Loving Jesus. Political policies that harm. Discrimination and being Woke

This is a kingdom conversation about kingdom values. It’s a lean in and listen conversation. It’s about our integrity as followers of Jesus. It’s about following up what we say with what we do. It’s also about our consistency in speaking from the word of God.

This topic has been on my heart to write about for quite a while. In fact, this was written quite a few months back, was altered and then for some reason shelved. It was in response to a few happenings, which are still relevant. We also don’t seem to have got to a point of rational and critical thinking regarding this topic. There are numerous occasions where it shows up. It’s not an easy topic to address because of so many varying opinions, and even in what I have written here, there might very well be people who disagree with what I have said. That’s okay.  I ask that you read to the end and ponder before responding. Mostly I would hope and pray that you would see Jesus and his great love for the people in this world - every person. 

The plea I have is that we don’t get caught up in fighting about certain words that have different connotations for different people and then forget to love all people with respect and dignity. Many of these words, slogans and phrases get new and added meanings attributed to them, which makes it even more important to stay curious and find out more. Let's encourage all people in the world to treat all people with respect, dignity and fairness.

There needs to be critical evaluation with fear removed and remembering the Kingdom of God and what it stands for. We can’t allow the water to get muddy, our lenses fogged up and hearts hardened just because there are some voices shouting loudly and making it sound like they have a handle on the truth.

To start with, a very brief description of ‘Woke’. It’s not just some ‘leftist ideology.’, It’s been around for years, many years.

The term ‘woke’ originally started out as meaning ‘being alert and wide awake to racial prejudice and discrimination.’ In the following years other forms of oppression and injustice were included to make it more about being socially aware and empathetic. We absolutely need to wake up to injustice around us. This is a kingdom of God principle. We cannot have our eyes closed and be asleep when harm is being perpetrated against other people. We are called to always stand against injustice and oppression.

This includes all injustice, oppression and marginalization against anyone. We don’t get to pick and choose. ‘Marginalized’ means people and people groups who are pushed aside and seen as less than important. Straight away we can see where Jesus would have been. Everyone was important to him. He has the same heart of his Father who created us all equal with his image in us. He loves all people and he died for all people.

People who are marginalized are very vulnerable and at risk of discrimination and violence. They are the first to be recruited into gangs and the sex industry. Abusive actions, like rape and other forms of abuse are common acts against them. They also risk being exploited through human trafficking. Groups that come to mind, in varying degrees are Women, Children, People of Colour, orphans, homeless people, people who are addicted, Child headed households, people who identify as LGBTQ, people with certain illnesses like AIDS and TB, people who are in prison, people who are poor, people who are refugees and foreigners, people who are in the sex industry, people who follow different religions, widows, elderly people and people with physical or mental disabilities/different abilities.

Jesus calls us to stand with, to stand up for, to stop abuse, violence and discrimination. We are to make sure human rights are taken seriously and people are treated with respect and dignity. All having the right to feel safe is so important. How are we creating safety in our world?

As followers of Jesus when we have conversations about things we don’t agree with or about people we don’t like or about people we believe are wrong, what is going on inside our hearts? Let’s not let our own pride get in the way when we don’t agree or we hold different beliefs.

What about the person or the people we are talking about?
‘Do unto others as you would have them do to you,’ comes to mind.

Jesus came to earth and died on the cross for every one of us.
He loves every one of us, each person created lovingly in the image of God.

And he showed us very clearly what to do and how to treat people.

It would also be hugely honouring if we add the word ‘people’ into the conversation when we are talking about people?
This will really help to humanize conversations about people who are made in the image of God. It’s not just issues, wars and policies being spoken about. It’s the people at the heart of the issues, wars and policies that are being affected that we should be concerned about. Dehumanization is often a first ploy to get us to not care.

The treatment of people we don’t agree with or don’t see as worthy gets ugly. There’s so much fear and pushing away. There’s so much thought and energy given to protection of self and family and not thinking wider to extending love to our neighbours.

It’s like “you do you over there, but please don’t draw me into any of it. I would prefer to not even look at you, or for my children to look at you. I would prefer to not even talk to you or address you in any way that could possibly show any kind of respect or dignity, because just, no!!”

Policies are always about people. Policies affect people very personally. They are not just about smooth governance. Policies are very political, and they are often there to gain power and control. When those who institute the policies are all about power, control and greed, then be sure that’s what their policies will be about too. Often policies are put into place (either by vote or force) to gain attention, fame and approval from their voter base, so that those in power can stay in power.

