Tag: faith

Dear Mike Johnson,

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Overnight, the House of Representatives passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act –and you, Mr. Speaker took a victory lap. I don’t understand. Back in 2023, in an interview with Sean Hannity, you said, “I am a Bible-believing Christian. Someone asked me today in the media, they said, “It’s curious, people are curious. ‘What does Mike Johnson think about any issue under the sun?’” I said, “Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it – that’s my worldview. That’s what I believe and so I make no apologies for it.”

So, I picked up my Bible and read it. And I am curious. Mr. Speaker, Isaiah 58:10 says, “If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” But you just passed a bill that cuts SNAP food assistance for low-income families. And Proverbs 14:31 says, “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” But your Big Beautiful Bill will take away healthcare for millions of poor and needy people. Where is the kindness in that? Does taking benefits from the poor to give tax breaks to the rich honor God? I think not.

Mr. Speaker, the Bible says, ““Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” (Proverbs 3:27 – ESV). You had the power to “do good’, but instead, you withheld it from those in need.

Please, stop rejoicing as if you have accomplished some righteous deed while your brothers and sisters are weeping. Oh, and by the way, the Bible says to a people who have forsaken God’s ways: “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” (Isaiah 1:15-17)

Mr. Speaker, there is still time to “learn to do right.” The Big Beautiful Bill will return to the House for final approval. You have the opportunity to use your power to obey God and do the right thing.

I’m praying for you.

In the Cover of Night

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

In the gospels, disturbing things happen in the middle of the night. This is especially seen in the events surrounding Jesus’s arrest and trials. It begins ominously with Judas’s departure in the middle of Jesus’s last meal with his disciples. John’s gospel makes the observation:“And it was night.” (John 13:30). Later that night, Judas–with the temple police–approaches Jesus on the Mount of Olives and seals Jesus’s arrest with a kiss. Jesus is arrested and whisked away to the Sanhedrin which has gathered in the middle of the night for a sham trial. “Very early in the morning” (Mark 15:1), the Sanhedrin puts their plan in motion, binding Jesus and taking him to Pilate to demand that Jesus be executed. By noon, Jesus is hanging on the cross, and he’s dead by 3:00 pm.

The arrest, the sham trial, the decision to pursue execution–they all happen in the cover of darkness. Why? Why do most disturbing things happen at night? It’s because very few people are around to witness the crimes and expose the corruption. John writes, “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.” (John 3:20)

.Why am I writing about this? I write because political bodies continue to use the cover of night to make it easier to carry out their plans without the public’s knowledge.

Why did the House Budget Committee schedule a vote on the “One Big Beautiful [budget] Bill Act” on Sunday, May 19, at 10:00 pm? (By the way, it passed.) Why did the House Rules Committee schedule its vote to advance the Bill to the full House at 1:00 am tomorrow, Wednesday, May 21? That’s right: 1:00 o’clock AM! Obviously, it is to ensure passage of the bill without the watchful eyes of the Press or the scrutiny of the public.

And it’s no wonder they want to keep this budget hidden. It will do harm to almost every aspect of public life. It will remove protections from our air and water and release public land to private corporations to drill, mine and deforest. It will reduce funding for healthcare for children and seniors (Medicaid) and housing vouchers for low-income families while increasing funding for the military, border security and ICE detention and deportation. It will add trillions of dollars to the national debt while reducing the taxes for billionaires and corporations.

But there were witnesses to the unlawful acts of Caiaphas–the Rome-appointed High Priest–and the Sanhedrin. They wanted it kept hidden in the dark of the night, but their deeds were exposed and their actions were made public. All four gospels provide a record thanks to Peter and John who follow Jesus to the Sanhedrin, and thanks to Nicodemus who was a member of the Sanhedrin and had objected to the ongoing harassment and condemnation of Jesus (John 7:50-51) and who became a public follower of Jesus when he helped Joseph of Arimathea bury Jesus’s crucified body.

There will be witnesses to the vote on the budget. There will be a public record of the names of every representative who voted for death and destruction. There will be Representatives who will expose the bill and its damaging propositions. There will be brave independent journalists who will tell the truth.

Those with a vested interest in this budget will vilify and denounce those who would expose their underhanded tactics. But we must not listen to their spin and twisted narratives. Remember, it’s all taking place in the middle of the night–and that should tells us all we need to know about their motives, intentions and goals. They want power to rob widows and orphans and aliens and the needy. And they want us to be asleep while they do it.

