Don't let the title fool you, I am not going to rail about the Foley scandal.
I am not going to talk about the creepy gunman in Pennsylvania who shot a bunch of girls...not directly anyway.
I just heard on Hannity & Colmes this interview with a woman from this church that has protested at the funerals of American soldiers in Iraq, and wanted to (but gave up the idea) protest at the funeral of those very girls killed in Pennsylvania. Why? Because they (meaning these girls) brought this shooting on themselves by not being obedient to God!
You'll be relieved to know (I hope) that I don't share this view. I don't believe in an angry God who sits on His throne waiting to drop the hammer on the disobedient. I don't believe in a God that appears to show no mercy, no compassion, and no grace.
This woman appears to believe in a vengeful, angry God who would smite the disobedient. Sadly, for someone who claims to believe in Jesus, she strikes me as someone who is very much like the very people Christ took on in His day for their legalistic and simultaneously corrupt way of approaching believing in God...the Pharisees.
Yet, the belief system she (and her "church" believes in leaves out God's life-changing, awesome, inexplicable grace in that He sent His son, Jesus, to die for all of us, whether we deserved it or not. He knew we could never earn redemption, so He gave us His son as the ultimate sacrifice. If we fall, God forgives us...he doesn't smite us for being weak and sinful by nature. No father in his right mind, upon seeing their child fall and become injured is going to say, "How dare you allow this to happen! Now I have to punish you!"
Rather, the opposite happens. The father takes the child up, tenderly, in his arms and makes sure they get the care and healing they need.
I once heard a story, and I hope it isn't copyrighted because I am about to paraphrase it. If so, my apologies to Greg Laury.
There once was a well-known judge. He was known for handing down the toughest sentences to the criminals in his courtroom. He would routinely give the maximum sentence at any trial he sat in on.
Then, one day, the judge's son is in court before his father for some of the vilest, most horrific heinous crimes imaginable.
As the judge prepares to render his sentence, the courtroom is silent as everyone breathlessly awaits the sentence he will hand down on his own son. "Will he be as tough?" they wonder.
Then the judge looks at his son and calmly but firmly says, "It is obvious to this court that you are guilty of the crimes you have been charged with. So, I have no choice but to give you the maximum sentence...to apply the maximum penalty."
It is at this moment, however that the judge's look turns tender as he stands, walks down from his bench, and around to his son. Facing his son, the judge continues, "However, you are my son, and I do love you. Because I do love you so much, I will serve your sentence in your place. I will take all the penalties and punishments upon myself."
That is a picture of God's love for us. Since Jesus is God (being part of the Trinity), it can be said that God suffered the penalty for us that we should have paid.
Hopefully, the people in this pharisaical, legalistic church will wake up and comprehend God's endless mercy and grace. All I can do is pray for people who have such anger burning in their hearts that all they can imagine is an angry God.
Lord, forgive us, we *STILL* don't know what we're doing. Amen!
Alan Wheeler
awheeler@neb.rr.com or alan_wheeler@neb.rr.com
redwheel1 on skype
http://alan-wheeler.blogspot.com/
“Tell the people the truth and the country will be free”
--Abraham Lincoln