Values are the things that guide us in life. What are the value systems of the people in power who are instituting the policies? Are their policies about cruelty to others or about uplifting and caring for others? And do their value systems align with ours?

As Christians they probably will never align because we are talking about empire and the kingdom of God which are like oil and water. Yes, we live in the world and have no choice but to function in the political systems. But kingdom values are always going to stand in stark contrast to worldly values. God tells us to respect those in power and to pray for them, but he certainly does not tell us to let go of our kingdom values or agree with Government values and policies that stand against the kingdom of God value system.

And yes, it can get tricky. And yes, we need to hold things in balance and possibly multiple things at the same time and feel a little tension. It’s not all straightforward. Sometimes we could be upholding something from the kingdom of God but doing it in very ungodly ways and not with Kingdom attitudes and actions. That’s why we need each other to see all there is to see. It’s why we have each other so we do this together and in community. It’s why we will always need humility, vulnerability and interdependence in the mix.

So, what are our values? What is important to us?
To love God completely, with everything in us. Heart, soul, mind and body.
Some questions to ponder and to unpack the above statement - Who is God then? (And that is not asked with any disrespect or dismissing God, but rather to remind us as to who he is and what he is about). Who are we loving? What are we loving? Does loving him completely mean we stand with all he is and says and does? Does it mean we copy those things if we are loving him so completely? Is the aim to become holy as he is holy? To become like Jesus, his son? In our hearts and minds and attitudes and words and actions?

Do we know who and what we are following and becoming. And it’s so important that we should also take note of the opposite of who God is and who we should not be following, supporting and copying and becoming like.

Jesus came to show us who God is. He showed us everything while on earth. He left us with the Holy Spirit to remind us of everything. So that’s why we say we can become like Jesus because he was totally man – someone we can copy.

This is how Jesus interacted with people while on earth:
He was loving, humble and gentle.
He was authentic, intentional and honest.
He was patient and filled with grace and mercy.
He was always consistent, always speaking the truth.
He saw the person, made in God’s image.
The person would always feel seen, heard and valued in his presence. Always, without exception.

When we see policies being put into place that are done more for public and constituent approval and to increase power and control, we need to remember the people these policies are affecting. They are not put into place for loving reasons. They are generally not about mutual human flourishing, well-being and equality.
’Love your neighbor.’ Oh right. Forgot that for a moment, in amongst all the ‘yeah right, finally some common sense,’ or ‘they are doing such a good job’ etc’ comments made a few months back about new policies signed into law in other countries.

Generally, these policies are affecting already marginalized groups and making them more marginalized. We should never be celebrating the casting aside of people and making people more marginalized, more discriminated against, more exploited, more excluded, more constraints put on them, more hatred towards them, more public disgust, increasing their fear levels, more oppression and increased levels of violence against them. We should not be getting involved in that heart attitude. It sounds like pride, arrogance and hate. That’s not the way of the kingdom of God.

It's never okay to celebrate discrimination, injustice and people being put down and cast aside and having life being made more difficult for them. And please, not in the name of Christianity either. We don’t get to force following Jesus onto others. We had a choice to choose to follow Jesus. The same choice and control should be afforded to every person on this earth. We get to love people as followers of Jesus. Jesus drew people towards him by his kindness and love.

I wonder what happens inside our hearts when we push people aside when we don’t agree with their choices, or we have come to see them as less than others.

Did Jesus say we should only look out for ourselves and our families? Our neighbor is anyone we encounter daily, and it’s also people on the other side of the world.
Our heart attitude towards people made in the image of God is important.
Are our children being exposed to our cold, hard, fearful and unloving hearts? OR are we exposing them to having loving and real conversations about people to love as their neighbour who may be battling with various things in their lives or are being treated unjustly by others?
What message are we ultimately sending? What message do we want to send?

We seem to have forgotten where we are living and what our mission is in this world? To love God, love people and to make disciples of all nations. ‘All nations’ means everybody. It’s ludicrous to me when I see how many times many feel the need to point out and highlight that Jesus came for all, for every person. It’s so often because in everyday life, too many people are actively living as though he only came for them and their people, and not for those people over there. The unconscious bias is alive and well.

How do we love and make disciples if we push people away and stay far away from them? We are increasing the separation and breeding discrimination and hatred.

Jesus loved people. He drew people close. He touched people. He spoke truth to people with grace and mercy. He became the person they wanted to be with. People are changed when they are treated like that.

