I can hardly watch any news channel for more than 10 minutes these days. ┬аItтАЩs as if opposing views┬аhave dug in their heels and are entrenched on one side of our polarizing social and political climate or the other. ┬аThe polarization only increases when an assumed Christian position becomes enmeshed with a particular political view. ┬аMy fear is that for┬аChristians, we have allowed this political coloring of our worldview to short-circuit some of our most sacred ideals.
As a pastor, here is the question I keep coming back to: тАЬWhat am I called to do?тАЭ When a person or group are being maligned or mistreated for whatever reason, how does my response reveal the way I have been taught to live out my faith? ┬аWhen vulnerable, powerless people cannot find relief in their circumstance, how does my faith inform my response, regardless of my┬аpolitical view? ┬аSo, in light of these questions I continue to wrestle with personally and in conversations with some folks who agree, and plenty who disagree, here are a few things I humbly offer for us to consider:
We are called to be peacemakers. ┬аThis goes for inside and outside the church. ┬аWe are exhorted in Ephesians 4:2-3 to always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each otherтАЩs faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. ┬аSeveral times in PaulтАЩs letters to churches, he pleads with those embattled with each other to work out their conflicts so that their light in the world would not be diminished. ┬аI have been so disheartened by the way words have been used as weapons in social media and online platforms. ┬аI canтАЩt even express how strongly I believe that the apostle Paul┬аwould be feverishly blogging, preaching and challenging us to bind ourselves to each other in peace today.
As Jesus travels toward Jerusalem in Luke 19, he laments:┬аHow I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. ┬а┬аI think his sadness┬аis twofold: ┬аthey will miss out out on peace pouring into their lives┬аand┬аflowing out into the lives of others, because they have become blind to what peace really looks like. ┬аWe of all people should understand this way to peace, but who is going to miss out on experiencing that┬аpeace because we have become blind to what real, tangible peace looks like?
We are called to welcome and care for the stranger. This includes the vulnerable orphan and widow, as well as our perceived enemy. ┬аIt doesnтАЩt mean we roll out the welcome mat for obvious danger to overtake us. ┬аBut, we have all at some time labeled a group or person as our antagonist when in reality, itтАЩs just that we have allowed our differences to become divisive.
Over and over again in scripture, God challenges his people to hit the reset button on who we say isтАж
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There are two┬аincredible women in JesusтАЩ family tree┬аwho were strangers and outsiders. ┬аRahab the prostitute was a Canaanite who likely ran a brothel and came from a people group who were a source of constant conflict with the Israelites. ┬аYet, she took an enormous risk to hide Israelite spies, and helped them escape, which basically saved their lives. ┬аRuth came from a family that worshipped other gods and when her Jewish husband died, she was told to go back where she came from, but then was welcomed because of her loyalty to his family.┬а I canтАЩt shake the similarity with those Iraqi translators and support staff who have risked their lives to help the U.S. in combat, and who now need to be welcomed to the safety of U.S. soil.
In the early church, Peter initially would not welcome the Roman officer Cornelius because he was considered a pagan worshipper, yet God speaks to CorneliusтАЩ heart directly and assures him his prayers and offerings on behalf of the poor have not gone unnoticed. ┬аAnd Jesus kind of shocks his listeners when he throws down the challenge that by welcoming or rejecting strangers, we could very well be welcoming or rejecting himтАУbecause he identifies with the one who needs help, not the one who wants a pat on the back for having more undeserved power or resources.
We are called to do something. ┬а┬аToo often, the Christian pilgrimage has become a static exercise in going nowhere. ┬аBut, believers in the first century were called people of The Way for a reason. ┬аThey made extending peace a way of life toward everyone they met, even though they were often in danger and even gave up their lives for it. ┬аGod invites people to come to him when they are weary and burdened, restores them, and then tells them to go so that others will also be invited to come. ┬аIt breaks his heart when we think itтАЩs our job to edit the guest list.
So, doing nothing and arguing that millions of innocent, endangered people are┬аnot┬аour problem seems in direct conflict with GodтАЩs heart. ┬аThe scriptural opportunities to be a peacemaker and extend welcome in this humanitarian crisis are everywhere and none of them can be categorized by any political leaning: ┬аgive financially, offer resources, acknowledge hidden prejudice towards Muslims, break bread with people who believe differently, advocate for the foreigner, the child and the oppressed, be a good neighbor by helping┬аa refugee get their life started in the U.S. ┬аDoing something may look different for each of us,┬аbut doing something in any way that demonstrates GodтАЩs unfailing love is the way we are called to live.
Denise McKinney is the Connections Pastor at Redeemer Covenant Church in Tulsa, OK. ┬аShe has been leading either youth, worship or hospitality ministries for almost 24 years and is the author of the YS book, Mile Markers: A Path for Nurturing Adolescent Faith. ┬аYou can read more on her blog,DEMCKINNEY.WORDPRESS.COM┬аand connect with Denise at┬аDENISEMCKINNEY.COM┬аor on twitter,┬а@DENISEMCKINNEY.
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