But in the weeks that surrounded that day, I have found my
patriotism being challenged. I hate the
state of affairs we are currently in.
Truly, hate it. I hate that deals
are made to betray our allies, God’s people, and to benefit our enemies. I hate that there are mass killings in public
places, which are spun into political stories.
I hate that humans are trafficked for purposes that are uncomfortable
for me to contemplate. I hate that
millions of babies are not only slaughtered but their bodies are mutilated and
sold off and the leftovers are disregarded. I hate that individuals are struggling to be
who God created them to be and network tv exploits it as entertainment. I hate that our government legalizes a
mockery of God’s design for marriage. I
hate that I can think of more things that I hate. I hate that my list is long. I hate it.
And, honestly, I’m embarrassed by it. This isn’t MY America. This belongs to some one else. Anybody else.
The democrats. The republicans. The Washington insiders. The lost people. Yes, it must belong to the lost people. Just not me.
It’s not mine. It cannot be mine!
But. It is mine. And that absolutely grieves me. I live here.
I always have. And as a follower of
Jesus, it’s my calling not to be of this world, but absolutely to be in
it. I have (as have the believers who
have gone before me) found it far easier to cloister myself away from these
sinners. It was easy because we had
numbers in our favor. It was easy
because silence and avoidance are socially acceptable. We all know that politics and religion are
just two topics you better not discuss.
I mean, for goodness’ sake, you might offend somebody. Sure gotta be careful not to offend somebody. And now, because this country is mine,
because my eyes are opened to the reality that now is the USA, I’m
sickened. Not only because it is a
tragic state, but because I bear responsibility for it. And so does the rest of the Church here in
America.
We (you and me and the believers that have gone before us) have walked
away from battles that should have been fought, truth that should have been
spoken (in love, of course), and have demanded behavior modification before
being willing to reach out to the lost around us. We silently hold answers for our nation. And what’s worse, we’ve become ok with that.
We read Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and
to die is gain.” We know that one. We tape it on our mirrors and claim it as our
favorite verse, but we lie. We say the
verse is true of ourselves, but what we actually live out is, “For to me, to live
is me and to die is gain.” We live our
lives basking in God’s abundant grace and forgiveness, biding our time until we
die or Jesus comes. We are thrilled to
lay claim to our mansion in heaven. But
we are tragically content to live in gospel silence.
We wag our heads as society continues to make us blush, and
remark to each other that things aren’t going to get better and that Jesus must
be coming soon. We pray for our community’s lost, that God’s kingdom would
come. But then we walk out our church’s
doors and just quietly hope things will get better.
But I feel like it must be said…what if He is about to
return?!?! Doesn’t that mean that
instead of sitting quietly on some pew waiting for Jesus like He’s the 3:00 bus
to Heaven, we should be actively being salt and light to our nation!? Sometimes, I wish China would send some
missionaries to North America because we (the American Church) is failing to do much of anything for the sake of the Kingdom.
We sing and preach that our God is mighty to save, which He
is, but we live like He’s finished here in our America. And, y’all, He’s not.
We, as a nation, are not beyond God’s glorious intervention
and salvation and redemption. Time after
time, Scripture speaks of people who rightly deserved to be wiped off the
planet, and God graces them with Himself.
He heals the brokenness that was left in the wake of their sin. He restores them. He beautifies the afflicted ones with
salvation.
It’s time to stop living a Jonah life, refusing to obey God’s
commanding commission to live out the gospel to the lost, then finding ourselves
shocked to be in the middle of a massive fish of despair. “I would have despaired unless I had believed
I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13
God is not done in America.
But, my brothers and sisters, love is a dirty job. It may be uncomfortable. It may involve talking to people you have
never associated with before. And you
might find yourself in some pretty new circumstances. I mean, really, what if you invite a lost
neighbor or co-worker to your house for dinner and they bring a bottle of
wine? (Pretty sure all you Southern
Baptists are sweating bullets at this moment.)
Or what if you go to a ball game and they, in their passion for the
team, blurt out a cuss word…or two?
Hmm. Pretty sure it’s time to
become all things to all people in order to win some. Not to walk in sin, of
course, but that we acknowledge that sinners sin. And news flash, believers do too…we are
usually just more suave and subtle about it.
I would not presume to know exactly what God would have you
to do about it. But I know that, for me,
I’m ready to get spit onto dry land and share, in my words and my life, the
simple, astonishing testimony of the life of Jesus. I can’t keep silently
watching, afraid to be offensive. The
cross is offensive…but it sure is beautiful.
Please, God, bless America.