That’s the kingdom of God. That’s the gospel.

I am so tired of reactions from Christians that are not loving at all. Even calling for violence, destruction and death towards other human beings.

And there’s always an expectation of changing the titles that make some people uncomfortable - In 2020 we had ‘Black Lives Matter’ surface again on the back of another injustice This got silenced in some spaces because some people gave it a connection to something else that people were afraid of. Why could we not have just acknowledged that it’s true that black lives matter and find out how we can help to stop whatever injustice is happening to cause people to have to shout it out so loudly. Now we have ‘Woke’ being silenced in some spaces because some people have connected it to things they are afraid of. Why must the people, who are most often marginalized, keep being silenced in their call for being seen as worthy of having human dignity? Why must they change the terms we are uncomfortable with? I wonder what word is next. Should we rather say ‘awakened’, ‘awakening’ or ‘wide awake’? That seems more acceptable in some circles. But ultimately, given the track record, those could also be demonized. Words are often weaponized to stifle dialogue and critical thinking. We need to challenge all forms of discrimination, just like Jesus did.

Why are we not able to take a step back and look with different eyes at what is being asked, what is being demonstrated about, what is being brought to our attention as an injustice to certain people? People calling for justice are often labelled as inciting violence, but the slogans and actions have arisen from violence being inflicted on them in the first place. These are desperate rally calls to rise up against injustice. We cannot be the ones who dismiss, criticize, ignore and stifle these cries for help. There’s a pattern here to take note of. The people suffering injustice start calling out for help by making a noise about the injustice or oppression. The people who are causing, or are complicit, in the injustice move very quickly to discredit the call for justice and ask those who are asking for help to say it in different ways with different words. This often causes a distraction away from the original call and things eventually go quiet and injustice continues. Nothing really changed. Nothing was solved. 

Something makes me think that those causing injustice don’t like being called out, are very comfortable with the way things are and don’t want to change. Often the pushback comes from the people being unaffected by the injustice, and with that comes a lack of understanding. So, for them it's a great idea to try and silence the calls for justice and keep the status quo. Sounds way too familiar. I don’t have the answers, I just know it’s possible and that it’s imperative to find the answers and put them into practice. Living as representatives of the kingdom of God holds a high level of expectation for us to respond to injustice and sort it out, not to try and silence the calls for justice.

We need to always ask ourselves ‘who is in the room?’ when we use these words about movements, that are ultimately about people. (Mostly the words are used in a dismissive, derogatory or joking manner, like ‘there goes the Woke crowd again!’) There may be people in the room and in our midst, people who may hold that call for justice (in whatever word is being used on the placards) very personally in asking for injustice to stop and for being treated fairly, equally and with dignity. There are people who support the word ‘Woke’ for its original intention, which was ‘staying awake to injustice’ against marginalized and minority groups of people. It’s a good call. We may have lost sight because of our preoccupation with the slogans we don’t like or are afraid of, that it’s people behind those slogans who are asking us to notice them, to see them, to hear them and to stop the bad treatment of them. Jesus sees them. Jesus loves them. Jesus is reminding us he calls us to love them too. Don’t turn away. Don’t close your ears and eyes and hearts. Don’t let us be the ones causing damage. Let us not be the ones supporting injustice, harm and discrimination. As some people would say to us, ‘stay awake to injustice.’ Let God’s love flow through us to a hurting people in a hurting world and work towards ending the injustice against people.

When we talk about ‘being salt and light in this world’, it’s very inclusive of everyone. There are no distinctions made. Don’t let the lens of fear stop you from being salt and light. You are salt and light if you follow Jesus. There are many people behind the term ‘Woke’ who are being hurt, pushed aside, being further marginalized and feeling very unloved by followers of Jesus choosing who they will be salt and light to. Let people see Jesus. Let them taste Jesus - His love is sweet. Let’s not leave a darkness and a bitter taste behind us because of hate, prejudice and lack of understanding.

We can’t have on the one hand, ‘love your neighbor’, and then on the other hand, ‘stay away from certain people’. Our love can’t be conditional and dependent on certain changes made for some people. Or seeing words like Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as things that are on Jesus’s heart, but then being happy when they are chucked out and seen as part of being Woke. So many gains for human rights are being lost in these harmful decisions.

We need to be light and shine the light and go near the darkness on purpose. We can’t live afraid of the dark. Jesus reminds us often, ‘Do not fear, I am with you.’

