We dont talk about Mary (But Maybe we Should)

 We Don’t talk about Mary (But maybe we should)- A Devotion to start 2023 

If you have children under the age of 10 you have watched the Disney movie, “Encanto.” There is a polarizing figure named Bruno. Over and over in the movie the theme is reinforced, “We don’t talk about Bruno.” In some ways, as a Protestant, this has been my experience of Mary. Ok. She does get talked about. Once a year. As a virgin. On Christmas. But that is basically it. And I get it. There is fear over the “worship” of Mary in the Catholic church. I’m not here to debate or offend anyone but I just think in a new year it would make sense to look at this from a Biblical perspective. Does Mary have something of value to offer me even if I don’t fully buy into her Immaculate Conception? 

The Old Testament is filled with God displaying his unconditional love toward his disobedient people. The Bible itself begins with a Good Creation but if you make it chapter 3, you see sin has quickly entered the chat. Adam (man) and Eve (woman) break the one rule and create a system in which all people have the tendency to sin. Theologians call this “original sin.” Keep reading and you will see a brother commit murder and by the time we get to Noah, the Biblical author declared that “God regretted making humankind.” We see some hope in the book of Genesis with God calling people to Himself, including an old couple: Abraham and Sarah. God promised that through them he would create a nation.  But these “men of faith” as described in Hebrews 11, were far from perfect. They were filled with insecurities and pride. Like when Abraham's great-grandson, Joseph bragged about his family bowing down to worship him. Yet, despite their faithlessness God was faithful to the promise he made. 

This story continues through the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible), into the time of the Judges. In the book of Judges, “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” It was as if God’s people were a kid jumping in the deep end of the pool over and over again only to be rescued time and time again by the lifeguard. You would think they would stop jumping but they don’t learn their lesson. 

The Old Testament is filled with great works of wisdom, Minor Prophets, and Major Prophets. These prophets try to help God’s people see the foolishness in trying to do things their own way. But even these prophets were not faultless and would often lack faith or straight up not do their job. For example, in the story of Jonah, he literally tries to go in the opposite direction of Nineveh because he doesn’t want to waste his time with such sinful people. 

It’s remarkable that God would continue to love us. Let’s be honest. We don’t deserve it. But God was determined to rescue us from the alien force that is sin. If we view our behavior as our identity we will see ourselves as scum of the earth or as one theologian described mankind as “sinners in the hands of an angry God.”  If you see God as angry, I wonder if you have opened up the New Testament. In which, we meet Jesus who as St Paul describes as, “the image of the invisible God.” What does this mean? It means that Jesus perfectly showed us the Father. He is generous to the workers in the vineyard. He is able to both forgive and heal the lame. He does get angry, but it's when there is injustice, like overcharging people in the temple. But in the end, he weeps and asks the father to forgive those that hung him on a cross. 

But back to Mary. 

The reason I went on my rant about the Old Testament is to show the lack of faithfulness of God’s people. But we see a shift in the New Testament. It begins with Mary, the peasant teenage girl. God saw value. He sent Gabriel to her and proclaimed her Blessed. In Luke’s Gospel we hear these famous words: “Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you.” If these words feel like worship, don’t blame Mary or the Catholic Church. You should blame Gabriel who said them. Or you can blame Luke who recorded them. Or even blame God who inspired him to write these words. Personally, I don’t have the authority to blame any of these people. Since these words are in our sacred text, I must wrestle with what they mean. 

God, through Gabriel, was about to ask Mary to do something life altering and before he did that he needed to remind her of something. 1) She is full of grace. There was something about her character that was special. Do you know anyone that is “full of grace.” You don’t feel like you have to be walking on eggshells around them. You can bring your concerns and actually feel better about yourself after talking with them. 2) The Lord is with her. The reason she has been a person of grace is because God has been with her, God is currently with her, and through her pregnancy and later raising the Son of God, he would be with her. The scandal of the “virgin birth” did not end when Jesus was born. The community would have continued to “talk about Mary” and her “bastard child.” It’s as if God knew from the start that people were going to talk about her. Let them talk, Mary. You are full of Grace. I know who you are. And that is enough. They think you are a slut. I think you are full of Grace. 

