I started
writing this as a Facebook post, but it started to get a little long... :)
I've been
thinking about this morning's gospel lesson and sermon a lot. The text was from
John 2 (1-11) when Jesus changes water
into wine, his first miracle. In verse 9 you read, "He did not realize
where it [wine] had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water
knew"
It's a simple
sentence. One you probably quickly pass over. But it was pointed out in the
sermon and it's worth taking a second look at. Verse 11 reads, "What Jesus
did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he
revealed his glory" This was a big deal. It was the first sign. The first
miracle. The first of many to come. It holds importance.
But what we
read in verse 9 is that Jesus did not perform his miracle in front of the
wedding party or guests. He performed his first miracle before the servants.
The poorest, lowliest and oppressed. These were the very first to witness a
miracle.
And from that
moment on, that would be continue to be Jesus' focus. He continued to show
love, to help, to preach to those people: the poor, the oppressed, the lonely,
the sick, the widowed, the children. Those who most people considered to be
beneath them, Jesus embraced with open arms.
Now, this
continued to stick with me throughout the rest of the day, especially as I
scrolled through Facebook and Twitter, seeing and reading stories of everything
happening in our nation right. A government shutdown, employees working with no
pay or not being able to work at all, discussions of a wall, videos showing
disrespect, anger over a razor commercial and what seems like to me, too much
hate.
Many people
believe that America is a Christian nation. While America was in fact founded
on the freedom of religion and freedom from persecution because of religion.
Meaning - we all get to choose. And if someone doesn't choose to believe in
what I believe, they have that freedom and right to do so. But Christianity has
been the majority religion for many years and brings us back to the idea of why
people think America is a Christian nation. So let's argue for a second that
this is the case. America is a Christian nation.
Let's go back
to verse nine from today's lesson. "He did not realize where it [wine] had
come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew" Who did Jesus
perform his first miracle in front of? Who did he continue to share his message
with?
The poor, the
oppressed, the sick, the widowed, the lonely, the children. Jesus' message was
to love others. He said "And the second
is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"
And I think
about the state of the nation today. And if America wants to claim to be a
Christian nation, it has to be asked: Are they following the message of Jesus?
Are they loving others as themselves? Are they helping the poor, the oppressed,
the sick, the children, the lonely?
And my answer
would be no. Overall, there are too many "Christians" who are not
following the teachings of Jesus.
We should be
welcoming those who are running from violence and war. We should be working to
ensure every person has affordable healthcare. We should be working towards an
economy that benefits all Americans and not just the top 1 percent. We should
be loving and accepting ALL people. We should be fighting against the
injustice. I'm sure this list could continue.
But as a
nation, we are failing. We are failing at being a "Christian nation".
Those in top positions are failing our nation.
If Americans
want to claim that America is a Christian nation, maybe we should start acting
like it.
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