As we head into the home stretch of 2020, I am thinking about all the memes, comments, and general observations about how people can hardly wait until this year is OVER. As if, by turning the page of a calendar, we can put all the madness behind us once and for all. CoViD-19 will disappear. Racial harmony will prevail. No more fires. And the election will be settled and all will be right with the world.
That’s not how it works, though, is it? As we enter November, states are considering another massive shutdown in response to a spike in CoViD cases, there are murmurs about how one side or another will respond to the election results, and race relations seem to remain on hair-trigger status. You don’t have to look very hard to find writings about worst-case scenarios.
It is sometimes difficult to find the balance between being responsibly informed and being obsessed and fearful, especially in this day and age, when we not only have more news to sift through but find we must also check and double-check the reliability of the sources of all that news. And once we are convinced that we are right in our positions, it can be very difficult to walk in love with those who have arrived at different conclusions.
But we must. We absolutely must be able to do that. We have a mandate from God to love Him, love one another (fellow believers), and love our neighbor (even if our neighbors are not believers). Jesus, when asked what was the greatest commandment, said “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” And secondly, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” These two commandments, according to Jesus, encompass the whole of the writings of the Law and the Prophets. Pretty powerful stuff!
All the more amazing then, that Jesus says later, “A new commandment I give unto you; that you love one another. As I have loved you, you also love one another. By this, all will know that you are my disciples, that you have love one for another.” Now, I know that not everyone who claims to be a Christian is a Christian. But it is dangerously foolish of us to discount anyone who disagrees with us about a particular issue as an infidel. And of course, some issues are more important than others. I personally do not see how a genuine believer in Christ can be “pro-choice,” or even vote for a “pro-choice” candidate, but I know some who do. I can disagree strongly without hating or even breaking fellowship; and if I’m not going to break fellowship over that, I’m sure not going to break fellowship over a dispute about masking, social distancing, or even shutdowns.
Please note, I’m not saying we don’t talk or even argue about these things; I’m saying that if we break fellowship, we are failing to show the world the love of Christ, which alone can transcend these differences. And even though I wrote about gratitude a few months ago, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it again here, in the month we celebrate Thanksgiving. We still have plenty to be thankful for, and we will have plenty to be thankful for no matter who wins the election, no matter what decisions the governor or congress makes regarding future shutdowns; plenty to be thankful for even if the world burns. And I’m not anticipating or prophesying that; I’m just mindful of the world the writers of the New Testament lived in, and who was in power when they wrote things like,
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
“…giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
(Ephesians 5:20)
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”
(Colossians 3:15)
Etc, etc….
Brothers and sisters, we are not called to stick our heads in the sand and be ignorant of the world around us and the evil that is pervasive in society. We, as inheritors of a nation founded on biblical principles, should be involved, even passionately so, in the democratic process. But we should distinguish ourselves in that process by being free of the vitriol that is characteristic of those who do not share our ultimate hope. We can, should, and must do all this in love while being genuinely thankful in the middle of it. It is clearer now than ever that we cannot do this on our own, but only by the power of God as we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
And friends, believe me, there is more than enough of Him to go around. One of the most enduring symbols associated with Thanksgiving is the cornucopia. Never mind the possible pagan origins of it for now (there is more biblical imagery about it than you might think!); The picture is of a horn-shaped basket, not merely full, but overflowing with food. We don’t serve a god who is enough, we serve God who is more than enough, the God of superabundance, and this superfluity of supply is so that we might freely share it, share HIM, with the world. Keep your eyes on the prize, church. You are the prize God has His eyes upon.
Blessings,