To Gabriel’s proclamation of who Mary was and what God wanted to do in and through her she said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”- Luke 1:38 

It’s as if Mary was saying the words of her son in the garden prior to his death, “Not my will, but yours be done.” You see, Mary and Joseph had a plan for their lives. They were faithful Jews. They were poor Jews. They were no named Jews. They were going to live a small, peaceful, quiet life. But God had something more for them. And when God called them, they answered.

Over and over again in the Old Testament, we learn of people saying yes but later changing their minds to following God. Yet, Mary was different. She said, “Yes.” She said, “I am your servant.” 

Can we say the same things about our lives? When the going gets tough do we abandon our faith? I mean, it's easier to just go with the flow of culture. It’s easier to live for myself and complain about how UNFAIR my situation is. OR we can look to God. We overcomplicate things so much. Jesus gave us two commands: Love God and love others. 

I remember struggling with being certain of “following my calling.” That is (or at least was) the catchy phrase in Youth Ministry circles. You need to make sure you are “following God’s call on your life?” You don't want to miss it! I do think we need to figure out where we are gifted so we can best use our gifts for God and His kingdom but it’s not like we won’t figure it out. I mean, you can always switch your major if you are in college. You can always get a new job if you are an adult. But my experience of life is that there are two constants. I need to LOVE God and LOVE others. You just need to figure out what it means to love in your context. 

And when I look at Mary objectively, I see a person of love. Need someone to birth God? Ok. I’m in. I may be a virgin. I may be a teenager. I may not know what I am fullying getting into. That’s ok. I’m in. Because I know I can trust God. He has a better plan for me than I have for myself. 

As we enter 2023, we must ask, “Where in my life is God challenging me to grow?” You can take this as a “New Years Resolution” if you must.  Mary said Yes to God every step of the way. Are we doing the same? That’s the challenge. Because as we say “Yes” to God we become people that are “full of grace.” 

Gorr that god

I didn't really watch "superhero" movies until I started dating my wife. It just wasn't "cool enough." But I was allured to Thor. We went to see his movie back in 2012 (I think that's the year at least). The God of Thunder! Jock superhero with muscles? I'm in. Of course over the past decade (or so) the Marvel universe has become acceptable for the average Joe to watch. I never got some deep into it to understand some of the inside jokes but was devastated when Thanos seemed to win at the end of Infinity War (Spoiler Alert?).  Wait, that can't be the end! 

Captain America is cool and I like Spiderman too but the gateway superhero of Thor remains my favorite. I am captivated by the central question of the character: "Who is worthy to life the hammer?" This question blows my mind because its never been about the hammer. It's about what makes Thor worthy. Thor is a god. Demi-god I guess. But divine. Holy. Worth worshipping. He didn't get bite my a spider or just have a lot of money to build technology, he was worthy from birth. 

But Dad challenges him. Sends him to earth. Prove you are worthy. The struggle. I can't help but see Jesus. Brought to earth and emptied himself of his divinity. Yes. Still God but Philippians 2 says he humbled himself by becoming man. Jesus was tempted by the devil. But he overcame. He showed that he is worthy. He always was. 

So is Thor worthy? That's for you to determine. Stan Lee says "Yes!"

This newest Thor movie we are introduced to Gorr, the God Butcher. Which, by the way, is the most badass supervillain name. He doesn't like gods. He doesn't feel they are worthy to be worshipped. He sees them only concerned with Heavenly affairs and not with humankind. And so he goes around and he murders theses gods. And you know what? I think we could learn something from this Butcher of gods. 

Some gods are not worthy of our worship and worth crucifying. If our god looks more like a politician than a refugee, he is not worthy of our affection.  If our god looks Uncle Sam and not loving our neighbor, he is not worthy of our affection. If our god looks like you or me, he NEEDS to be crucify. Take him to the chopping block, now. Power, sex, drugs, money, and nationalism are all false gods that we need Gorr to come in and Butcher them like there is no tomorrow. 