Be salt and don’t have a diluted impact on the world because of fear of Empire and powers that might try and silence us because of following Jesus and the ways of his kingdom. Be prepared to speak up for the kingdom of God and be the example the world needs to see. Be prepared for being persecuted for righteousness sake.

It is so important to critically evaluate the sources of information we are listening to and to ask, ‘what does the Bible actually say?’ It’s not the healthiest response to react to words, headings and titles and not do the work of finding out what it’s all about, because in the long run that then sidetracks and hinders us from the good works that God has set aside for us to do. That last sentence is vitally important to take note of. If our fear is causing us to hinder the work of the kingdom, that is a big problem. We must take calls about injustice seriously. We can’t ignore them due to our own ignorance. We must stay curious and humble in this journey. An example is that white supremacy can’t just be ignored because we think that might not be at the heart of many issues and because it doesn’t line up with our understanding of the heart of many issues. We know that Jesus looks at our hearts and our hearts are sinful, but remember that white supremacy is sinful and has caused huge problems in our world and continues to do so. It is completely anti the kingdom of God.

When we say we want to know Jesus’s heart - what is on Jesus’s heart for the world? Jesus was a friend to all people. His company was sought out by those who needed him, because he loved with a genuine and authentic love. What is on any friend’s heart for those friends they hang out with? Generally, it’s good thoughts, love and ideas to bless the person. God loves us even more than that. Oh God, soften our hearts to be like your heart.

I saw a comment recently that really stuck with me - it said that ‘injustice starves’ and it’s so true. It takes away from and leaves people feeling empty, hungry and with lack. But Jesus came that we might have life and life in abundance. All of a sudden, the light goes on and justice has entered the room with bursting energy and life. That’s what we are to be about as followers of Jesus.

God is at work in the world. Let’s join him. He is working towards justice and Shalom. His heart longs for redemption, renewal and restoration of all things. He needs loving followers of Jesus to be salt and light. To allow his goodness, grace and beauty to shine through into the darkest places. Let’s pray for his grace and beauty to break through from heaven to earth. Let’s join him in this journey as followers of Jesus living out his kingdom values and purposes in our world.

 Top artwork by Evelien Burger
Bottom photo taken at a local Gqeberha Church

Our daily resistance

 

We are in a daily resistance struggle.

Resist is a good word. Resistance is good when it is against evil. God told us to resist the devil (and he will flee!) Injustice is evil. God is a God of justice and he does not tolerate injustice. He tells us to stand against injustice and stand with the oppressed, weak and marginalized.

Sometimes it all looks like hard and heavy work.

It almost feels like you should not be happy or joyful or enjoying life when you feel the weight of the pain in our world.

I was thinking about that the other day and then thought, no! That would never be the answer or what God would want or ask of us. The joy of the Lord is our strength. So, without the joy of the Lord we lose his strength and then can’t find the energy to resist the devil and his evil works in our world.

It got me thinking that joy, life, hope, faith, love, compassion are all resistance in the face of evil and injustice.

It’s a tension we hold in balance. We don’t stop living, because just getting up every day is an act of resistance. But we can absolutely feel the weight of the pain of our world at the same time. We need to – it drives us to prayer, to faith and to action. We need to hold the 2 things in balance, at the same time.

Reminds me of the lines from a song we sing in church – My weapon is a melody. Praise is the water my enemies drown in.

He is Jesus, all our hope is in him.

The weapons we fight with when we are in a war/struggle are not the weapons of this world. They are the exact opposite. The weapons I have at my disposal have the power of God to destroy the camps of the enemy. This includes arguments and every opinion that sets itself up against the knowledge of Christ. (And that's anything that sets itself up against anything to do with Jesus. It includes actions that go against the new covenant, the greatest commandments and the Beatitudes.) We take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.

Joy and life are weapons. Open your eyes and your heart to beautiful moments around you. It’s part of the abundance God has promised. Jesus said he came to give us life, and life to the full. Let it fill you and satisfy you. We need to live each day to the full as an act of resistance against death, evil, strongholds, arguments and opinions against God. (That would include injustice against the vulnerable). That's power. It’s not weakness. We need to keep our thoughts in check and in obedience to Christ.

Raise your voice and shout. Make some noise. Take up space. Raise the banner. Let the world hear that you stand with the marginalized and with the vulnerable.

