Sunday, March 17

I don’t usually spend any significant time reading online blogs or their corresponding comments; it feels to me as though life is full to the brim with real people and there aren’t enough hours in the day to spend with other humans in non-virtual time and space. But this week I made an exception – and I was reminded again of why I prefer the world of face-to-face. The amount and intensity of vitriolic, inane commentary and rebuttal made me feel a bit sick to my stomach, and that was in the context of what I could soon tell was a relatively thoughtful and moderate forum. One of the things that hit me hardest was the combination of harsh judgements and shaming; a sort of toxic stew that quickly short-circuits genuine dialogue and aids the devolution of the exchange into sloganeering and mud-slinging. All in the name of Jesus…ack! The thing is, as I read I realized just how easy it is for me to default into that same kind of “them vs. me” thinking. It’s simple, it’s handy, and it helps me feel like I’m coming out on top of the argument. For a brief time, that feels good. Then I feel ashamed. And then, in my better moments, I remember that I didn’t come to win…I came to try to love. I set out to try to love others in a way that imitates the way that God loves me. What I too easily forget is the cost of loving like that – the need for me to be willing to give myself away even if it doesn’t help me “win”. I can’t remember ever feeling ashamed of loving like that! This Sunday morning we will consider the contents of two blogs; one by a contemporary and one by an ancient writer. Both deal with what those that profess to “believe” have to be ashamed of, and what we need never be ashamed of – and how considering those categories can help us tell whether we are living a story that is “good news”…or not.

Tim Plett