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.
[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
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