United We Stand

There is nothing like a funeral to gather people together in a common bond as family and friends say goodbye to their loved one.  In the Christian church we hear the words of the preacher who makes God’s plea for surrendering one’s life to Jesus Christ as savior and redeemer of all.  We  leave the funeral proclaiming Amen in agreement with the prayers and the hymns that were said and sung.  However, unfortunately, after the funeral service, many of us often return to our daily lives with the same self centered hearts and minds forgetting our praises to God for his grace and love.

As a nation we recently came together once again reliving the tragedy of 9/11/01, united in our grief and bonding in great sorrow for those whose lives are tragically impacted by the loss of friends and family members. It is always so very moving to listen to the stories about the individual lives of  the people who died as the result of the 9/11 attacks.  How profoundly sacred the eulogies are as family members and friends talk about the legacy of their deceased loved ones. Although we stand together as a nation in our common grief on the anniversary of 9/11 it seems we are losing sight of our common bond. Yes, our nation is flawed, our sins are great but it seems we are losing the will to strive to stand united, working toward our common goal, to live as a free people, for liberty and justice for all. It seems all the goodness God has created is being forgotten and a greater god has come to the fore.  The greater god we now bow down to, is our political affiliation.  We find ourselves caught and captured by fear of saying what we stand for, who we vote for and what we believe is our common call.  Those who disagree with our political stance have become so disdainful to us that we believe we are just in harboring  “righteous” hatred for the “opposition.” God is waiting for his people to surrender our grandiose hatred of the other. God speaks to his rebellious people through the prophet Isaiah (1:18), “Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord:”  How audacious is that!  That the Creator God comes down and offers to listen to the pleas of His rebellious children as he beckons them (us) to return to Him. So, why then are we unable to do the same with our brothers and sisters in Christ? Why then have we lost the ability to really listen to another whom we disagree with? We find we are yelling over each other refusing to see the other with innate value and worth.  We become deaf when we refuse to listen, we become blind when we refuse to see.

Let us pray that God will open our ears to His word and that God will open our eyes to see His love for all of His creation.  This is the work God has set before us, His children. We have an opportunity to be the light in the darkness as the Body of Christ embodies how to “argue it out” and live together as one. Let us work out our differences and remember that one day our loved ones will be standing before our grave saying goodbye.  In the end how well we love for God’s sake will be our greatest testament to the gift of the life God has given us to live.