Weak With Love
“I charge you, young women of Jerusalem, ‘If you find my beloved, what
are you to tell him? Tell him that I’m weak with love.’” Song of Solomon
5:8
It’s all well and good to tell Christians “You should fall deeper in
love with Jesus.” But do you know how many times I have seen people who love to
sing, who raise their hands swaying to “He Loves Me, Oh How He Loves Me”, who
then go out and vilify people they do not like? What is wrong with this
picture?
Fully 80% of white evangelical men still support a president who
falsely claimed Obama was a Kenyan-born Muslim, who bragged about groping women
and who cannot stop throwing accusations at people he views as “enemies”. While
he gripes about “fake news” and calls other people names, he wants to change
libel laws because journalists write things he does not like.
This is not a political
post. Here is my experience: I have seen this behavior happen in the evangelical
church decades before Trump campaigned for President. I see it on Facebook
every day, and so do you. Good “loving” Christian post inflammatory articles
about Muslims, gays, “liberals” and “atheists” and protesters. They leave churches
or make it extremely uncomfortable for pastors who simply want to express the
love of God in Christ.
I have seen worship leaders, who wanted extended times for people to “love
on God”, who lie about other Christians, gossip about people they have come to
disagree with, and make start division among God’s people. Anyone who is “other”
is outside their circle of love.
Yet, they love to “love on Jesus”. The time has come for me to no longer be
subtle. I can no longer support an entire movement that says we “love God” all
the while looking like we hate whole groups of His creation. It is time for a
revolution; a revolution of love. It is time for revolt; a revolt against
trying to religiously one-up everyone else. It is time for “repeal and replace”.
Repeal the commitment to fighting “culture wars” and replace it with compassion
of grace!
Sunday, I will begin a new series in the Gospel of Matthew. We often
skip the genealogy in the first chapter. Would it surprise you to note that,
included in the Son of God’s pedigree are prostitutes, adulterers and adulteresses,
pagans and people “outside” the circle of faith? And, if you were a first
century Jew, you would be highly offended that four women are included in that
genealogy!
But, by the Spirit, Matthew will have none of our spiritual
nose-turning. This is family dysfunction, and it is God’s family! It’s high
time we stop talking about “loving on Jesus” if we cannot also “love on our
neighbor” with the same passion.
So, if you find my Beloved, please tell Him I am weak with love. I am
weak-kneed over every neighbor He has put in my life as well. The deeper I love
Him, the deeper I love those who are also the objects of His love.
Father, I am so sorry for the times I have thought someone else needed
my anger instead of Your grace. Deliver me from saying how much I love You if I
won’t also be known as a lover of people.
