 Spiritual: May 24, 2006 Issue [#1056] |
  Spiritual
This week: Edited by: Love is a Mommy (no foolin)  
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The Sun Rises on All
When Jesus talked about how the Father in heaven makes the "sun rise on the evil and on the good" (Matthew 5:45), he used a phrase common to ancient philosophers such as Seneca, who taught that the "sun rises for criminals." But while Seneca suggested that the sun rose because the gods were indifferent toward humans, Jesus emphasized that the love of God is indiscriminate and unmerited, not indifferent. Followers were to imitate God's indiscriminate love through the love even of one's enemy.
Excerpt from Jesus: His Life & Teachings Daily Calendar, May 23
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Radical Inclusivity
I had written this newsletter before coming in to work Tuesday morning. When I tore off the page on my calendar and saw the quote above, it just helped to strengthen my thoughts on the point below. While I understand that the article below is by no means complete in reference and evidence, I believe the heart of it stands out. If you haven't, please read the intro - it's really worth it.
Have you ever noticed that not too many people really like or admire the ultra-conservative talking heads that claim to be the voice of Christianity? For one, I do not believe that this type of spreading Christianity and moral ethics is effective or beneficial to a mass public. Why?
Before I go any further, I will point out that the methods I’m talking about above do have their audience. They do reach some people – people that cannot be reached any other way and they do increase the faith of the people who need hard-nosed messages and strict religion.
However, I believe that Christianity is more about love and inclusivity than religious posturing and quoting scripture. When we lose the ability to accept people as they are, we lose the ability to talk to them and form a relationship. We are not to set out to form an exclusive party – we aren’t to say, “we’re going to heaven because we are the select few. Sorry guys – you’re invited of course, but I don’t think you can cut the mustard.”
We are called to be like Jesus and sit down and eat with tax collectors, the poor, prostitutes, and women who were shunned and scorned for reasons as unfair as a medical problem. In the Jewish setting that Jesus was born into, eating with someone was a very intimate act. Jews would very rarely eat with non-Jews so what Jesus did was appalling! This was shocking behavior in a setting where the main religion of the time was very exclusive – you were born into the kingdom of God or you were not.
Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is at hand – it’s in reach. It’s not heaven after we die. It’s not after judgment. It’s at hand. If we are more accepting and loving while holding only ourselves to our own moral convictions, can you imagine how people would respond? Can you imagine what would happen if Christianity was gentle and loving? How would people respond if they were given a chance to share their pain and their sorrow and find only love – not judgment or exclusion? How would people respond if we reached over and hugged them instead of quoting scripture? Is it possible to form an idea of what Jesus had in mind when He spoke of the kingdom of God?
I would imagine that the world would be much more inclusive and loving towards Christians if Christians were more loving towards the world. Maybe, just maybe, love causes radical inclusivity. Isn’t that a cool thought?
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