The folks who follow Messiah Jesus just celebrated the highest Holy Days of our calendar. The culmination of a life devoted to showing people that the so-called Kingdom of God had arrived. He was noted as a poor, itinerate rabbi traveling around the countryside doing good stuff. Jesus was acclaimed as a holy man, a prophet. People clamored for a glimpse of this Miracle Worker of Galilee. Yet, the popular opinion of Jesus turned on a dime and he was killed by the Roman occupiers of Palestine. Three days later, the story says, He walked out of his tomb and showed Himself alive to His followers. The whole of the Christian faith hangs on this event. Without a living Messiah there is no Church. So, we celebrate year after year. Our weekly gatherings commemorate the New Day of Christ. We share in the Table of the Eucharist in a form of remembrance that allows us to share in Jesus’ body and blood. We believe that in some way Jesus’ Spirit is truly present with us as we share in this meal. We cry out, “Alleluia! He is risen!” This is the God that we follow and worship. A Father who loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son to the world so that, through His Holy Spirit we can have peace with God and with one another.
That’s why it truly pisses me off that our leaders use the name of God as a prop to endorse the fear and hatred that God the Son came to free us from. When people use their image of God to justify violence and war they are truly “Using the Name of God in vain,” as the old King James Bible says. The blatant misuse of God’s name is what we call Blasphemy. Those who speak of God as some warrior god who uses and endorses violence are ignorant of God and God’s ways. They lie about God in order to build themselves up. They build a hierarchy that puts the rich and powerful at the top with everyone and everything else below. They are wrong. Dangerously wrong.
This pass weekend a mere mortal, in a profanity laced message, wrote about the total destruction of other humans. The message ended with “Glory be to God.”
God is not glorified in that. There is nothing in that message or belief that glorifies God.
I have tried my best to stay outside the chaos that is the world that we now live in. I know how frail humanity is. That we are prone to act out of fear and jealousy. Just like those who put Jesus to death all of those years ago. Here we are, crucifying God again and again in our ignorance and seeming desire for self-destruction. For those who glory in riches and power, the arrogant and hate-filled leaders and their followers I would just say, “Beware! Remember Herod II in Acts 12:22-23.”
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