Delivered Back to Death

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

“Deliver the poor and the needy; rescue them from their…oppressors.” Psalm 82:4 (The Voice)

Yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security posted the following announcement on its website:.

“Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem today announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Afghanistan. The TPS designation for the country expires on May 20, 2025, and the termination will be effective on July 14, 2025.

“After consultation with interagency partners, Secretary Noem determined that conditions in Afghanistan no longer meet the statutory requirements. The Secretary’s decision was based on a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services review of the country conditions and in consultation with the Department of State. The Secretary determined that, overall, there are notable improvements in the security and economic situation such that requiring the return of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan does not pose a threat to their personal safety due to ongoing-armed conflict or extraordinary and temporary conditions. She further determined that permitting Afghan nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to the national interest of the United States.”

This DHS decision means that all Afghans who received protection following the US military withdrawal in 2022 will now be required to return to Afghanistan voluntarily or face prison sentences and/or forced deportation. Many of these Afghans had assisted the US military during the war against the Taliban, the same Taliban that now controls the country. And among the 200,000 Afghans losing their protected status are more than 300 Christians who faced harsh persecution under Taliban rule and who were pursuing asylum in the US. Delivering any of these Afghan individuals and families to the Taliban will likely result in imprisonment or even death.

In a letter sent to President Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, faith leaders urged the “Administration to act swiftly to protect Afghan Christians from deportation to Afghanistan, where they face grave threats to their safety and their very lives because of their faith.” Opposition to ending the protections is appropriate and necessary. Will the letter make a difference? If the acts of DHS and ICE in the past are any indication, it is not likely.

Psalm 82 reminds the “judges” (ie political leaders) that their role is to “rescue the poor and needy from their oppressors.” The ending of TPS for Afghans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans is inconsistent with our faith and our values. Silence isn’t an option.

Today, my Congresswoman, Delia Ramirez (IL – District 03) will not be silent as she repeats her call* for the resignation of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ” for the unconstitutional, illegal weaponization of DHS to pursue a campaign of persecution, mass incarceration, and deportation. Now she can include the reckless and immoral rescinding of Afghani Temporary Protected Status to the list.

* Ramirez first called for Noem’s resignation on April 8 in a press conference after witnessing children being processed by immigration officials at the southern border without legal representation.

Corrupted

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

James 1:27 says, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” (Good News Translation)

There are two signs of authentic faith. 1. Showing compassion toward those who are at risk of exploitation and especially prone to live in poverty, and 2. Keeping oneself from being corrupted by the values and principles of the world. These two faith facets are what God looks for from those who claim to know God and who follow Christ. 

Most Christians I know are compassionate people and fulfill the first sign of authentic faith. They are generous with their time and resources. When Hurricane Katrina flooded much of New Orleans, churches across the country organized volunteer work teams to help with clean-up and rebuilding. When California wild fires destroyed the communities of Pacific Palisades and Altadena, churches collected relief offerings. When the water in Flint, MI, became toxic with lead and other chemicals, churches collected and sent truckloads of bottled water to those in need. When a neighborhood family faces tragedy, churches organize meal trains and childcare. These are wonderful and appropriate responses in the face of distress. But I have found that, for many Christians, compassion and generosity have their limits–relational limits, geographic limits, even political limits.

For example, consider JD Vance’s interpretation of the Catholic concept of “Ordis Amoris” or “the order of charity”: “[First] you love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, and then, after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world.”. Vance used the ‘Order’ to justify mass deportations of undocumented individuals and families in an interview on Fox News because the US needs to protect its own citizens before “protecting” those who are not. Vance’s interpretation (and application) got the attention of Pope Francis, who responded: “Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups.” Cardinal Robert Prevost (now known as Pope Leo XIV) then tweeted more bluntly, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”

Besides the idea of a limited “love local” ethic, many Christians also limit their generosity on the basis of whether the person in need is considered “deserving” of their help. When tragedy strikes someone through no fault of their own, help is given without hesitation. However, it is often withheld if the person (in their assessment) is undeserving. People living under the expressway viaduct usually considered “undeserving” because they obviously could get a job, and giving them money only encourages them to be lazy and unproductive. In other words, the unhoused are to blame for their condition and are therefore “undeserving.” (Never mind that 40-60% of people who are homeless have a full or part time job.)