Be alive. Be awake and be alert to the suffering of others. It will mean feeling their pain, but we need that to push us to action. We need to feel their heartache and have our hearts broken. Don’t sleep and ignore and look away or ignore them. Standing in solidarity means standing close and lending support, love and comfort in their distress. 

Let's do our peacemaking work and create a safer, more peace filled world. Be alive and resist everything that does not line up with who Jesus is and what his kingdom stands for.

Top artwork by Evelien Burger.
Bottom photo: Author's own

 

The Empire has some cracks

 

The Empire has some cracks
It always was a wobbly foundation
Urgent meetings to discuss tensions
Disagreements between leaders
Bring the walls down
Crashing down
Open up the earth
Swallow up that which is not of God
Blood soaked ground
Rocks crying out

Your name
We speak your name
Your powerful name
We lift it up
above everything else
Mountains thrown into the sea
Earthquakes
Sun standing still
The bones are moving
Coming alive
With your breath

We have faith for this
We have hope for this
To stop oppression in its’ tracks
To put spokes in the wheels of injustice
To let war machines malfunction
To stop all the aggression

People within are very unhappy
People from all over are screaming for change
Souls are in anguish for those suffering
For all the hurt, harm and pain
We want it to stop
We pray for your kindness oh God
Plant compassion and kindness in the Empire
Soften hearts
We need you God
We need you now
We need you to move
To change the atmosphere
May your presence be felt
To change hearts and minds
A radical turnaround

 Dreams that challenge ideas
Loud spoken words that rattle
windows and nerves
Could this be God?
being the question on lips
An awareness of you and your power
To bow down, cry and repent
And ask for forgiveness
To turn to the living God
The one who can make us all well
The one who can do it for all of us
So that we really can have peace on earth
Shalom from God alone

Good news for all
The collective shout
The collective shout for freedom
Pouring out your oil of healing, mercy and grace
Pouring out your generous love
Pouring out your abundant life
Pouring out your faithfulness
Pouring out God’s flourishing for all
Lives that live, love and serve
Building new walls
Walls that contain abundance and life
For God’s kingdom to come on earth

(Picture taken at the Castle in Cape Town, South Africa)

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Fill the gaps and be Jesus

Recently we were chatting about the simplicity of following Jesus and not getting caught up in confusing and sometimes mind-boggling theology. There’s nothing wrong with theology, we absolutely need it for greater understanding, but we don’t need to be confused when there is such simplicity in looking at the way Jesus lived and acted and for us to join him and do likewise.

He said, “follow me.”
“look at me and what I do and do likewise.”
“you will see the Father if you see me.”
He didn’t make it complicated for us.
He was fully human and so he did the human things that we can also do.
He was a servant.
Look for the behaviour around you that is servant like, gracious and filled with love and compassion.

I had a moment a little while ago of being very aware of the vulnerabilities for certain people. I had prayed for a widow and in the moment I forgot to pray for the son too who had also experienced loss in losing his Dad and I suddenly thought how different contexts get us thinking of some people being more connected to the grief than others. In this particular context there was the wife and the child who was grieving.

In some instances in our personal social spaces, say for instance if my Mom had to die, the people around me, as in my day to day friendship circles, would mostly relate to me (singular) grieving. In wider circles my sister would also be included by those who know her personally and by those who know us both, as she lives far away.
I was then thinking when my Mom dies, I would technically become an orphan. (Even though this is way more urgent if the person is a child who needs greater support.)
If Marc dies I become a widow.
I am so thankful I serve a God who comes alongside and fills those gaps.

And then I realized how Jesus could see these vulnerable positions and how they would need people to come around to love, support and protect them from exploitation etc. He mentioned this and spoke about it and asked people to be aware of the needs and to step in and help where needed.

Not that long ago we knew of a couple where the husband, who was not well, suddenly pulled away from his wife. They found out there was another person taking financial advantage of him. It took a long time and some interventions to get this situation resolved.

In grief you might suddenly lose those who have been your protection factor.
Be the missing pieces or missing people to create beauty for them again. To create beautiful pictures and to live in wholeness. (My husband loves puzzles and completed this one in the December holidays of 2024. I thought it was the perfect illustration for this blog.)
It got my mind thinking to those who are differently abled, the poor and to all the minority and marginalised groups of people. Those pushed to the margins. All the people that Jesus mentioned.
He was extra concerned for those who needed help and protection.
They were vulnerable and easier to exploit for gain or harm. There is easier access to them because some of the normal protection factors are missing.
He asked us to look out for them.

