Making Christians Great Again

My last post was on the eve of the New Year. I wrote about 2021 storming in and how to face the new year with courage. I had no idea about the storm that would hit just one week later—-

———the storm of rioters who crashed the capitol. We’ve all seen the chilling footage of mob violence and mania. The images, headlines and soundtrack are burned into our memories.

It’s likely that there were Christians among the mob. And it’s likely that some people who identify as Christians are even now planning further attacks on the capitol and around the country next week.  

I believe these impassioned people believe they are patriots saving America. I believe they believe that through breaking laws, smashing windows, breaking bones, harming police they are rescuing their country. I believe they believe they are fighting to regain power and influence they feel they have lost. I believe they believe they are making America Great again.

But the harm to the name of Christ and his Church is incalculable.

How has this happened? During the last 6 years I have heard unceasingly that our great America is on the brink of extinction. That we’re on the verge of socialism, communism, atheism, and a host of other catastrophes all of which would eradicate our democracy, take away our private property, close our churches, take away our freedom of movement.

We will lose every freedom, I am told, when the Democrats take power. This apocalyptic specter is raised in a country that has routinely and predictably (and peaceably) swung between Democrats and Republicans and back to Democrats then back to Republicans throughout its 246 year history. This is how democracy works.

To my Christian friends who support the revolt, I am struggling to understand. Where is Christ in all of this? I wonder if some think our sovereign God is not doing his job---not preserving our Christian nation so someone has to do it? But Jesus didn’t die to make us a Christian nation. We’re not a Christian nation. We’re a nation of people from a multitude of backgrounds and beliefs. And this is what we’ll always be.

This was just the kind of culture Jesus himself was born into.

Where does our strength come from? The power of Christianity does not come from majority status, even in a democracy. It doesn’t come from a vast voting block. It doesn’t come from electing God’s man or woman into the right office. The power of Christianity is Jesus Christ. There’s nothing and no one more powerful . He won the war that no one else could win: the war against death and rebellion against God. He won that war to sweep us from our native country---the kingdom of darkness, to a new country---the kingdom of light, to serve a new king.

This leader is like no other. He bent like a slave to wash His people’s feet. He chose our lashes instead of His power. For our sakes, He was crowned with briars on an execution cross instead of seated on a throne, He bled out His life for the very ones who put Him to death.

But even his first followers didn't get it. They expected Jesus to crush the Romans. They wanted their nation to be great again. They wanted to be great themselves. When they were arguing among themselves over who was greatest among them, who did Jesus pull into their dissension to settle their argument? Not an armed soldier, not a muscled athlete or a charismatic politician. A child. A little child. "Unless you become like a child you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."

This king whom Christians are named after gives his power freely to all who ask. What kind of power? The power to be innocent, The power to forgive, the power to love, the power to persevere, the power to lay down our lives for one another, just as he did for us. And the power then to rise from death.

 “Lay down your swords,” he said to the soldiers and his very own disciples in the garden who thought they were fighting for him, for his kingdom. “Do you think I have come to lead a rebellion?” In his last breath on the crucifixion tree, he gave us the greatest news ever:  “It is finished.” The only war that matters, the only war he came to fight----is done.

There's only one battle going on right now that matters. We're not fighting for the soul of our nation. Jesus didn't die for a nation. He died for people. We fight for the souls of people. Our power is Jesus. And We fight by waging peace and our weapon is love.

 That’s how Christians become great again.

If the spirit so moves, would you consider sharing?

 (Dear friends, I hope we can love one another in the comments below. If verbal attacks appear, I will need to remove them. Thank you and may God grant us all wisdom and peace.)