Grace to you and Peace, from God the Father and our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Oh yes there is a great deal of consternation in our world over the state of our public discourse. Mass media and social media with all their potential for doing good along the lines of disseminating information, has clearly been weaponized. Beyond the accusations of disseminating false information, it has opened the door to angry, vicious, and (feel free to insert your favorite negative adjective) attacks on people who hold differing points of view. Whether it is the opportunity to comment anonymously, or the ability to avoid personal contact, or simply being drunken with the power to share one’s own feelings or opinions with thousands or millions worldwide, I think we can agree that things have gotten out of hand.
My son shared a meme with me not long ago, it was the (fake) cover of a “Little Golden Book”, yes, you remember them, the children’s books of our childhood that shared so many stories and lessons for life. This one, though intended as a joke, hit pretty hard and was sadly, all to accurate. The cover was a picture of a particular mustached man in pajamas riding a sled down a rainbow. The title of the book read, “Everyone I Don’t Like is Hitler” subtitled, “A child’s guide to online political discussion." I saw the satire, perhaps sarcasm, intended, but it also put a pit in my stomach. The meaning is clear, things have gotten out of hand.
How have we gotten here?
Many have ventured their opinions, but few have offered solutions. Most of the suggested solutions only serve to heighten the tension as feelings of distrust and fear continue to deepen. How we got to this point is perhaps even more complex than the actual problem and will take years and many books just to penetrate the surface.
However, it struck me that the world of physics does share some light on the issue. Newton’s Third Law of Motion states “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” I have noticed that as one person or group takes an action, which, let us be honest, they must know will anger or frighten others, it causes an equally strong opposite reaction. Over time people have stopped communicating with any real sincerity and simply seek to push as far and as hard as they can against the other. The result, everyone is angry, frustrated, afraid, and no workable solutions are possible, because they have pushed each other so far apart, there is no longer any common ground. It doesn’t help that like the sinners we are, everyone wants what they want, when they want it, no matter the cost or effect on others.
Does it have to be this way? I think not. Will it change any time soon? I doubt it. Though I wish that I could make it go away However, I do have control over my own actions, as do you. And yes, I often find myself with a sore tongue, as I bite it to keep silent.
Maybe we ought to fall back on Jesus’ command to love one another. I mean, after all, it wasn’t a suggestion, it was given as a commandment. Will it be easy to love those we view as un-loving? Certainly not, but that does not release us from the commandment. Indeed, loving those who seem so hard to love, opens the door to follow Paul’s advice and “heap burning coals on their heads.”
The Church has not been immune to harmful words and actions. But it is even more imperative in the church that we demonstrate to the world a “more better way” to live in community, that is, to love one another. Certainly we will have plenty of dis-agreements, and people will say things that drive us to distraction, and even cause us pain. But one of the lessons I learned early in my ministry is that I was called to be the pastor to everyone in the church, whether I liked them or not. As hard as it was sometimes, I still had to love them, and serve them all. There are many obvious reasons for this, not the least of which is, as I mentioned above, because Jesus said I have to. The more I remember this and remind myself, “I love people, I love people.” The easier it has gotten. And the truth be told, loving them often led to the opening of their ears and minds to seeing the world in a different way.
It is common to pray in this season for transformation: the true meaning of Christmas, or world peace, or the return of joy in peoples’ hearts. Maybe we should also pray for the transformation of our own hearts as well as those around us to remember the golden rule, “do unto others as you would have done to you” and to act upon it by loving one another.
May the peace and blessings of God, the joy of Jesus Christ, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit be with you all,
Mitchell Lee Miller.
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