I also see the limits of compassion when Christians cry out for the protection of the unborn, but are strangely silent when “the born” are blown to bits by American-made bombs dropped in Gaza or are separated from their parents and placed in cages at the southern border. And just yesterday, House Republicans unveiled their budget proposal that would slash Medicaid spending by $715 billion–which could impact 8.6 million poor people–including children! The cuts in Medicaid would provide tax breaks for the wealthy. Are the unborn more deserving of our concern? Are children of migrants less deserving of our compassion? Do the widows and orphans of Gaza somehow deserve their distress? And who deserves health care? What does it say about a country that sacrifices children for tax breaks for the rich?

The moment our compassion is based on our biased deserving/undeserving scale, we have failed to fulfill the second sign of authentic faith–living free of the world’s contamination. The moment we buy into the myth of the “self-made man”, the myth of “Manifest Destiny,” and the myth of material success as indicative of God’s blessing for our godliness, we have adopted the values and priorities of the world. We have become corrupted.

It’s time for a “faith reassessment.” And it’s time for repentance.

This post was updated at 11 am today to reflect yesterday’s GOP proposal to slash Medicaid funds to pay for tax breaks.

He’s Only Joking…

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

For the past 4 days, I’ve been in a Restorative Justice training, so I wasn’t able to closely follow the news of the week or write any posts. So this morning, I took some time to catch up on the stories I had missed. I didn’t get very far. One of the first things that caught my eye was a photo (obviously AI generated) of President Trump dressed as the Pope–complete with the papal mitre on his head and large cross hanging from his neck. Initially, I thought someone had posted it as a critique of #47’s quest for power. (“It’s not enough that he wants to be King! Now he wants to be Pope too!) But then I discovered that HE had posted the photo last night at 9:29 pm on his own Truth Social account.

I investigated further. Earlier in the week, the president was asked whom he would like to see elected Pope when the Conclave begins next week. He remarked, “I would like to be Pope.” He later added, “That would be my number 1 choice.”

Of course, Trump was joking. Or was he?

Whether he was joking or not, his “Pope Trump” photo on Truth Social has garnered almost 32,000 ‘likes’ from his followers (and over 7,000 reposts). The official White House X account reposted the photo and has received 183,000+ ‘likes’ (and 49,000 reposts).. Even Senator Lindsey Graham (R – SC) posted on X, “I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope. This would truly be a dark horse candidate, but I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility! The first Pope-U.S. President combination has many upsides. Watching for white smoke…. Trump MMXXVIII!” Maybe he was joking too. Or was he?

I’ve frequently heard people use the “He’s only joking” phrase to minimize Trump’s most outrageous tweets and posts, but the president’s statements and the photo, in my opinion, cross a line that should deeply offend every Christian of every theological persuasion. It is not funny. It is a mockery of the faith and a derision of the leadership of Pope Francis. Some would go so far as to call it blasphemous since Trump is a convicted felon.

I’ve looked online for faith leaders’ responses to the “Pope Trump” photo, and have been shocked (and disappointed) to find nothing. I cannot imagine silence if President Biden had posted a photo of himself cosplaying the Pope. There would be outrage! Imagine if President Obama had posted a similar photo of himself. There would have been immediate condemnation, a demand for an apology and calls for resignation or even impeachment.

But President Biden and President Obama DIDN’t post photos of themselves holding the symbols of faith or wearing priestly garb. Which makes me wonder why this president has felt so compelled. It would seem (by prior behavior and pronouncements) that he is intent on painting himself as the savior of America and the world in order to amass and maintain power.

Scripture warns: “[False prophets] come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” (Matthew 7:15 NIV). They also can come in AI-generated papal robes with a big golden cross. This is no joke.

FYI: The Truth Social and X post statistics were updated as of May 4 at 7 am Central.

God’s DEI Program

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Thirty-nine years ago today, my sister suffered a debilitating stroke. She was just 33 years old. The exact cause of the stroke was never determined. She had none of the medical issues that would increase her risk of stroke. In fact, she had just participated in an 5K race the week before. The stroke left her permanently impaired on her right side, and she lost the full use of her dominant right arm and hand–a condition that required her to learn how to do everything–including writing–with her left hand.

