I said in a previous blog that I was done with the God of fear, done with using God's name to scare people into belief and 'right' behaviour. I also said that at some point I would follow this up with some other thoughts and this is one of them.
This week has been filled with interesting instances and conversations that I have found difficult, things that I have not agreed with. But to be honest I love that in life because it makes me think, question and most of the time ultimately to grow in my understanding of myself, others and God. So when I tell you these instances please do not think that I am particularly criticizing, rather I am grateful for the chance to think something though. Here are the instances...
The first incident occurred last week when I had a conversation with someone who was very grateful for the generosity of one particular friend. She implied that the reason the friend had been so generous was because they are Christian. It was also implied that non Christians do not understand that level of generosity. This may well be the experience of this person so I am not questioning the truth of this statement simply using the conversation as an example.
The second incident was listening to prayers in Church, mention was made of the difficulties going on around the world in places like Syria and Ukraine and the prayers asked that Christians would pray to God for peace. Again nothing wrong in that.
The message talked about joy and implied that joy as it is understood by non Christians is nothing compared to the joy found in Jesus Christ, that Christian joy is different, better than non Christian joy.
All this got me thinking, are we not called to be a part of this world instead of aside from it? Surely Jesus came to be fully a part of us and not to separate us one from another? Was the joy he felt different to the joy that everyone feels? How about the pain, was that pain different? The simple answer is no. Generosity, love, a yearning for peace, joy, pain and so much more are no different, no better and no worse simply for being a Christian or a non Christian. There are generous Jews, Atheists, Agnostics, Sikhs, and Buddhists*, these same people feel joy and pain, love and hate, they pray for and work for peace, care for their neighbours and their planet. So why is it that we continually try and set ourselves apart from others simply based on the names they use for God, the understanding they might have of the world?
For me, my faith in God, which makes most sense for me through the story of Jesus, makes me want to be better than I was before, do better than I did before but it doesn't make me better than the next person who may or may not have a faith at all. The God/Jesus story is what I grew up with, it is a story that makes sense for me of many of the questions I have about life and the world and the way I relate to other people and the world around me. But we as Christians are not alone in our lofty Church buildings holding the monopoly on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness or goodness. Our faith should make us understand better than anyone that no one is perfect, let alone us. Our faith should make us see and celebrate the similarities in others, not the differences.
So may the God of your understanding, however you understand God to be, speak the words of love, joy and peace to your heart. For each person who chooses violence and hatred may there be ten others who are shouting loudly for love and peace. For each person who uses the name of God to justify hate and killing may there be one hundred more who choose to stand against it and call out the name of the God of peace. May we who profess a faith in Christ step out from our self appointed superiority and grasp the hands of others around us, asking not what it is that sets us apart, or makes us better than the other, but instead seeking out those whose hearts are singing the same song as ours. A song of love and joy that has but one source, a source that makes all things freely available to any who would choose it. Let us stand together.
*Not an exhaustive list
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