in God, we will gladly choose to see the Image of God in all people, and if we see the image of God in someone, our chances of loving, trusting, forgiving, and understanding that person will be much higher! It is not a matter of being a saint- it's just a matter of seeing that our neighbor is not the one who lives nearest to us... but the one whom we have the privilege of noticing and lifting up. When Jesus asked his questioner whom he thought the neighbor was in his story of the Good Samaritan, the ruler replied, "the one who acted like a neighbor," even if that person is a Samaritan... because the law of love neither knows nor honor the boundaries and barriers that keep us apart.
We can't solve the world's problems, but we can practice the law of love and thereby fulfill the law of Christ, Let this be God's word to us in this hour.
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