How We Respond: Matt B. Redmond
Matt posted this on Facebook…and I asked his permission to share it here…because it is true.re: How we respond
It’s not complicated.
When a pandemic hits.
When your are treated as less than a person.
When you don’t like how your church is handling things.
When you lose your freedoms.
When politicians make terrible decisions.
When tyranny is a threat.
When basic reality is ignored.
When you feel threatened.
When your candidate loses.
When death is imminent.
When violence is at your doorstep.
When you have to wear a mask.
When have to make a reservation at church.
When you have to quarantine.
And when you lose your job one week before the pandemic hits and therefore do not get those government benefits.
When these things happen, we who have pledged our allegiance to Christ are called to ask, “How would Jesus respond?”
We do not have to wonder.
He would believe his own “gospel of the kingdom.”
He would serve without complaining.
He would take on the once dehumanizing work of washing feet. He would weep over unbelief.
He would turn the other cheek.
He would forgive those killing him.
He would bless his enemies.
He would pray for his enemies.
He would be generous to those in need.
And when asked to carry something one mile, he would carry it two, even if it was a cross.
He could have talked of and initiated a revolution to throw down the oppressive powers of Rome. He could have called down angels to remove the evil leaders on their so-called thrones.
But he didn’t.
This is not complicated. But it is not easy.
It is not easy because we evangelicals in America have been discipled by NewsMax, The Drudge Report, Fox News, CNN, The New York Times, and the politicians in which our “hopes and fears of all the years are met.”
Jesus is not our King and we do not believe the gospel of the kingdom of God. He is a consolation prize and our gospel is a get-out-of-hell-free-card that makes us only slightly friendlier and slightly more chaste, casting us in the molds of Pharisees, who when actually faced with the kingdom of God sided with Rome.
So how should we respond?
It’s not complicated.
May we respond with the same love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control Jesus displayed in his body when “he emptied himself” of his glory by coming to live in a world full of more suffering and oppression than we can imagine.
May we follow him alone.
It’s not complicated. But it’s not easy.
Thank you, again, for such a relevant posting of Matt Redmond’s words. I am off work for two weeks (teacher schedule), rationing the amount of news I ingest (did I wake up this morning? Does the neighborhood look the same? That’s enough.), praying for the elders of my church as they insist on opening that they will a( understand why some of us choose not to attend since we live in the state with the current highest rates of the virus), and b) that God in His mercy might keep the church from a major breakout as we already had one among the staff (!); and keeping my comments to myself. I have really struggled as I don’t understand the thinking of the elders, but as attendance is dwindling, they may get the message. Either way, love of brother and neighbor is always asked in the Scriptures, and not difficult to extend when one contemplates all that Jesus gave up for ornery humans when he chose to come and save us.
Linn,
I was grateful that Matt allowed me to reprint it.
It says what I have failed to find the words to say lately…
I have been learning the value of silence. I have my neighbors (close knit mobile home park) who insist that nothing is happening, wusses wear masks, and “I’ll go to church whether they like it or not.” I wear my mask when I take my walks, smile, but I’m also not afraid to squeak when someone gets too close. Otherwise, I avoid all topics regarding politics and the virus. It’s just exhausting to “debate” people all the time and I would rather talk about the gospel. If people ask, I am not ashamed to tell them what I think, but if they start to yell at me, I politely excuse myself (that actually happened in the middle of the street with one of my neighbors when she told me how over-hyped the virus was. I just heard of the death of someone I knew). It’s just crazy.
Linn,
I hear you…my biggest challenge is loving people like that.
That’s why Matt needed to remind me about how to respond…
One other thing we can count on, God’s wisdom. He has said that vengeance is His and He WILL repay…..
In the meantime, since God’s vengeance will be devastating, we like Christ Jesus, can stand just as Matt H. has advised praying, loving and, hopefully, bring more souls into God’s kingdom….
Amen and God keep
True words. Unfortunately many, if not most, are content to be addicted to their outrage. As I look through the Gospels I see a good deal of what Matt describes… I see precious little of anger, hatred or outrage being enjoined in terms of Christian behavior.
I needed this….
Getting so, so tired of seeing unmasked people in public spaces when we currently have a mask mandate for public spaces. My anger gets up, and I have to restrain myself from being decidedly un-Christlike….
Thanks for the much-needed reminder.
Faith…. tested by fire: Indeed, it is the honor of faith to be tried. Shall any man say, ‘I have faith but I have never had to believe under difficulties’? Who knows whether thou hast any faith? Shall a man say ‘I have great faith in God but I have never had to use it in anything more than the ordinary affairs of life, where I have probably have done without it as well as with it’. Is this to the honor and praise of thy faith? Dost thou think that such a faith as this will bring any glory to God, or bring to thee any great reward? If so, Thou art greatly mistaken.” (Spurgeon)
Jimmie,
Reminds me of the little story of the man who met another who was walking a wheelbarrow over a tightrope , crossing a deep gorge. The man with the wheelbarrow asked, “do you believe I could carry you across?” The first man replied, “yes”. The response he got was, “okay, so get in….”
I’m sure that one has been told many times and different ways, (don’t even remember where/how I heard it), but it still gets me.
This is a news story from my small town. A local thrift store had been experiencing quite a bit of theft in recent months. The manager was noticing that most of the stolen items were blankets, coats, shoes etc…. basic necessities of life. The manager also was noticing that the perpetrators appeared to be from the homeless population.
So, the store announced that they will be instituting a new effort. 2 days a month , for four hours a day, they will be opening the store for the homeless to come in for what they need, free of charge. The manager stated in the news story that they want to respond to the thefts in the most Christian manner possible.
Needless to say, this store will be getting more of my business in the future……
Great story, Owen…
I think Redmond has raised some excellent points.
The thing that really hurts, not just me but those who govern our states and volunteer to help administer elections, is what the implication is of the accusation, “The election was stolen,” or The devil worked to steal the election to hurt America or the Church,’ or “Please pray that God would thwart the efforts of those who do not support the current President.” Theft requires a thief. Why would Christians hurl accusations against governors and citizens that they are thieves without evidence? Or imply that people who didn’t vote for or help the current president are somehow possessed by the devil.
The current politicization of the election by Christians will both divide Christians further, further weakening our witness of Christ to the world, but it will also be a disgrace to the body of Christ.
Christians were already on thin ice for embracing pseudo-science or science denial, things like conversion therapy. After going all in in the election conspiracies by a large segment of the church, one might ask: Why should anyone listen to anything a Christian has to say about God?
The other thing
I can totally understand a Christian saying publicly, “My faith teaches that life begins at conception,” or “My faith teaches that immigrants and racial minorities are children of God and should be treated with dignity.
What I can’t understand are threats to election officials and volunteers, accusations of fraud or theft without solid evidence, and speaking for God on the subject of who He wants elected. IMO every Christian should condemn anyone who says such things in their capacity as a Christ follower.
Well it looks like some here are going to continue to go against Redmond’s article and against what Jesus would do and continue to vent their outrage against those they disagree with.
Me? I am just going to go around saying what Jesus says – for example Baptism Saves! 🙂