Let’s fill the gaps and be Jesus to those around us.

Continulilly to Continually

 

Way back in lockdown days of 2020 when we were doing multiple videos for Church and Children’s Church, Marc was filming me explaining something and he suddenly smiled and he stopped filming. Obviously I was curious. “What’s so funny?” I asked. “Do you know what you just said?” He asked. “No, what?” was my response. You said continulilly and not continually!! Ha! Ha! big funny moment.

But it sent me on a journey of awareness and change. I never noticed it before. That’s why it is called a blind spot. Somewhere along the way I had become lazy and just gone an easier way for my tongue and brain. It’s 5 years later and it is still a very cognitive experience. I still say the word slowly so I can get it correct. It was brought to my attention, it was a funny moment, but I had a choice. I could stick with what I had gotten used to, or I could correct it. I chose correction, but who knows how long that brain pathway had been set in that way, and it takes time to unlearn and relearn. It hasn’t quite dropped down into my sub conscious where I don’t have to be cognitively aware of it when I say it. It’s because it takes a lot of repetition and saying the new thing, and I really don’t go around saying ‘continually’ continually!!

Recently I have had some engagement with some people on social media about love and mercy. It came off the back of seeing some comments by people, who identify as Christians, speaking about decimating some people they clearly see as enemies or calling for their slaughter. The church I attend is busy going through a series on the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes, so mercy and love were certainly part of multiple conversations. My post had said the following, “Teach us to love mercy for each and every person made in the image of God. This includes those we see as enemies. God calls us to love, not to decimate people made in his image. We will be known by our love, not by our calling for the slaughter of other people. Love mercy. Extend mercy. It’s the way of Jesus who loved us first.”

I then added this further down in the comments, “Adding to my status and the absolute instability in our world right now – I just saw a comment on Instagram – “Christians want us all to be Christians, but themselves can’t agree on what that is and what that means, especially the part about loving your neighbour or even who that is.” These are basic parts of our faith that we should not be confused about, and yet there seems to be so much confusion. And who is our neighbour? Oh, my goodness, the exclusions seem to be endless. And the justifications for the exclusions too. I’m not sure how Jesus could have been clearer when he was on earth with his teaching us about love that is inclusive of every living person. There is no extra information in that line – love your neighbour as yourself.”

And yet here we are, still asking that question. Still not getting to an answer.

Someone posed the question as to how we are to do this. It got me thinking as to what I would answer. 

My first response was to ‘be transformed by the renewing of our minds.’ That’s where the first part of this blog comes in. When we unlearn something, we must fill it with new learning otherwise nothing will change. It does not change overnight either. I am 5 years in on correcting the word continually. I find it quite uncanny that continually is so close to the word repetition. Brain pathways are formed through repetition. Changing brain pathways also happens through repetition and consistency. If we are seeing ourselves not loving in the ways of Jesus, then we can stop and think and make a choice to remind ourselves and then get to transforming our minds towards the ways of Jesus.

Maybe it will take someone pointing something out to you that you haven’t seen before. We need each other to see all there is to see. We cannot possibly see everything. But then we have a choice. Defensiveness and justification often rise to the fore because we don’t like being wrong or having a fault pointed out.

Maybe we could get really brave and ask someone where they see us lacking in love. We need to get ready to respond in humility and be vulnerable in that moment.

The second thing I would say is to get close to those people who Jesus highlighted we should be looking out for. Who are those people? Throughout the Old and New Testament we hear God and Jesus talk about looking after the vulnerable, the poor and needy, the sick, weak or differently abled, the fatherless or orphan, children, the widow, the sojourner, foreigners, strangers, the hurt, lonely and grieving, those in prison, those being oppressed, those in marginalized groups, those suffering injustice and Jesus adds our enemies too. We cannot possibly get to being okay with supporting the harm of other people or being harmful to other people after you look through this list. We should stand up and come to the defense of all people, but especially those people mentioned above who are more vulnerable.

Sometimes I find when this list is presented as is, or straight from Scripture, most people would nod and be in agreement with it because we have heard this before and we know these are the words of Jesus.

 But it still seems to be certain people, certain groups of people, certain choices people make in those groups, certain actions people have displayed, certain appearances and class differences that really get us tripped up. Then we have excuses as to why they are not the same and so we give the green card for harmful treatment of them. We turn away and choose to ignore the words of Jesus and we justify our thinking in multiple ways.

