They will know we are Christians by our...

Today I went to the Baptist church in Grantham. Now, I've been to lots of Baptist churches; I'm quite familiar. Too familiar. I've spent lots of time in churches that were either too legalistic or too materialistic. There is no perfect church; I'm aware of this.

Disenchantment with Christian culture in general seems to have marked these last few years for me. It has also posed lots of questions. What would Jesus do? Really, what would He do? Probably wear less Christian t-shirts, for one thing. 

And then there's the "Christian nation" that I call home. A nation in which politics and religion seem to be far too intertwined. Or maybe that's just religion and right-wing conservatism. 

Church-goers debate which political party Jesus would be affiliated with. Um, hello? Jesus didn't come to earth to be our political savior. I'm pretty sure we found that out a long time ago, and yet, Christians, still believing that America is a puritanical nation, are trying to force non-Christians to follow the ways of Christ by making laws that enforce them. If Jesus came to earth in 2010, I'm pretty sure that burning the Qur'an, preventing the development of an Islamic cultural center, and keeping homosexuals from getting married wouldn't be at the top of his to-do list. There's a big difference between seeking and saving that which is lost and spreading hate under the guise of upholding moral standards.

I've said all of this to say that I really enjoyed church today. The overall message between the songs and sermon was that there are people in the world who are hurting, and as Christians, we need to do something about it. And the songs focused on--get this--our interactions with other people in relation to Jesus. I guess I just always assumed that Christianity was about potlucks and bake-sales. Who knew?

So many of the worship songs I've heard in the U.S. seem to be about warm-fuzzy feelings and turn the focus inward to such an extent that it's hard to leave the worship service without being incredibly self-involved. And if I wanted to be self-involved, I would just write a blog. But seriously, there are people out there hurting, and I'm not really sure what the best way is for us to help them, but I doubt it has anything to do with burning their religious books or forcing them to live as someone who has received Christ.

This is all so much more difficult than it sounds.

God is love. And love is hard.

-Here are some things to ponder.-


Beauty for brokenness
Hope for despair
Lord, in your suffering
This is our prayer
Bread for the children
Justice, joy, peace
Sunrise to sunset
Your kingdom increase!

Shelter for fragile lives
Cures for their ills
Work for the craftsman
Trade for their skills
Land for the dispossessed
Rights for the weak
Voices to plead the cause
Of those who can't speak

God of the poor
Friend of the weak
Give us compassion we pray
Melt our cold hearts
Let tears fall like rain
Come, change our love
From a spark to a flame

Refuge from cruel wars
Havens from fear
Cities for sanctuary
Freedoms to share
Peace to the killing-fields
Scorched earth to green
Christ for the bitterness
His cross for the pain

Rest for the ravaged earth
Oceans and streams
Plundered and poisoned
Our future, our dreams
Lord, end our madness
Carelessness, greed
Make us content with
The things that we need

Lighten our darkness
Breathe on this flame
Until your justice
Burns brightly again
Until the nations
Learn of your ways
Seek your salvation
And bring you their praise

Graham Kendrick
Copyright © 1993 Make Way Music,
www.grahamkendrick.co.uk

Tea Party Jesus - a thought-provoking look at politics and religion in America