There is one God than is worthy of our affection. He loved the world so much he became human. He fought injustice from the ground floor. He challenged their oppression systems and they killed him. They even mocked him, saying, "Here is the King of the Jews." When we crucified our deity he will either lay dead in the ground OR he will rise again. And he did. He said hate will not have the last day. But neither will all the injustice of their day or our day. 

Yet we continue to run to the golden calf of the day. We would never say, "this is my god" but when they are killed we mourn. So let them die. Let them go. Let Gorr kill them. And let him try your version of Jesus. Because some versions of Jesus needs to die. Blue Eyed, White Skin Republican Jesus, needs to die. The word deconstruction is the buzz word of our subculture right now. So I won't use it. I will use a more powerful phrase, "Death & Resurrection." 

Jesus said it this way, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."- Matthew 16

What the Bible is.

 Last time I proposed three things I believed the Bible was not. I will review those three things here before inserting what I believe the Bible is and can help us accomplish in our current times. 

The Bible is not a political tool.

The Bible is not a science textbook. 

The Bible is not a self-help handbook. 

I believe this topic deserves a second post because it is not fair to only describe what one is not like but also what one is like. I can say with confidence that I neither like nor am pro-cheese or cats but if this is all you knew about me, you would be dissatisfied. In the same way that I am more than an anti-cheese human being, the sacred texts, I call the Bible, offer something special in our modern context. 

1) The Bible is inspired by God. 

Okay. So this is a tricky one, I admit. And I guess it comes down to defining what I mean by "inspired." Because often when one says the Bible is inspired they mean God predestined (sorry if I triggered any former Calvinist out there) each word to be written down exactly how it is. Word by Word exactly. If God wanted a different word in that sentence, He would have told the author to write a different word. And for some, that's good enough. They see God as a controlling being that "holds the whole world is his hands.." God is sovereign. God is good. God is in control. They like using this "spiritual bypassing" language because then they do not need to deal with the complexity that is life. 

We can get into the weeds a lot on this topic but I'm just going to say that I do not think God forced any of the authors to write down word for word what he wanted them to write down. 

So what do I mean by inspired? To be inspired is to feel motivated to create a work of art. I would say "Casey at the Bat '' was an inspired work of Art. I would say the PNC PARK is an inspired work of Art with the sunding skyline in the background. 

When I say the Bible is inspired, I am saying that God spoke to the hearts and minds of many individuals over many years. He used Matthew, as a Jew, to communicate his Gospel to his Jewish audience while he used Luke to speak to the non-Jews. Luke wanted to share the miracles in such detail because he was a doctor and felt it important to include every detail in his books.

God did not shy away from the personalities of the writers but used them to communicate his love for all people. When we say "we must have a perfect Bible", we are committing an act of idolatry. The Trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, not Father, Son, and Holy Bible. But the Bible does not need to be perfect to be sacred. Through the Holy Spirit, God has been using the Bible to speak to people and ultimately draw them back to himself for years. 

The Bible is an inspired work of art because in it we learn about flawed human beings who trusted in a perfect God. We learn of David who was said "to be a man after God's own heart" yet used his power to rape and kill. Yet, he was welcomed back into God's home after a prayer of repentance. We learn about women, poor people, and outsiders welcomed to follow this God of love and mercy. We even learn of a man with a weird sexual idenity called, "The Eypitan enuch" that is baptized and joins the early church. We learn about imcompmentent fisherman and tax collectors that later died for their faith. They went from fighting about petty differences to saying "crucify me upside down, for I am not worthy to die the same death as my Savior."

If our focus is making sure the Bible is perfect and there are no contradictions we are missing the point. The Bible is perfect just the way it is and can inspire us to live the life God has intended for us to live.

2) The Bible’s Climax is the Cross.

When discussing what the Bible is really about we could go a few directions here. 

First Is it a moral code? It is filled with rules and even Ten Commandments. God gave these to his people after all. Not a bad idea really. We need a social contract. I like living in a society where we are not supposed to kill other people. I like a God who tells me I am not a slave, not a machine, and need a day of rest. But some of the laws and rules of the Old Testament, let's be honest, are a little weird. Maybe they live in a context that is different from mine and it made sense to them? If the purpose of the Bible was to make me a better person we could end here. 

