Today’s Readings: Psalm 3; Exodus 1:6-22; Luke 9:28-36; Romans 9:14-18; Psalm 74
As I look back over the course of my first 40 years, there are some things that I feel good about and other things of which I’m ashamed. One thing that I feel good about is my work advocating for the rights of all people. Little did I know that this positive action – when taken to the extreme – could become the source of something of which I became ashamed. Let me tell you how this happened. You see in the course of my advocacy for the rights of all people, I often found myself at odds with leaders of the Religious Right. The lack of humility and self-righteousness I often experienced in the leaders from the Religious Right drove me absolutely nuts. So how did I handle my feelings of frustration? Did I follow Jesus encouragement to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44)? Absolutely not! I’m embarrassed to admit that I would wait for something to happen that would expose their hypocrisy (i.e. Jimmy Swaggart’s dalliance with a prostitute and the exposure of Jim & Tammy Bakker’s extravagant lifestyle) and gleefully gloat in their downfall. When someone would challenge my response as being un-Christian, I would say, “Why should I feel sorry for them? They brought it on themselves.” Thankfully, God has a MUCH better response to such situations. In today’s passage from Romans, Paul reminds us how God responded to Moses’ attitude regarding the Egyptians. “Not so fast, please. God told Moses, ‘I’m in charge of mercy. I’m in charge of compassion.’ Compassion doesn’t originate in our bleeding hearts or moral sweat, but in God’s mercy” (Romans 9:14-15 – The Message). My earlier response to the downfall of the leaders from the Religious Right reminded me it’s a good thing I am not in charge of mercy or compassion because I would do a terrible job dispensing those things. Today, I give thanks for the One who generously dispenses mercy and compassion to the one who needs it most – me. Til next time…
As I look back over the course of my first 40 years, there are some things that I feel good about and other things of which I’m ashamed. One thing that I feel good about is my work advocating for the rights of all people. Little did I know that this positive action – when taken to the extreme – could become the source of something of which I became ashamed. Let me tell you how this happened. You see in the course of my advocacy for the rights of all people, I often found myself at odds with leaders of the Religious Right. The lack of humility and self-righteousness I often experienced in the leaders from the Religious Right drove me absolutely nuts. So how did I handle my feelings of frustration? Did I follow Jesus encouragement to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44)? Absolutely not! I’m embarrassed to admit that I would wait for something to happen that would expose their hypocrisy (i.e. Jimmy Swaggart’s dalliance with a prostitute and the exposure of Jim & Tammy Bakker’s extravagant lifestyle) and gleefully gloat in their downfall. When someone would challenge my response as being un-Christian, I would say, “Why should I feel sorry for them? They brought it on themselves.” Thankfully, God has a MUCH better response to such situations. In today’s passage from Romans, Paul reminds us how God responded to Moses’ attitude regarding the Egyptians. “Not so fast, please. God told Moses, ‘I’m in charge of mercy. I’m in charge of compassion.’ Compassion doesn’t originate in our bleeding hearts or moral sweat, but in God’s mercy” (Romans 9:14-15 – The Message). My earlier response to the downfall of the leaders from the Religious Right reminded me it’s a good thing I am not in charge of mercy or compassion because I would do a terrible job dispensing those things. Today, I give thanks for the One who generously dispenses mercy and compassion to the one who needs it most – me. Til next time…
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