Father, Forgive Them...

While the internet age has so many wonderful advantages, for me, instant communication DOES have one big drawback: the fact that it IS instant communication. Back in the day when we had to put pen to paper, I had time to stop and think about whether or not I REALLY wanted to express my opinion and time to weigh the consequences of speaking up. Nowadays, however, I often find myself hip deep in a HEATED discussion before I can stop myself. Something catches my eye and I jump in with both feet, sometimes later wishing I'd just hit delete and forgotten about the whole thing.

Yesterday, I landed, yet again, in that same situation. The topic of one friend's FaceBook comment was a recent story about a gay high school student who had asked the administration if she could attend the prom with her girlfriend AND wear a tux. The school responded to the request by cancelling the entire prom and punishing everyone! Sadly, this particular FaceBook discussion got ugly very quickly with several people logging in to condemn this specific gay young lady and to bash gay folks in general. What was most disturbing to me, and what sparked my headlong leap into the conversation, was the prevailing attitude of several of the contributors that ALL gay people were headed straight to Hell!!

Now, regardless of how anyone feels about whether or not homosexuality is a sin or not, the very idea that ANY human being has the right to speak up for God and punch another person's ticket to eternal damnation was like waving a red flag in front of a bull! Of course, I expressed my own belief that it wasn't up to US to judge...and boy, did I get an ear full of self righteous, judgemental pontificating!!

God's Word, it was explained to me, is "unchanging" and clearly states that God doesn't love gay people and that He intends for them all to burn in Hell! It was further explained to me that only a TRUE Christian would have the "strength" to "stand" for Him and proclaim the judgement of those around him/her who are in sin!

Oh, REALLY??? I guess I was too busy removing the "log" from my own eye to read that part in the Scriptures! I guess I totally missed the part in His Word that says "Here, God takes the rest of Eternity off and leaves the Judgement to mere human beings who KNOW His Will so much better than HE does!" Lord, help us if that were true...

Fortunately, the way I read the Bible, what He REALLY said was, "Look, you just clean up your own act and leave the Judgement thing to ME!" Over and over, repeatedly, in the Word, Christ points us toward loving and forgiving our fellow man...because we aren't one spot better than the sinner sitting next to us!! It may come as a surprise to alot of lofty church folk, but the ground is level at the foot of the Cross! We are all just miserable sinners, saved only by HIS Grace, and not by any good in ourselves...because without Him, we don't HAVE any good in us!

Throughout the four Gospels, we hear stories of how the Lord sought out the hurting, the helpless, and the sinners and sat down to break bread with THEM! To the high falootin' high and mighty temple people, He called them "white washed tombs, full of dead men's bones!" and warned that THEY were the ones headed for Hell!

Yes, it is absolutely true that we are to understand God's rules and abide by them and that we should recognize sin in all it's many forms. The reason for that, however, is NOT so we'll be properly prepared to whip out our pointer finger and find fault in everyone else! The idea is that we will be able to look in the MIRROR and see what is missing in US!

How sad that Christian people would EVER stand on their lofty principles, just so they can get high enough to look down on their fellow man and make lists of who does and doesn't get to go to Heaven. Those kind of "Christians," I'm afraid, are in for a VERY long fall when the Lord informs them that they NEVER had that right.

On the Cross, Christ looked down, in love, at those folks who, filled with hate and judgement, had nailed him there. In an instant, He could have called down fire from Heaven and consumed them where they stood. Their deeds certainly would have seemed to warrant that sort of punishment. Instead, He cried out to God: "Father, Forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing!"

Lord, Forgive US when we get so comfortable in our own "goodness" that we can point out the sins of others and dare to decide, on Your behalf, who should head up or down! Help us to see, clearly, the damage we do to Your Name when we strike out, in hate and disgust and anger, at our fellow human beings. Make it clear to us that we are not "standing up for You" when we seek to destroy others.

In the end, Father, the ultimate Judgement belongs to You and You alone. Have mercy on me, a sinner...