God help us!

    On the 26th of this month, in a landmark decision, the Supreme Court, wiped away the right of the people to vote on an issue and have that vote stand as law. It is not new that our nation is in a cultural war but it seems that we are now a house more divided than ever. We find ourselves drawing out dividing lines as has been done before in our history. The patriots drew lines  because of an oppressive, tyrannical king. The states drew lines over slavery and almost destroyed this nation in so doing. In more recent history lines were drawn over segregation and abortion. We now find ourselves standing to one side or another of a dividing line on homosexual marriage. As a follower of Christ my position is clear and I will not defend that subject here, but rather ask the question, "How did we get here?".

The answer, quite frankly; we fell asleep. More to the point, we abdicated.

To abdicate is defined as:

 1. To cast off, 

2. To relinqish. 

It is noted in the dictionary that it "implies a giving up of a position with no possibility of resuming it".

    During the last century the church made several gross errors. First it decided there was a difference between the secular and the sacred. Then, it fell asleep. The country was secure. We had fought two world wars. We rebuilt our nation. People were living better than they ever had. Why with post war credits, they could build homes, get a degree, and settle into a nice comfortable life. 

When the church awoke they found that the nation was actually in turmoil. There was a generation of people who wanted more. More freedom. More stuff. More passion. And frankly, can you blame them? Who wants to sit in a pew of a sleeping church who has no purpose or passion. Unfortunately, "the more" they looked for was in the secular. 

    For some reason, the church had decided there was a difference between scared and secular. That Christians should quietly live out their lives doing their jobs and attending church on Sundays and never the twain should meet. For some reason many believed that Christians should not get involved in the political arena and that their faith should be shared not verbally but their quiet lives would be a testimony for their neighbors to see. 

    In the last generation we awoke! We find ourselves in a country we don't recognize, wondering how do we fit in, or better yet, what do we do? We are, it seems, in a place with no possibility of resuming our position. That's the good news, because we are no longer in control. We have fallen. Thankfully, we have fallen to our knees and find ourselves crying out to God. Like Habakkuk, we are asking God, "why the wicked flourish and injustice continues?"

Make no mistake, God will answer! He has not fallen nor did He ever sleep. He has brought us back to the place of sacred. There is no secular and sacred within the church! There is only sacred! As we are told over and over in scripture, "whatever you do, do all for the Lord!". Whatever you do! Whatever! When we rise up, when we walk in the streets, when we teach our children (or the children of others), when we go to our jobs, and yes, when we involve ourselves in politics, it is sacred. We, the church, the bride of Christ, cannot divide ourselves into lives of secular and sacred. For the follower of Christ, their is only sacred.

    Do not be afraid my brothers and sisters to engage in this most recent political fray. Engage! Engage the Gospel! Engage Christ! We are His people, His emissaries to a lost and dying world. We have the answer and the answer is Christ Jesus! He is our glory and the only hope that we have. As I have gotten over my anger over the decision of the Supreme Court I find myself looking forward with anticipation. I cannot wait to see the power of God now that we have been brought low. What are our most treasured Bible stories? Daniel in the lions den? David and Goliath? Noah and the flood? Are these not when the faithful child of God found himself in a situation in which only God could conquer? And what of the cross? Did the disciples stand firm at the cross? Heck no! They ran away because they were terrified. But God conquered in this most glorious and final battle ever! Jesus won over sin and death! 

    We find ourselves in the same position as Daniel, David, and Habakkuk. We are now ever dependent on God to fulfill our call to this nation: to go forth and spread the gospel to all people. Let us "look to the author and finisher of our faith" as we run this portion of this race. Let us be faithful, not double minded between secular and sacred! Let us anticipate God's victory in this world.

Thank you

     "Thank you for coming to get me." Her voice was so small amidst the cheering crowd of swim parents that I wasn't sure I heard her right. My oldest daughters whipped around as she surely heard it too. I looked down into her beautiful little face and asked, just to be sure, "What did you say?" She looked back with her almond shaped eyes and said once again, "Thank you for coming to get me."  My heart melted and tears sprang into the eyes of my oldest daughter. She understood. This was not a, "Thanks mom for picking me up at school", or even a "Thanks mom for driving out in the middle of the night , because I changed my mind about spending the night". This was thank you for coming all the way to China to make me yours. She smiled into my face and then was caught up again by the cheering crowd. I hugged her closer to my heart wishing, as all mothers do occasionally, that I could freeze that moment in time.
     I've thought about that, "thank you for coming to get me" statement. I know it was not flippant or light hearted. It was something so deep down inside that tiny heart that understands. She knows that we, "...drove into the night, got on a plane, flew over the rivers, and over the mountains, and even over the top of the world (which we did), all the way to China to bring you home". She knows because she wants to hear the story over and over again. Her story; the one which began with another mother somewhere in China. A mother who tried for four months to care for my beautiful girl and for whatever reason found herself in a situation where she could not. Her story; the one which includes the orphanage where she was given her beautiful name which means, "may the light of the moon keep the dust off of you". Her story; which is about her foster parents who, I am sure, did their best. Her story; a forever family, seven brothers and two sisters, who all adore her. Her story and mine.
     "Thank you for coming to get me." As I lie beside her little sleeping body, listening to her steady breathing those words floated through my brain. I wondered when was the last time I said those words. I thought about what adoption meant for our family; three years, a journey to the other side of the would (coming from a person who is rather claustrophobic, 15 hours on an airplane is not ever something I thought I could do), and the monetary cost. Yet this wasn't really what was foremost in my mind. I thought about sacrifice, but not ours. I was thinking about Jesus. I pictured Him in heaven, laying down His crown and scepter. I thought about Him putting on humanity. Wow, from throne to animal trough! I thought about His 33 year journey which would lead Him to the cross; the brothers who didn't believe Him, the friends who denied Him, and the people to whom He came yelling, "Crucify Him!"The death which He suffered. And, praise God His rising from the dead and returning back to His throne. He did that in order to "come and get me". By His great sacrifice He made it possible for us all to be adopted.
Thank you, Jesus, for coming to get me.