It might not come naturally to us, that’s why we ask to be filled with God’s Spirit on a daily basis, so that we have a never-ending flow of God’s love and mercy flowing from him to us and out of us to others. Can we possibly ask God on a daily basis to fill us to overflowing and go out and love in his strength?

It also seems that some people have done a very good job of putting conservative choices on the top of the pile that does not allow certain people the same treatment as other people. When someone looks and sees this and notices that something is not adding up to what Scripture says, they are then attacked because they are going against the flow. They are apparently asking the impossible in caring for  people we are called to care for. To stand in the way of harm being exacted on this group. They are shouted down as being anti mainstream and anti good and pious choices! Even if they are standing for kingdom principles they are being shouted down and silenced. Something has gone horribly wrong.

We need to remember that it’s always been and always will be a case of empire versus the kingdom of God. They are like oil and water, they don’t and can’t mix.

 Empire is all about power, pride, control of land, people and resources, greed, violence, destruction, killing, stealing, lying, hate and lack of empathy. Empire can never be seen as harmless entertainment. A mission of steal, kill and destroy can never be harmless!

The Kingdom of God, on the other hand, is all about love of God and neighbour, love of enemy, righteousness/justice, redemption, peace, Shalom, forgiveness, sacrifice, servant hood, self control, generosity, empathy, compassion, humility, mercy and grace. There are so many more things I could add to this list.

I see nothing of the kingdom of God when people are ‘othered’, hated, demeaned and dehumanized. That is harm being enacted on the people we are called to care for most.

Whose narrative is being loudly portrayed? Which one is more visible? Is it Empire or Kingdom at the moment? Fear keeps people silenced because they see how others are treated when they speak up. Evil continues to rise all the time. Empire is on full display at the moment. It’s loud and proud.  And loud does not equal legitimate behaviour and actions. Sometimes it’s so toxic and filled with hate, division, harm and dishonesty. We need to be careful when listening to the loud, popular and mainstream media. We can’t let that become the normalised narrative of the world.

And we need to be careful if we are silencing voices that are trying desperately to sound the alarm on greedy, cruel and ruthless empire behaviour. Do we really want hateful ideologies to grow, go unchecked and be normalized? Silence and indifference allows these things to thrive and dominate, because they just get louder and louder if they go unchecked.

Sounds like a wide path/narrow path checkpoint at the moment. And we, as followers of Jesus, are most definitely called to follow him on the narrow path.

Ask questions, dig deeper. Find the kingdom response in the midst of all the noise, hate and harm.

God is certainly not okay with the most vulnerable in our world being cast aside and being put more at risk. Even more so when it’s covered up with stories that justify the cruel and hateful actions.

When did Jesus ever say we should be concerned with protecting our faith more then protecting and loving people? Have we just released Barabbas again and called for the silence and death of Jesus? Thank God there’s light, hope and eternal life in that story, but really if feels like we are silencing God’s kingdom by allowing empire to shout way louder. And it’s being supported, applauded and cheered on by Christian people.

And the fruit of the many prophecies that seem to abound - do they line up with kingdom or empire? Do they promote life or death? Harm or healing? Stealing from or generosity? Destruction or building?

When we see division, mistruth and fear being sown, it’s not kingdom.
Where you see hate, selfish and cruel decisions, withdrawal of funds from the most poor and vulnerable in our world, harmful actions, killing others, no empathy, no compassion, it’s not the kingdom of God. Getting rid of teaching on diversity, equity and inclusion is anti kingdom of God and pro empire. Worrying about and trying to control or demonise other people’s beliefs and choices is anti kingdom and pro empire. Maybe we need to stop our focus on the beliefs and choices of others and make sure we are being consistent with our beliefs and choices. What are we promoting with our silence and indifference to the pain and suffering being purposefully inflicted on others? Do we really want to create such confusion as to whether we are promoting empire or the kingdom of God? Being pro empire is not drawing people into the kingdom. It’s pushing them away with force.

Should we not be promoting love? Including others? Protecting others from harm? Showing care, compassion and empathy, even if they are not followers of Jesus. I almost want to say, 'specifically if they are not followers of Jesus.' I am reminded of something from the Bible that says we will be known by our love and that it’s God’s kindness that leads people towards him and repentance. And yet another great confusion right now is empathy being questioned, invalidated, nullified and called a sin!! That lines up with empire completely.