Second, is it about following Jesus? This seems right. At least, as a Christian. I can go and cherry pick certain parts of the Bible from the teachings of Jesus and my life would definitely improve. For example, the Sermon on the Mount. Just pick one saying from Jesus and try to actually do it for a little bit and my life may change, "Love your enemy." 

I want to argue that though both of those two topics are good things they are not the primary climax of the Bible. The Bible points to the cross. In the Moral Law, we learn that we are imperfect. Perhaps we do not need God to remind us of our shortcomings but it's there in plain sight. And if that's not bad enough, Jesus doubles down on it. 

Alright God says Do Not admit adultery-

Jesus says don't have a lustful thought and if you do gauge your eye out for its better to lose an eye than go to hell. 

Chill Jesus. Don't you remember what it was like to be filled with hormones?

We fill the power of sin. St Paul describes it as a force that "causes him to do the thing he does not want to do." 

There are many theories on what God accomplished on the cross. Most evangelicals believe in Penal Substitutionary Atonement. Basically on the cross there was a trade. Jesus got what I deserve and I get (if I make a confession of faith) what Jesus deserved. We even hear this in some popular Christian music, "It was my sin that held him there until it was accomplished." 

I want to argue for a deeper understanding of the cross. Its Latin. Christus Victor. Which means Christ the Victor. Without going into much detail, this view does not pit God the Father vs Christ the Son. Rather it views sin as the enemy. When Christ goes to the cross, his mission is to defeat the power of Sin, Death, and the Devil. 

We could call these the unholy trinity. We know the power of sin. Luring us into wickedness. We know the sadness of separation that is death. And deep down we know there are spiritual forces working in our world to divide instead of unite us. St Paul says about the cross, "He (Jesus) disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross."

All of the Old Testament points to the day when Jesus would come to defeat the power of Sin, Death, and the Devil and all of the New Testament is a reminder of how one should live as if this reality is true. This understanding of the Bible has helped me navigate challenging texts and books. How should one read the Book of Revelation? Well, the Dead Sea Scrolls is a good start. But if you don't have time to study apocalyptic literature, just remember that Rome (as is any other human empire) but we will overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. 

You see it's the blood of the lamb- that’s the cross. 

We do no longer need to stress out about being perfect but loving. Choosing to do the other-giving thing is the way of the cross. The Bible's climax and ultimate teaching is to point people to the cross as a daily reminder of how we should live. 

3) The Bible is God’s children telling the story. 

Did God literally flood the earth saving only 2 of each animal?
Did a giant fish (or maybe a whale) shallow a man for 3 days and he survived?
Did God literally tell the Israelites to kill all of the Moabites and drive them out of the land?

Some like to argue the literary fallacy of slippery slope when questioning if part of the Bible literally happened. The argument is if this didn't happen like it says it did, how can we trust ANY of the text. 

Remember from last time the Bible is not a science text book and I'm not here to prove or disprove miracles or supernatural events. I believe things happen that we cannot explain and we need to be okay living in the tension. 

The purpose of this third point is to say that the Bible is full of stories that shape the identity of an ancient group of people, who many can trace their heritage. We must be okay with these stories being in our text because we do it with our culture today. You know, guys like "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere"....

I once heard someone say, "don't let the facts get in the way of a good story."

And as a Parent, I totally get this. My kids tell some strange stories. I thought Neil was the master storyteller until I had a girl. I've heard the same story slightly differently about a "bee" that was attacking Aubrey until her teacher came over and killed it. This story has evolved to her hiding in a doghouse and eventually catching on fire. The truth? It was a fly. And she was under no harm. 

But that's a boring story. I love the way my daughter tells her story. 

And the fact is so does God. He lets his children tell the story and if they miss a few details? It's not the end of the world. 

The Bible is a collection of stories from the P.O.V. of his children. It's them telling the story of God back to him and to future generations. 

