Creating our Future

Matthew 24:16-18 – “… then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let the one who is on their housetop not go down to grab what is in the house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take their mantle.”

Reading this, I’m reminded of Lot’s wife, who while fleeing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, could not resist looking back even though she was warned. As a result, she was turned into a pillar of salt. What this story gets at is not so much her longing for the evils committed in that city, but rather her longing for normalcy. Longing for normalcy in a time of extreme upheaval is a normal human response. I think we can all relate to that.

But, as in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, Jesus’ world is changing. The old ways won’t be coming back. Looking back or trying to hang on to normalcy in the form of possessions when the world is being turned upside-down is foolish. It makes us vulnerable to being deceived or robbed, because our minds are not in the present. Looking back at the past that can no longer be makes us useless in the present.

We’re living now in such a time. The Republican Party has cheated their way to 45, SCOTUS picks, and a Department of Justice willing to commit crimes against humanity. All these actions are turning our world upside-down. And while we’re distracted by the chaos and turmoil, they’ll take advantage of our distraction by creating more chaos and turmoil. The lesson here is: don’t be distracted. Get down to business. In the story, the business is saving your own life. Now, in the United States, our business is resisting this takeover to the best of our ability.

They’re coming for us. if you think that’s hyperbole, I’ll remind you that, in Texas, the State Department is questioning the citizenship of Americans of Latin American heritage when they renew their passport. They are revoking the passports of American citizens and questioning their citizenship. “In some cases, passport applicants with official U.S. birth certificates are being jailed in immigration detention centers and entered into deportation proceedings.”[1] They’re coming. It’s only a matter of time.

But only if we let them. I’m reading “How Democracies Die,” by Stephen Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt. The authors discuss how our current administration is slowly turning our democracy into a fascist government. One of the points of evidence is 45’s describing the press as the enemy of the people. Levitsky and Ziblatt state that the last time that happened was in 1860, just before the start of the Civil War. Do not believe the lies of this president or those who support him. They are all traitors to American democracy. Voting for Democrats is the only hope we have left to save it, now that the Republican leaders are all in on fascism.

Do not look back at what came before; do not forget that this is not business as usual. Now is the time to create a better, more democratic future.

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[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/us-is-denying-passports-to-americans-along-the-border-throwing-their-citizenship-into-question/2018/08/29/1d630e84-a0da-11e8-a3dd-2a1991f075d5_story.html?utm_term=.571bb4247d1e

Abomination of Desolation

Matthew 24:15 – “When you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place, let the wise understand, …”

What the heck is an abomination of desolation? My NRSV tells me Jesus is referring to Daniel 11:31. My study bible on that passage tells me that Daniel is talking about Antiochus Epiphanes, who in 163 BCE set up an altar to Zeus Olympia in the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem temple. At this point in the book, Daniel was still speaking historically, not making any prophecies. Jesus takes those words and uses them to describe something else or at least a repeat of the first desecration.

Daniel and Jesus are speaking about their religious situation, but also their political situation. There was no difference between the two for them. In that same spirit, I’m going to think about our political situation and what it means for our spiritual situation. The abomination of desecration spoken of in Daniel was the addition of an altar to another God in their temple. It was a conquering power who committed the act, but what about those of us who put things above God in the temple of our hearts?

Sometimes, often, it’s money or power. Other times it’s our comfort or our reputation. When this happens, our spiritual life begins to die. We lose touch with our connection to God. The connection may still be there, but it’s quality will be compromised, setting up a struggle in our hearts. There is a Cherokee story about the two wolves inside us. One wolf is for the good, the honorable, the love in life. The other wolf is fearful, hateful, and encourages us to do bad things. As an elder is telling this to the children, one child asks, “which wolf wins?” The elder answers, “the one you feed.” When we feed the wolf of money, power, reputation, and comfort, we starve the wolf of God. We begin to act out of fear, anxiety, and even hate.

The Republicans have been stoking these fears and anxieties for over 4 decades. Our current president is an abomination, but also he is the epitome of their strategy. His policies are designed to hurt others and make him feel good. His administration has been committing crimes against humanity. And all those who follow him, support him, and who voted for him are complicit – no matter what their reasoning. They are all feeding the wolf of fear, anxiety, and hate. They feed the wolf of racism, misogyny, bigotry, ableism, and homophobia all in the name of God.

When I woke up on November 9, 2016, I was so excited to pick up my phone and see that Hillary had won. Imagine my shock on reading the headlines. I and many others were devastated that day. I felt like something precious had been taken away. I was embarrassed to be white, embarrassed to walk down the street. I kept wishing I had a sign that said how sorry I was. My chagrin on recognizing that none of my representatives or senators seemed to share my horror, made me feel isolated and alone. Even Peter could not understand why I was so sad. Well, he understands now. Many people in our country were feeding the wolf of fear rather than the wolf of God. Many of us still do and it’s put our country and all our lives in peril.

What wolf are you feeding today? Will you feed the wolf of God or will you give in to the demands of the wolf of  evil?