A Response to One Who is Thankful for the Tragedy in Japan

I was wondering when we'd start seeing things like this. And, by "things", I mean "crap". I guess I was hoping and praying that the wackos would keep quiet about the horrific tragedies in Japan. Sadly, we're not that lucky. I simply do not understand how it is that people can say these kinds of things.

(I warn you that this video is, in my opinion, incredibly offensive. If you are one of those people who is prone to throwing things when you get angry or such like that...well...you've been warned.)



To say that I am disgusted by this person's words is, perhaps, the understatement of the century.

At first, I figured that this must be a prank video - intended to parody so-called Christians like Pat Robertson and John Piper. But, alas, I don't think that is actually the case. I looked at her profile on YouTube, and I'm fairly certain that she attends (or is at the least greatly influenced by) the Chalcedon Presbyterian Church in Cumming, Georgia. I saw the word "Presbyterian" and nearly came unglued. I quickly checked to see what particular "flavor" of Presbyterian this church claims, and I discovered that they identify with the Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States. I have a few friends who attend RPCUS churches -- and the RPCUS is quite different from the PCUSA -- but I don't think that this person in the video is a good spokesperson for that denomination.

The real Christians that I know aren't cruel, hate-filled people who think that we should celebrate when tragedy strikes -- they are kind, love-filled people who reach out to friends and enemies alike in the name of Christ. The real Christians that I know don't believe that God is all about separation -- they believe that God is all about reconciliation. The real Christians that I know leave pronouncements of judgement and damnation COMPLETELY up to God -- they don't pretend that they can make those kinds of pronouncements themselves.

The creator of the video posted above calls Christians to prayer. And I say, let's do it. Let's pray fervently throughout this Lenten season. But, I would encourage us all to pray in ways that don't put words into God's mouth. Instead of praying for things like destruction and vengeance, let's dare to pray for those things for which Christ suggested we pray: pray for your own ability to forgive (Mark 11:25); and pray for your enemies and those who persecute you, so that you might demonstrate your love for them as God demonstrates love for you (Matthew 5:43-48). May we learn to pray in ways that answer God's call for us to love as Christ so loved us...

Let Them Grow Together

On Sunday, I dared to preach on the parable that is commonly referred to as “The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Weeds)”. You know the one – a guy plants wheat, someone else plants weeds (that look exactly like the wheat) in the same field, and the two types of plants are allowed to grow together until the harvest… at which point, the weeds are gathered up to be used as fuel for the fire, and the wheat finds sanctuary in the barn. Yep… I think a lot of us like to read the parable that way – with the emphasis being on how the “nasty weeds” are going to “get it” in the end. We tend to read it as if it is one of Aesop’s Fables with some moral to be grasped by the time we reach the last sentence. That’s how I learned it decades ago at VBS: “Remember kids… don’t be a weed!”

But is that what Jesus is trying to say in this parable? I don’t think it is. It is a shame that we so often read parables as if they are Biblical Aesop’s Fables, with characters who represent certain kinds of people and a clear “moral to the story” to be learned with each. When we read parables in this way, I believe that we miss most of the point of parables. Parables – if we really read them, instead of reading into them – don’t give clear answers. Parables usually leave us with more questions than answers – and I think that is exactly why Jesus used parables to talk about things like the Kingdom of God. Why? Because by his using parables to teach, Jesus invites us into an ongoing conversation with him (as opposed to just giving us the answers – which we probably couldn’t handle anyway – and letting us live our lives without needing to be dependent on Jesus).

I believe that Jesus wants us to join him in wrestling with the scriptures instead of constantly wrestling with each other. Wrestling with each other isn’t going to get us anywhere. But, wrestling with Scripture as we remain in conversation with Christ gets us closer to the Word of God.

One of the questions that I have wrestled with as I read this parable is, “what are we supposed to do with the Wheat and the Weeds?” (We always want to know what to do, right?) The response to that given in the parable is “Let them both grow together.” For those who are fans of Greek, check out the word that is translated here as “let them”… it is also used in the Lord’s Prayer, but it is translated there as “forgive”. Forgive and grow together…? Oh, if we would dare to take this to heart and live this way as Christians! The world expects Christians to point fingers and place blame (check out chapter 8 of UnChristian). I hope and pray that we will dare to take the world by surprise and live as people characterized by forgiveness instead of judgment!