In Conclusion 

1. The Bible is Inspired by God.

2. The Bible’s climax is the cross. 

3. The Bible is God’s children telling the story. 

What is the Bible (NOT).

Introduction 

The question one must ask when reading any text is how do I apply a text that was not written to me, to my life? The Western Individual seems to have this issue because we like things spoon-fed to us and filtered through our individualistic mindset. We like to think the world revolves around us. It is a great revelation when we come to know that this is not the case. Perhaps we never "fully know" this. But as we embark on this journey from individual to collective, we must remember a few things. As a Christian, my primary ancient text of choice is the Bible. The First time I tried reading through the Bible was in 2001. My first Bible was a gift from completing my First Holy Communion on Palm Sunday April 8, 2001. Suffice to say, I did not make it very far. Genesis was exciting and Exodus was okay, but when the ice finally melted from “Miles Rocks” and Opening Day came, I set aside my Bible for a few years. 

Giving a 9-year-old a Bible is dangerous. It is almost like giving an 18-year-old access to a loaded gun without any training…. Unfortunately, many church goers are never equipped with how to read the Bible. They are comfortable with the “surface” reading that misuses the purpose of this amazing text. I believe we have misunderstood what the Bible was designed to accomplish. I will use this short essay to detail the 3 things that I believe the Bible is NOT. I will come back to this topic at a later time, and detail what I believe the Bible is but that day is not today. 

The Bible is NOT a political tool

The first thing we must remember is that Jesus, Paul, Moses, or any other "writer" of the Biblical text or any other ancient text has no idea about our current geopolitical landscape. It did not exist. When politicians cherry-pick Bible verses to support their political platforms, we should call them out on it. This is not to say that our Biblical texts do have something to offer to important American issues such as abortion, immigration, etc. But the warning here is using the Bible (or really any other ancient texts) to speak directly to an issue in 2022 that they did not have in the First Century.

 

The Bible is NOT a science textbook

This brings me to my second point. The Bible is not a science textbook. Duh! In a post-Scopes Monkey Trial era, we SHOULD know better than to use the Bible to support or disprove current scientific discoveries. The false dichotomy is between faith and science. On the surface, this seems logical. Science is about "proving" something exists whereas faith is about "believing without evidence." I admit those are pretty weak definitions, but this is merely a short essay so don't throw too many stones from your glass house. Science is more than just proving, and faith is more than just believing but I do not want to use my time to focus on that matter for now.

I want to argue that the "writers'' of the Bible did not think like you, and I think. They didn't think scientifically. AND THAT's OKAY! Once again back to the first point, they aren't trying to answer 21st century questions. If we turn to the Bible and say, "Did God create the world in 6 literal days OR through some type of evolutionary process?'' We are asking the wrong questions. The writer of Genesis (and the rest of the Torah) was writing down the history of his people while in exile. They were far from home. This was a matter of national security and identity. This was a rally cry. This was a reminder of who God was to them when he chose their patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). This was a reminder of who God was to them when he rescued them from slavery in Egypt. This was a reminder of who God was to them when he gave them to the Law. And this was a reminder of who God was to them when they were disobedient, wandering in the desert for 40 days. God was with them through it all. And even now, in exile, though it sucked, God was presence. He would be their light and hope.

So, did God create the world in 6 literal days and take a break to watch the Steelers on Sunday? Idk? I wasn't there. Some like to argue the Bible teaches that. I'm okay if you believe that and I'm okay with you if you have doubts. It doesn't matter. Because I do not believe that Genesis is answering the question of "How" the world came to be but "Who" the world came to be made through.

The Bible is NOT a self-help handbook

The final point I want to make is the Bible is not a self-help handbook. Since the Bible was not written directly to me, I must be careful how I read it and apply it to my life. A key hermeneutic tool is "A text cannot mean something to me today that it did not mean to the original audience." 