Her body may be impaired, and it may take her an hour for an activity that would take 30 minutes for a person with two hands, but she is not unable to have a meaningful and purpose-filled life. She is a peer mentor for stroke patients; she participates in multiple stroke studies; she assists student doctors and physical therapist in what is called “educational modeling.” She has walked two half-marathons. She has climbed the 103 flights of stairs to the top of the Sears Tower…twice. She has even jumped out of an airplane (skydiving). She ties her shoes with one hand! I still don’t know how she does that, and I’ve tried multiple times to master it without success. I joke that she has done more with half a brain than most people do with a whole brain. It’s actually not a joke. It is accurate. And beneath it all, her faith in God has sustained her through every challenge.

So often, people with disabilities are dismissed and devalued. The word “disability” implies “lack of ability.” People with disabilities are perceived to be “takers” and “dependents” and a “drain on society.” Occasionally, my sister needs help–but who doesn’t? Not one of us is truly fully independent; and not one of us could survive without the supports of social networks and societal programs.

My sister has taught me that abilities come in a variety of forms. And every “body”–every person–regardless of appearance is, in the words of the Psalmist, “fearfully and wonderfully made,” (Psalm 139:14), and all people bear the stamp of God’s image (Genesis 1:26). She has also reminded me that God has purposely chosen and used the undervalued, the underestimated and the overlooked throughout history. In the words of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before [God].”

These verses articulate God’s own DEI program–a program that elevates those who have been cast aside and scapegoated because of their “disability,” their gender, their economic status, their race, their ethnicity, or their documentation. The powerful and the wealthy of the world would discount my sister and others like her. Thankfully, God sees things differently and delights in the diversity of God’s people, opens the doors of equal opportunity and includes them as full-fledged (never second-class) citizens of God’s kin-dom.

And if God chooses the foolish, weak, lowly and despised by the world’s measurements, who are we to reject them? And if we do reject them, how will we justify it before God?

What is Easter in These Times?

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

This year is different. It is the first time that I’ve prepared to celebrate Easter when the foundations of “normal” are lying in ruins and the future feels ominous and threatening. How do we celebrate in the midst of chaos when it feels more like Good Friday? How do Palestinian Christians celebrate resurrection when their homes are destroyed, their families have been killed and the bombs continue to drop? They pray for deliverance and survival. How do families declare ‘He is risen!’ while their loved ones are taken away in chains and locked away in dungeons? They hold one another close and light candles. Easter does not remove grief and pain. Easter begins in the early morning while it is still dark. Others have navigated this difficult terrain and climbed this mountain, but it is new territory for me.

What I’ve learned from others is that this Easter does not change our circumstances. There may be a 30-hour ceasefire in Ukraine for Easter but the weapons of war are armed and ready for deployment at midnight. (What a travesty!) The Empire is still the Empire. The powers and principalities are still conspiring to destroy all that is good and right. The forces of evil are still at work in the world, delivering death and destruction.

Easter does not change our reality, but it has the power shift our focus. Resurrection morning reminds us that God will not allow evil and empire to have the final word. It shows us that God will not abandon us to the principalities and powers.. It demonstrates that God’s “new day” has broken through the darkness and that the seed of the new creation has taken root. One day, all things will be made new. One day, the glory will come and we will be free. One day, God’s justice will reign forever and ever. This is our statement of faith–declared boldly and courageously in the face all that is unholy and unjust.

This resurrection focus–this resurrection hope–gives us the resilience to stand firm and not give up. Jesus told his disciples, “In this world, we have trials and tribulations, but take heart, I have overcome the world.” And we shall overcome by faith.

I leave you with a sermon, preached by S. M. Lockridge, who served as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego, CA, from 1953 to 1993.

It’s Friday
Jesus is praying
Peter’s a sleeping
Judas is betraying
But Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday
Pilate’s struggling
The council is conspiring
The crowd is vilifying
They don’t even know
That Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday
The disciples are running
Like sheep without a shepherd
Mary’s crying
Peter is denying
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s a comin’!

It’s Friday
The Romans beat my Jesus
They robe him in scarlet
They crown him with thorns
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday
See Jesus walking to Calvary
His blood dripping
His body stumbling
And his spirit’s burdened
But you see, it’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday
The world’s winning
People are sinning
And evil’s grinning.