I sometimes feel physical pain in my body and spirit when I see more and more harm being perpetrated. And it pains and hurts me somewhere deep inside when I see people of God, having lost all signs of empathy, not seeing the slow creep of deception or the danger at play and being flippant about it too.

There seems to be a nonchalant view that it’s all okay. Let’s just get the popcorn and watch it play out!

We seem to be celebrating people who go against the values and character we want to instil in our children to become good and healthy citizens in any country.

We desperately need to shift things.

We need the Sermon on the Mount to add up to our political conversations, to our comments about the world and about the vulnerable. It needs to be seen and not hidden. Showing meekness, humility and servant behaviour, loving our neighbour, caring for the needy, being hungry for justice, being peacemakers, practicing forgiveness, not worrying or being fearful, loving our enemies, standing for life (not calling for the death of people), being persecuted because of standing for the kingdom, poor in spirit, being mourners and merciful and pure in heart.

Jesus called us to sacrifice, to stand against and resist injustice and to do justice. To stand up for the poor and the needy.

Do we have eyes to see? Ears to hear? Spirits to receive? Or are we in retreat and accepting defeat. Maybe we need to change our focus from what we fear the most onto the one who says ‘fear not for I am with you.’

Christians were fearing of many things and although laws have changed in some countries to be more conservative, the issues they were afraid of have not gone away. Controlling people was never the answer. And when you further marginalize people, you gain other problems. It’s like there was some kind of sigh of relief when the next empire stepped onto the scene. Now the stuff people were afraid of is still around and there is now a bigger job to care for those being crushed by empire.

Jesus gives us free choice. He expects us to give others free choice too, even if it doesn’t align with our religious views/values. Jesus never made a fuss about protecting Biblical truth like the Pharisees. He says very clearly that he had not come to abolish the law, but fulfill the law. He came to establish the New Covenant, which changed everything. He was always way more concerned with loving and protecting people and leading them to freedom with the truth he spoke. Are we possibly acting like the Pharisees when we try and control others? It certainly sounds toxic.

We need the expansive, relational love of Jesus, not rigid religion.

I am seeing the  kingdom and all it stands for being silenced by those who say they have chosen to live the kingdom way!! Huh??? Does that not sound outrageous and very confusing? But it’s what is happening all around us.

We need to resist empire with everything in us. It’s oil and water - empire and kingdom do not go together. We live in this world, but not of this world. We cannot be idle and just let it topple our world with greed, power, control, harm and hate.

Resist is a very powerful and active word, and possibly not quiet either. In the Oxford it says it is the refusal to accept or comply with something, or the ability not to be affected by something, especially adversely. We are told to stand firm in our faith and not to let our faith waiver. We are also told to resist the devil and he will flee from us, but Jesus never told us to resist people.

The kingdom of God needs to step up, become vocal and visible with loving God and loving others. Not vocal, visible and loud about their rights! We have had enough of that. It’s just made us weak, mean and apathetic.

We can’t hide our light under a bowl or keep the salt in the container because it’s safer and looks nice. It’s useless if light is hidden and salt is not poured out. It’s always a risk, but a good one. If Christ is the light, then everything we see should be illuminated by Christ and everything others see in us  should emanate Christ. Christians especially seem to be tiring and fearful of the political landscape and topics to be discussed. We are told not to fear and it takes effort to resist Empire. It’s way easier to go with the flow and ignore. But it doesn’t just go away. It gets stronger and gains momentum. It changes direction and what it looks like - anything to survive and stay in control.

We have an Empire functioning as an empire and we shouldn’t be surprised. It’s going to want to expand, grab, steal, grow, lie, control and bash everything out of the way that messes with its mission. It perpetrates and excuses harm. Does that sound like the kingdom of God? Are we going to be the body of Christ and just silently watch it all happen?

We cannot possibly talk and sing kingdom in church and not go and practice it when we walk out of church, or worse celebrate empire! What a dichotomy.

Jesus resisted empire and spoke against it.

He showed a different way and he was killed for it. He wants us to follow in his footsteps as difficult as it might be. That sounds like ‘persecuted for righteousness sake.’ We seem to be hiding because we know we will be persecuted when we speak up. And by who? Possibly by those who say they follow Jesus and then shout for Barabbas to be released and by those in empire who want us silenced.

We certainly will not be persecuted by the poor and vulnerable. They will not shout us down. They will celebrate that we finally woke up.

It’s the lie of empire versus the truth of the kingdom of God. There’s a choice to be made.

 

Top photo - Author's own
Bottom photo by Midge