gods

"You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do."*

It seems so obvious, yet SO many people create a God of convenience. I'm beginning to think that if you don't walk away from church or some other spiritual encounter, deeply troubled and challenged, then something isn't being done properly. Either you're not listening, or the message isn't truly being preached. Christ was crucified to save our sins - that's not light stuff. In fact, it's really heavy. This evening I'm preaching on the Beatitudes. Christ tells us how to live our lives as Christians - no bones about it. Yet what he mentions is not simply, "love other people, especially when it's self-gratifying." But, Christ tells us we will be persecuted, we have to be meek, we have to mourn, we have to be peacemakers - none of which are social norms or priorities. In fact, the quieter and less noticeable we are as we move about our days, the more acceptable we are for society. That is not how Christ calls us to live in the world.

So where have the Christians gone?

*(Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life)