#NeverForget

I was working at Petco in Davenport, Iowa that Tuesday when I was called into the breakroom where we had a small television set up for employees to use during their break time. A couple of others had already gathered there and were glued to the images being shown on the screen. One of the twin towers was billowing smoke from an upper floor... and moments later, we watched as a plane came crashing into the second tower. 

I'm sure that many of us who were alive twenty years ago can tell our own story of where we were when the towers came crashing down... twenty years ago today. We can tell the story of where we were when nearly 3,000 lives were lost, and when our nation launched almost instantly into an experience of unity that, in my lifetime, has never been seen before... 

...nor since.

In fact, with our shared lived experience these past several years, it's more and more difficult to recall how we as a nation came together that day and in the weeks that followed. 

Cars almost instantly were adorned with American flags on antennas, bumpers and windows. And that following Sunday, our churches experienced a resurgence in attendance as people flooded back to the faith communities they felt might offer them solace or answers or at least a gathering place with others to grief the tragedy inflicted upon our nation.

Since then, our churches have emptied out. Many of the flags disappeared. And the common desire for unity has dissipated. So much so that we now, in the midst of two extremely deadly pandemics, find ourselves with less and less in common with our neighbors as we fight over masks and vaccines and freedom.

What happened to that connection that came in the midst of a common tragedy? Where is that vehement spirit of community that accompanied such great loss?

Why did we see it then, with 3,000 deaths and not now with over 650,000 Americans dead from COVID?

Now, I in no way seek to diminish the grief and anguish that accompanies this date as it returns to our calendars year after year. I, in no way wish to deny the valiant sacrifices made by so many. And I will join with my neighbors year after year to #NeverForget the events of September 11, 2001. 

However, I wonder if we will come to a time in our journeys where we will give as much energy and effort to remembering hundreds of thousands of people who did not deserve, nor need to die over the course of these past eighteen months. 

I wonder what it would take for us to come to a time when we can invest that energy into putting an end to COVID deaths? What will it take to bring us together to protect one another, to be united with one another... to care for one another?

As followers of Christ, that's at the heart of how we are commanded to live. 

As citizens of this nation, it is also supposedly at the heart of the allegiance we are asked to pledge. 

My prayer is that we come to a time when both can once again be true... in our words and our actions.

Today I grieve the loss our nation endured on that fateful day in 2001... and then I move on to try to bring about an end to the tragedy within which we find ourselves this day. 

Twenty years from now I want to be able to look back and give thanks for the ways we came together to put an end to it all... an end to the fighting, the division, the misinformation and abuse. And most importantly, I want to be able to look back and celebrate how we came together to put an end to the unnecessary deaths brought on by COVID-19.

I invite you to consider doing the same. 

#NeverForget

"Christian" Deception

"I don't care if you're homosexual or straight. I don't care if you're black or if you're white.I don't care if you're Democrat or Republican, you are welcome in the house of God. I don't care what your background is, don't care how rich or how poor you are. There is one place you are always welcome at and that is the house of God."

This statement, shared by another pastor, made its way to my ears as their video scrolled across my social media page. This was part of their sermon that they had clipped and shared online for the world to see and hear. And... in first hearing it, the words washed over me in a way that felt calming and loving. These words of welcome felt authentic and I found them speaking to my heart. 

And as I read through some of the comments on the video itself, it was clear that I was not the only one captured by their words.

"I wish more churches would say this."

"Where is your church? I'd love to come. I don't go to church anymore because I don't feel welcome."

"Thank you for saying this! I had to leave my church when I came out in 2010. I haven't been back to God's house since then and I miss it!"

There are nearly 2000 comments on the video, many sharing a similar sentiment... overwhelmed by the extravagant welcome in this pastor's words. In addition, many name their own unfortunate journey with the church in the past where it was made clear they are not welcome. 

For many of us who claim to be Christ-followers, this pastor's message rings true to what we seek to live according to the life and teachings of Jesus. The extravagant welcome and radical hospitality of Christ is foundational for us as a faith community. For in extending these things to all of God's children, we are living the love and justice of Jesus more fully.

And to know that there are many, at least in the comments on this pastor's video, who long for such an authentic welcome... many who have been harmed by the institutional church in the past, is a stark reminder for us all of how vital it is that we continue to live according to Christ's teachings. 

If only the message shared were true...

I say this because the brief snippet shared online comes from a sermon that overall sends a very different message. 

In the full context of the sermon, this pastor's message is... if you identify as "homosexual," you are welcome in our church building, but... 

Let me stop here for just a moment... To offer words of welcome and words of love followed by the word "but" is to say that this love is conditional. And this pastor makes it very clear what conditions within which this love is available.

The sermon goes on to condemn homosexuality, mistakenly taking scripture out of its original context and adding harmful, toxic theology to it... much like the snippet shared online was taken out of its original context in an effort to draw people in. It is nothing more than deception. It is not in line with the teachings of Jesus. And it is absolutely not of God.

Many of those in the comments named how they had been deceived by other churches in the past. They speak of how they have been excluded and condemned by churches wielding scripture as a weapon. And this message was no different. 

At Newman UCC, we work hard to live into the extravagant welcome modeled for us by Jesus. We strive to extend the radical hospitality we've been taught. And no... we don't always get it right. We aren't perfect, by any means. However, we also aren't deceiving people with our message... telling them they are welcome only to bring them into our community so we can then diminish their existence with a scriptural attack. 

This type of abuse has been happening in the institutional church for far too long. And in large part, it plays a significant role in what is turning so many people away from Christianity. 

If we want to further Jesus' movement in the world, we must work to release it from the death grip in which the institutional church holds it. We must name the inaccuracies portrayed in the messages shared by individuals and communities who seek to cause harm.

We must, as Jesus did, speak truth... and in doing so, assure those who have been harmed along the way that we are seeking to bring about change for the better. It is in this effort that we will more fully live the love and justice of Jesus in the world.

Blessings and Peace,

Timoth

If you want to see the original video and a portion of the sermon I'm referencing, CLICK HERE to view the TikTok response video I posted.