'There must be very few people across the globe who have not heard about the Oval Office debacle last week.
I don’t really want to add anything to the pronouncements of pundits and the politicians about what an utter disgrace it was and the like of which has never, ever been seen before. For one President to talk to another President in such a public way was jaw dropping and almost unbelievable. Although not quite so from a President like Donald Trump. That’s his style and way of getting a deal done!
What I have
been trying to process is how we should react as Christians.
I know many
of my Christian friends have been posting on social media and sharing items.
But when
does sharing ‘information’ and ‘truth’ slip over that line and become vitriolic
and even abusive and certainly unhelpful and unhealthy.
And social
media apart, I imagine we will be having those conversations with family,
friends, work colleagues.
How on earth
do we navigate through all the heat, the steam, the muck, mud and mire and hold
a Christian perspective. Added to which
as Christians we will be reading things differently. There are those who will
be fully supportive of President’s Trump’s stand. Fully in agreement that it is well time we
stopped pandering to ‘wokeism.’ Absolutely
behind the idea that ‘charity begins at home’ – we first love and care for our own
before we reach out in love and care for others.
I have no
answers only more and more questions as the world appears to be getting darker
and crazier by the day.
And for what
it is worth, just putting it out there, that I am not convinced about ‘End
Times’ and that this is a prelude to Jesus’ return and the ‘Faithful’ being taken
into heaven. Two points on that. The
whole corpus of Scripture speaks of a heaven and earth conjunction, of God’s
sphere, heaven being conjoined with our sphere, earth. Thus,
no ‘going to heaven and escaping from earth.’
The Christian faith is about engagement not escape! Secondly, look over your history at some of
the times when the world was convulsed and caught up in the most awful events.
We are certainly at an epoch-making moment when western liberal democracy
appears to be running out of track having pushed its agenda so far as to beggar
belief and common sense. I am talking
about things like parents complaining to school because they would not allow
their child to identify as an animal. At such times like this, strong autocratic leadership is often welcomed to help offer a guide and steer. We are seeing this happening across the world right now.
Let me return
to the tsunami of comments following the Oval Office debacle.
At St Oswald’s we have been engaging with Practising the Way. (Practicing the Way) Our own home group have been exploring ‘Solitude.’ One of the practises we have been encouraged to do is to spend at least five minutes as soon as we have woken up and focus on God rather than reach for our phone or turn on the radio or the TV. Putting God first before we open ourselves to the world and its various machinations, most often very negative.
On Saturday last, (1st March) we had a Men’s Breakfast gathering up in town. It is my normal practise to listen to Lectio 360 in the morning. (Lectio 365 - 24-7 Prayer International) But on that morning I let myself get caught up in the social media outpouring. I could have made an excuse that I knew we would be talking about this and needed to be informed. But, truth be told, I let this issue slide into my thoughts and mind before prayer, listening to Scripture and spending at least 10 minutes with God.
Now, in the
grand scheme of things this is such a small matter. But what if I was to allow
this tiny slip to settle and to grow. It
has been said that very few people simply stop engaging with God or attending
Worship and going to Church. It is a slow slippage, a missed Sunday here and
there, a forgetfulness in reading Scripture and offering prayers.
Like me, you
are also probably trying to process all that is currently happening in the
world. But even as we seek to be as well informed as we can be let us never
neglect to spend time with Father God, to bring the best we have, and yes, that
would include the first moments of the day when we wake up and I would also add
the last moments of the day as well.
“Prayer is
the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening,” is a quote attributed to "
Mahatma Gandhi.
That looks
like good advice to me, but 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 offers something even more challenging,
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
With that in
mind let us step into the week ahead seeking to give God the best, and the first
and the last of our love and attention each day. Let us weigh up carefully our engagement
with social media. Think twice about reposting and sharing. And yes, absolutely
yes, let us be as informed as we can be so that we can have meaningful and thought-out
conversations. ‘Let your conversation
be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for
everyone.’ Colossians 4.6
And you may want
to use this as your ‘Watchword for the Week’ no matter what crazy stuff bubbles
up around us and across the world.
‘Rejoice in the Lord always. I will
say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is
near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And
the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7
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