Here are some fun out of context Bible verses:

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."- Psalm 37:4

"For I know the plans I have for you, declare the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."- Jeremiah 29:11

"I can do ALL THINGS through Christ who gives me strength."-Philippians 4:13

In the first verse, if you want, you could make the verse say that if I trust in God that he will give me whatever I want. So, if I trust God really hard, he will give me X, Y, and Z. However, when I think of the word "delight" I think of Mary of Bethany. She was a sinful woman. She sat at the feet of Jesus and worshiped him. She poured the anointing oil and washed his feet with her tears. She then used her hair to dry his feet. "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven-for she loved much. But he (she) who is forgiven little, loves little." She delighted in her Lord. And she had her heart met in that moment. 

David, who wrote this Psalm, also knew what it meant to delight both in himself and in the Lord. When he delighted in himself, it led to pride, adultery, and murder but when he delighted in Lord it led to worship, confession, and joy. 

In the second verse: we read about a letter that Jeremiah is writing to God's people while in exile (again). There were false prophets speaking that they would only be in exile for a little bit longer so "hold on for one more day." Sorry, you shouldn't never go full Wilson Phillips. Jeremiah writes this beautiful letter telling them to not listen to the false prophets but to instead build houses, plant gardens, and have babies. Does this sound like exile was ending soon? In the middle of this letter, Jeremiah reminds Israel that God does have good plans for them. His plan was that their situation was going to suck before it gets better, but eventually it does get better. 

I don't want to burst your bubble, but life might not get better. It usually does. There are usually good times and bad times. But it might not. It might get worse and worse and then you die. “
“PREACH IT BROTHER!”- said no one ever….

God doesn't promise to fix all of our problems, but he does promise to be with us. The word compassion literally means "To suffer alongside." He sits with us in the muck and mire. When your child dies, he says, "I can relate. They hung mine on a cross." When your friends ditch you, he says, "I can relate. My 12 best friends were nowhere to be found on my worst day." Whatever the Gospel is, it is not wealth, health, unicorns, and butterflies. And it is not a self-help manifesto. 

But that's okay. It doesn't promise to be. God doesn't promise to fix everything. But he promises to be with us. And that is Good News because it's worth more than a mansion or owning cattle on a thousand hills. 

And finally, you cannot do everything. So, stop trying. St Paul is writing this as part of a letter to the 1st Century church in Philippi. In context, he is basically saying be content. Know how to live when you have a lot of money and when you have a little bit of money because life is more than the things that you have. 

In Conclusion 

The Bible is not

1) A Political Tool

2) A Science textbook

3) A self-help book

 

So, what use does the Bible have in our lives? Some would say, it has NO USE. To those I would say, ha. haha. hahaha. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Literally or metaphorically, bad idea. Stay tuned next week to discuss what purpose I believe this ancient text has in our modern world. 

But what do you think? What role do you believe the Bible has in our lives?

 

The Twitter Golden Rule

Do you know the Golden Rule? Of course you do! "Treat others, the way you want to be treated." Can I change the words of Jesus or will lightning strike me? In the 21 century, I believe, we need to "Tweet others the way you want to be tweeted." I'm calling this the "Twitter Golden Rule." 

Sadly, I have a Facebook account. I mean, I love being on Social Media. There are some really cool ways to connect with family and friends that I wouldn't otherwise see on a daily basis. I love getting sports updates on Twitter and seeing the pictures of Instagram. But the downside, people post their opinion without thinking about the feelings of others. No, Im not saying we need to "cancel" or "edit" what we say or believe but I do believe if you are a follower of Jesus then you should literally follow Jesus. 

You might say, "Jeff, on what authority do you have to tell me what to do!" I do not. Do what you please. And perhaps this is simply the pot calling the kettle black. Btw, I LOVE that phrase! But I do teach digital citizenship as apart of our tech curriculum at SLS. Its found on commonsensemedia.org if you are interested but it talks about media balance, bullying, your digital footprint, and more. 

Another thing we teach our children at SLS is virtues. So I was wondering if there was a way to apply our virtues and the opposites (deadly sins) to the world of social media. This is just a rough draft from the top of my head but I'd love your input! 

Let's start with deadly sins. Do you know them? 