It’s Friday
The soldiers nail my Savior’s hands
To the cross
They nail my Savior’s feet
To the cross
And then they raise him up
Next to criminals.

It’s Friday
But let me tell you something
Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday
The disciples are questioning
What has happened to their King
And the Pharisees are celebrating
That their scheming
Has been achieved
But they don’t know
It’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday
He’s hanging on the cross
Feeling forsaken by his Father
Left alone and dying
Can nobody save him?
Ooooh It’s Friday
But Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday
The earth trembles
The sky grows dark
My King yields his spirit.

It’s Friday
Hope is lost
Death has won
Sin has conquered
and Satan’s just a laughin’.

It’s Friday
Jesus is buried
A soldier stands guard
And a rock is rolled into place.
But it’s Friday, It is only Friday.
Sunday is a comin’!

We are living in Friday, but Sunday is a comin’! Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer (Roman 12:12) SUNDAY IS COMING. SUNDAY HAS DAWNED.

The Crucifixion and Burial of Kilmar Abrego Garcia

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Every Good Friday, whether you are Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, United Methodist, or UCC, Isaiah 53 will be included in the readings for the day’s worship service. The passage describes the suffering of God’s innocent servant. And though it was written long before Jesus walked the earth, it uncannily mirrors the events of Jesus’s arrest, sham trial, execution and burial. But as I was reading the Isaiah 53 today–especially verse 8–another innocent man came to my mind.

Isaiah 53:8 – ‘The Voice’ translation

Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away.
    From this generation, who was there to complain?
Who was there to cry “Foul”?
    He was, after all, cut off from the land of the living,
Smacked and struck, not on his account,
    because of how my people (my people!)
Disregarded the lines between right and wrong.

The innocent man’s name is Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

Garcia, a legally protected immigrant, was detained by ICE without cause, condemned without due process, cut off from his family and from legal protection, and buried in a notorious prison (known as CECOT) in El Salvador by the US government that first admitted his deportation was an “administrative error”, then claimed it had no power to find him or extract him, and now claims to have found “proof” of his gang affiliation, justifying his deportation to CECOT. The President of El Salvador has also refused to release him, claiming he is a terrorist.

Despite advocates who have cried, “FOUL!” and despite judges (including the Supreme Court) who have ruled in his favor, he remains–and likely will remain–buried because of the blatant disregard for the law and the lines between right and wrong.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been crushed before our eyes. He is not the only one.

Mahmoud Khalil was accused of terrorism for exercising his right to freedom of speech. His crime was speaking against the genocide in Gaza at Columbia University in New York; He was detained by ICE without being charged of a crime and sent to a Louisiana detention center over a 1000 miles from his legal representative and his pregnant wife–a US citizen. This week, a Louisiana judge ruled that Department of Homeland Security can proceed with his deportation. DHS has claimed that he is a threat to national security.

Jose Barco, a US veteran, served two tours in Iraq and was awarded a Purple Heart for his heroic actions to save his fellow-servicemen when a bomb exploded. Barco suffered PTSD and a traumatic brain injury from the explosion which was never adequately treated. Following his service, he applied for naturalization–a process that was never completed. DHS tried to deport him to Venezuela, but the country denied him entry. He now sits in an ICE detention center in Colorado while the US government decides what to do next.

Jerce Reyes Barrios, a Venezuelan who followed all the rules to seek asylum, was detained and sent to CECOT without due process, accused of being a gang member solely on the basis of a tattoo and a hand gesture.

Mario René López, a US citizen, has been sitting in a Virginia ICE detention center for 2 years due to legal questions regarding the validity of his citizenship claim.

Every day, innocent people are being harassed and taken away–leaving children without mothers and fathers. Some are disappeared, buried in detention centers and foreign prisons. And few of God’s people are objecting or crying “Foul!” Some even support the lawlessness and the cruelty of these unjust detainments and deportations.

I’ve often thought of the crowd crying out for Jesus’s crucifixion and asked myself, “How could they condemn an innocent man?” I’ve also wondered, “What would I have done if I had been there?” Jesus is being crucified again and again, and we are there.

We need to ask ourselves, “What are we going to do?” Will we disregard the line between right and wrong? Will we be silent? Will we turn away and be complicit through our denial? Will we, like those in Isaiah 53:4, “consider him punished by God,  stricken by [God], and afflicted,” not realizing that it is we that have gone astray and that Jesus’s suffering is because of our sin? Or will we cry “Foul!”? God, help us.

