Early Easter: Part 2

 ⁴³ “You have heard that it has been said, ‘You must love your neighbor and hate those who hate you.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love those who hate you. (*Respect and give thanks for those who say bad things to you. Do good to those who hate you.) Pray for those who do bad things to you and who make it hard for you. ⁴⁵ Then you may be the sons of your Father Who is in heaven. His sun shines on bad people and on good people. He sends rain on those who are right with God and on those who are not right with God. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward can you expect from that? Do not even the tax-gatherers do that? ⁴⁷ If you say hello only to the people you like, are you doing any more than others? The people who do not know God do that much. ⁴⁸ You must be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)


Yup, I'm starting with a Bible verse--because it has been proven to me yet again that I don't react very well when I don't have my spirit nourished.


In all reality, when we're persecuted or said bad things to or just flat out ignored, it's pretty frustrating.  Even if we're Jesus, we're going to have to work through some emotions--because it's not right to be treated that way.  It's also not right that there is rape, and abuse, and violence.  Justice definitely needs to be served.


And yet, the more and more I learn about Justice, the more and more it looks like Reconciliation. See HERE.  And, honestly, that is not what society teaches us--and it's also not usually what most of us have been taught growing up.  We're usually taught one of three ways: 


If someone hits you, hit him back.


Or


If someone hits you, just take it (because Lord knows you did something wrong).


Or


If someone hits you, get away as fast as you can.


Now, let me give you a fantastic, personal illustration of this.  I may or may not be exaggerating a little to explain my point.


One day, a blonde headed gal is walking along in the sunshine, strolling her curly Q-ed daughter, holding her sweet butterball of a belly...soaking in the reality of a really great day.  Out of a nowhere, a big dump truck recklessly starts driving toward her.  As she starts to cover herself, the driver of this dumptruck practically runs her and her babies over.  Then, the passenger in the truck flips her the bird.


As if.


The reality is, she should be mad. She has every right to be mad.  But after she releases her emotions-- preferably in a healthy way (you don't definitely don't want those things stuck inside), it's her choice as to how she wants to move on.  She can choose to stay mad, isolate protectively, and not move forward--never taking another walk outside with her babies.  Or, she can utilize her free gift.  The cross.  She's been a dumptruck at some time in her life as well--even if it was never to this extent.  And, as she starts to understand more and more of the unconditional love of her Father, she can give out more of that unconditional love to others.  Jesus died saying "Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."


We sure don't.


Because religion sure has gotten in the way of salvation.  I say "religion" in reference to the Pharisee's in Scripture.  The ones who say holiness is a matter of self-effort, the ones who judge others for mistakes, the ones who have a plank in their eye while pointing out the speck in their brother's eye.  Pharisee's are demeaning, belittling, and they crucified Jesus.


Jesus, on the other hand, was full of humility--and not false, self-mutilation humility. Real humility is strength and confidence.  There's no need to feel important from others because a humble person knows that he is his Father's son.  He knows who he belongs to. And because of that, he is willing to lay his life down for his brothers and he can also graciously pull life and hope out of others, because death can't hold him down.  This is Jesus.


And yet, when people started to abuse Jesus' lifegiving advice--like resting, and not working or selling things, on the Sabbath--he got mad. He threw their tables UPSIDE DOWN.  Why? Because they took Him for granted.  They took His gift for granted. He was about to die a horrific death for them, and they weren't even listening in the slightest bit.


So, after I got flipped the bird, I threw my table upside down. I was ticked.  (I didn't react quite as perfectly as Jesus though--just an FYI. I'm still a dumptrucking, table thrower. I'm a work in progress.). And then, I started the process of letting it go.  Time to hug that cross and watch Him rise.


I know a Pastor named Kent Maddox in Alabama.  He once shared the story of how he met Jesus.  He was a drug dealer, feeding his wife's drug addiction. It was a real mess.  Somehow he ended up in an old school Pentecostal church.  And wouldn't you know it, there was an altar call.  Before he knew it, he had stood up. He walked up to that altar not even completely realizing what the heck he was doing, but he knew he needed to do it.  He knew he needed this man named Jesus. Surrounding him were several elders from this church, and they laid hands on him to pray for him.  As he hilariously retells his own story, he says "All I knew was that it got really hot. Really hot. I was on the floor with Pentecostal preachers screaming prayers at me. Some of them were screaming "Hang on!" and the others were screaming "Let go!"'


Isn't it so true? We need to hang on and let go all at the same time.  The only thing steady in our whole equation of life is Jesus.


Religion won't save us, it will kill us.  We must learn Love instead. And Love was proven in the Red. Blood. He paid the price.  Good Friday is called Good for a reason.  It is the beautiful paradox of hanging on and letting go.  It's the exchange of death for life.  He was perfect. We, in and of ourselves, are not.


When He meets our imperfection, it is beautiful. It is full of Grace and Truth.  And the purpose is then to give that Grace and Truth to others.  Even when they crucify you.  Even when they say bad things to you. Even when they are violent toward you. Even when they drive recklessly toward you with their dumptrucks and then flip you the bird.


It's that pain that you've carried--that I've carried--until the Joy comes. Until the Easter is made tangible in our hearts. Easter is already here, but it's our choice to grab ahold of it now.


Hang on to Him, let go of everything else.


We can lose our religion.......together.


I love it when I get Good News!!


Happy Friday!