1) Pride- Are you seeking affirmation from your social media account? Our identity should be rooted in the firm foundation that we belong to God not how many loves we get on Instagram. 

2) Envy- Do we look at the lives of others and become jealous? 

3) Greed- Do we covet what we do not have?

4) Gluttony- Do we spend SO MUCH time on social media that we do not spend time with our family/friends and spend time outside?

5) Sloth- Are we on social media as a zombie or are we actually engaging with other people in a positive manner?

6) Lust- Do we share pictures that are inappropriate and dishonoring to God? 

7) Anger- Do we post emotionally without thinking about the feelings of others?

What about the positive side of social media. We can also show virtuous behavior online. 

1) Faith- Are we using social media to encourage others by sharing what God is doing in our lives?

2) Hope- Are we conveying a positive message that gives hope to others. 

3) Charity- Are we sharing our likes generously? 

4) Fortitude- Are you demonstrating the strength to behave appropriately in adversity?

5) Justice- Do you treat others as you would wish to be treated. 

6) Temperance- Do you spend all day online? Pray, live, love. 

7) Prudence- Do you think before you post?

I don't know? Just a thought. Hope you enjoy my post at virtues and deadly sins of social media. 

In Spite of Everything.

I don't know Big Ben

You can know things but you can also KNOW things. 

Like I know Ben Roethlisberger. He is the quarterback of the 6 time Super Bowl Champions- Pittsburgh Steelers. I know his age. I know his stats. I know his past. 

But I don't know him. I don't know what inspires him. I don't know what keeps him up at night. 

And he certainty does not know Jeffrey Edward Slattery from 109 Van Buren Ave, Ridgway, PA.

People aren't ALL Bad. 

I was having a conversation, over Facebook, with a friend and he reminded me of a truth I thought I knew. I was recalling a person that caused a lot of conflict in my life and in lives of those around me. I tried to help. I tried to help him but was pushed aside as of it were not true. And it came to a point in my life where I could no longer live in the toxic relationship. So I set boundaries. And it was hard. But I did it. For me. And for my family. That was in 2017. 

Its 4 years later. 

It's easy to see someone that was going around setting fires and not listening to your advice as a villain and it many ways, he was. But I was reminded of something that  I thought I KNEW today. You need to remember that, "He did a lot of great things for a long time."

Of course he did. It's easy for one moment, one fight, one event to cloud our memories. You can be having a great day and then BAM something happens. Do we need to grieve and heal? Yea. And time does not heal all things, God does. But he is patient and waits for us to be ready. 

So how then should we deal with those that we have conflict. I want to look to 2 great inspirations-Both Jewish. One Girl and One man. One hide in the attic from Nazis, the other taught spark one of the most popular world religions. 

First the girl. Her name- Anne Frank. 

Anne Frank was social distancing before it was cool. But she wasn't hiding from the virus of Covid-19, she was hiding from the virus of hatred. Hitler was going after her people- the Jews. He rose in power in Germany and inspired many to hate Jewish people. So she hid. And she wrote. And we did the one thing people who write in their diaries don't want you to do....read their DIARY!!!!!

But I think she would be okay with it. She wrote many inspiring things in her book. My favorite is her view of her enemies... Somehow, she viewed the people coming after her as "good at heart."

“In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again.”

How often do we build a foundation of confusion, misery and death? That is NOT a firm foundation. Anne Frank died. Hitler is dead. The Nazis that arrested and put her to death are dead. Because hate leads to hate. 

But Anne Frank, in my opinion, died a content girl. She had peace because she did not hold the hatred of others as the foundation and view in which she lived her life. What if we choose to do the same. It sucks when people burn us. It sucks when you thought you had a good relationship with someone than they stab you in the back.....

But what if we believed that in spite of everything, people still had good in them?

Now to Jesus. The Jewish Carpenter. 

He is the G.O.A.T. (GREATEST OF ALL TIME) as the cool kids are saying. But what about him is remarkable? Is it that he was a Mr. Rogers type of character? No. I think what sets Jesus apart is his teaching and example of living a life demonstrated by love and forgiveness. 