Losing Our Souls

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

“What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” (Mark 8:36 – New Living Translation)

I grew up in the Evangelical World of Billy Graham crusades, Biblical inerrancy and Bill Bright’s “Four Spiritual Laws.” There was a strong emphasis on rejecting the morals and values of “the world” and adherence to the morals and behaviors of holiness. Frequently, that was defined for us as not smoking, not drinking, not using foul language and not having premarital sex. We were reminded of the warning in James 4:4 that “friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” and the command of 1 John 2:15, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.“

Theologically, I’ve shifted to a broader understanding of “the world” and “holiness” that focuses less on individual behavior choices and more on the ethics of love, service, mercy, justice, shalom–ethics of the kingdom of heaven that are not frequently found in the “world” that values wealth accumulation, ambition, retribution, and domination..

Sadly, I’ve watched the American church (of many stripes) shift as well. Oh, it still wants us to maintain the individual behaviors of holiness, but it has redefined “the world” to accept (and even advocate for) values and morals that are antithetical to the way of Christ–values like political power, coercion, retribution, cruelty, abuse, and even lawlessness. Kingdom of heaven values like compassion, empathy, peace-making, humility and welcome are seen as weak, ineffectual, and “woke.”

There are people within the American Church that believe that the United States should not be a democracy, but a theocracy. And they have advocated for the playbook of domination and autocracy to ensure that the US becomes and remains a “Christian Nation.” Yet, the very pursuit of “gaining the whole world” has come at a great cost. In my opinion, the Church has lost its soul–its connection to life in Christ and the mission of Christ, exemplified in his act of servanthood and articulated in his commandment to “love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:33-34)

No longer do we lift up the Jesus who took the role of a servant and washed the feet of his disciples; no longer do we admire the Jesus came to seek and save the lost; no longer do we want a Savior who “gives up” ambition to lift up the humble. Now, we see depictions of “Warrior Jesus” and “Body-builder Jesus” and even “Patriot Jesus.” Jesus warned that “those who want to save their life will lose it.” Jesus also promised that “those who lose their life for my sake will save it.” See Luke 9:24.

So, on this Maundy Thursday, let’s reclaim our souls and reject the ways of the world in favor of the Way of Christ. Pick up a towel and serve, feed the hungry, comfort the afflicted, visit the lonely, defend the weak, welcome the outcast, love one another.

Which King?

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” (John 19:15)

Throughout this season of Lent, I have found myself asking the question, “What does it mean to follow Jesus in this moment in history when a President of the US has orchestrated the end of democracy as we have known it and replaced the three equal branches of government with a single authority–in practice, making himself King? Navigating this new reality has included fear, anxiety, fear, concern, and.more fear. But it also has led me to ask another question: To which king will I pledge loyalty in the end?

At Jesus’s trial, Pilate presented a choice to those calling for Jesus’s crucifixion. Where was their allegiance? King Jesus or King Caesar? The Chief Priests (who were appointed by Rome) made their choice clear: “We have no king but Caesar!” Their allegiance was ultimately to Rome and the policies of the Empire. To choose Jesus as their King would have put their positions at risk. For them, affirming their loyalty to Rome was a no-brainer.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were faced with a choice when King Nebuchadnezzar set up the golden statue and demanded that everyone bow down and worship it. (See Daniel 3) This was a classic loyalty test. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow down, and they faced the consequences with great courage. And there are always consequences. For them, rejecting loyalty to Nebuchadnezzar was a no-brainer. Their loyalty was to God and God alone.

In these times, we are faced with a choice. Loyalty to the governing ruler (the ‘Caesar’) promises job security, funding, protection and perks. Show any disloyalty, speak against the ruler, or protest unjust policies and you may end up in a foreign prison. More loyalty tests are sure to come, and NOW it is time to stretch and strengthen our resistance muscles.

On Holy Saturday, I plan to attend a protest rally downtown. The most recent threats to migrants (ie deportations without due process and the required Migrant Registry that will result in deportations without due process) and ongoing threats to Medicaid demand a response. I’m going to take a sign with me. It will read, “I have no king but Jesus.”

You’re welcome to stand with me.