… we all have our breaking points, and when we break we say more about ourselves than about the one who is the victim of our breaking. I will fall and, in my falling, I will drag you with me, and I will drag you to my own hell with me… hello to what we hate.
Padraig O’Tuama (In the Shelter)
Why is it that the choice among churches always seems to be the choice between intelligence on ice and ignorance on fire?
Diana Bulter Bass (Christianity after Religion)
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Anger works
Hate works
Creating enemies works
Ah, the power of enmity
Of having “those” people out there who are
Dangerous
Less
More
Wrong
Scary
We have seen that it is true
A “nice” church
A church that seeks to “play well with other children”
Falters and fails
Its fire gone
We have seen that those churches that
Who are hostile and superior toward all others
Burn hot!
Is there something about us human creatures?
Something wrong
That forces us into hostility and
Defensiveness?
Why does hate motivate
And not love?
Why do people gather
Excited and worshipful
In crowds fueled by resentment
To follow those who preach hate
Retribution
Domination
Punishment?
Why do they cheer and laugh
As people are demeaned and ridiculed
Torn down
Robbed of their humanity?
It is undeniable
And those who talk peace?
And compassion
Inclusion
Those who seek to be kind?
They are lost in the conflagration
Snowflakes
Who simply melt away in the fire of hate!
What does it say about us?
That we need enemies?
Our need for things to fight against
Rather than things to fight for
(we often pretend we are fighting for things when we are really fighting against)
What does it say about us that we need to be motivated
By a fire without?
Have we forgotten that being a Sacred child
And working for the Kingdom of Love
Is about having a fire within?
The Fire of the Spirit
Have we forgotten how Jesus lived?
And taught
And related
And loved
And gave up power
And went to a cross?
Perhaps the cross looked like a defeat
Perhaps it looked like the end
Perhaps it looked weak
Perhaps
But there was power there
In those words, “Father, forgive them”
There was power in Jesus building bridges of love
Even as he was being killed
A power that became apparent
When love conquered hate
And life conquered death
And an ending became a beginning
How have we left that all behind?
To become those cheering Herod,
Those caught up in the power of the mob
Crying “crucify Jesus”
Give us Barabbas?
We do not want to be insipid
But neither do we want to rely on the power of hate
How do we keep the passion alive
For justice, equity, inclusion, truth
Respect?
It takes the Spirit
It takes wind and fire
It takes God
It takes us being connected, deeply
With the power that set the stars in place
And created the beauty around us
And
Paradoxically
became incarnate as a human baby
And died an ignominious death
We must be fueled by a fire from within
Rather than by a fire from without
And even then
Even then we will struggle
Not to move toward either hostility
Or dullness
God help us!
This path is not easy
Nor logical
But it is
The way
Dancing Faith 