There are many places we could go when talking about and thinking about Jesus but I need to go to the cross. Jesus was murdered. Why? He was trouble maker? No. Because he was claiming to be God? Kinda. 

Rome was in charge of Israel. Rome allowed the Jews to practice their religion as long as they kept it quiet. But the type of love that Jesus taught was anti-power system. He offended both the church and the state of the day. And it got him killed. On a tree. On Good Friday. 

The crowds went from "Hosanna" on Sunday to "Crucify Him!" on Friday. 

The Passion (meaning suffering) of the Lord is amazing study. He was beloved on Sunday, riding into town on a colt with Palm Branches. But soon the Last Supper came. And Judas betrayed. And Peter denied. And the other disciples ran. 

On the cross- he was alone. But he wasn't alone. There were two thieves with Jesus. One on the left and one on the right. The one said, "We deserve death but this man does not" while the other insulted Him. 

But the words that mean the most to me when Jesus was on the cross were "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

JESUS! They are killing you! Murdering you. AND YOU DID NOTHING WRONG. But Jesus accepted death. He laid down his life and forgave the very people that killed him. 

Conclusion 

Please don't hear what I'm not saying. If you are in an abusive relationship. Leave. Call the cops. If something is bad for you not do it. Don't drink Poison. It will kill you. And usually it is a slow death. 

But....

Many times we are quick to judge those based on one action. Maybe just maybe that's a horrible way to live your life. That sounds like a life built on hate, misery, and death. We need to remember that if we judge someone based on their worst moment that we wouldn't want people to judge us based on our worst day. 

I'm still trying to learn this. I'm still trying to grow-up. Sorry, I know I should get this by now. But if we can error on the side of love I think we are better off. I'd rather love too much than love too little. I'd rather forgive too much than to forgive too little. Not that they deserve it but because I would want people to love and forgive me too. 

The Gospel according to Neil

 Listen to this conversation I had with Neil this morning: 

Neil: "I think Jesus was lonely." Me: "Why do you think that." Neil: "He didnt have kids and a wife" Me: "Yea, but did he have friends?" Neil: "He did but he also had enemies-wicked people from Nineveh"

Do you remember the story of Jonah? "Go to Ninveh, and tell them to repent!" Jonah, a prophet of God, would not go. In fact the book of the Bible with his name on it says, "He boarded a boat and went the opposite direction." He didn't go because he was afraid of them. He didn't go because he thought they would rejecct his message. He didn't go because he actually believed there was a chance they would repent and come to know God.

WOW! Who let that guy be a prophet?

This story is strange until we remember the culture that Jonah was living in. In his world, people were incredibly tribalist. This is having strong loyalty to one's own tribe or social group. WE ARE THE GOOD GUYS AND THEY ARE THE BAD GUYS!

And To BE HONEST..... our world is still filled with tribalism. Usually centered on religion or politics. Not much has changed....has it?

But God sent Jonah to the outsiders because God wanted them to know of his love. So he sends the prophet. It takes a while, including spending 3 days in the belly of a fish, before Jonah FINALLY proclaims the Good News that even they can turn from their wicknesses and be saved. AND THEY DO BELIEVE! They repent. They fast. They turn away from their wicknesses.

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, said it this way...

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 

The story of Jonah is foreshadowing Jesus. Just as Jonah was in the belly of a fish for 3 days so Jesus would go and die for 3 days. Just as Jonah went to preach forgiveness to his enemy, so Jesus would declare from the cross, "Father forgive them." 

The Gospel is so simple but we make it complicated. Love your enemy. Include the outsider. Be friends to the outcast. Why? Because it is what Jesus would have done in that moment. 

And Yes. Neil is right. Jesus missed out on being married and having kids of his own. I'm sure there were times when he was lonely and confused and frustrated. And Yes. He had friends. Like Peter, John, and James who believed in him (as best as they could) for 3.5 years of ministry. And He had enemies. 

But all those things didn't stop him from choosing to love and be a person of love. So happy Saturday. Go out and love someone who doesn't deserve it because the world could use a little more love today.