HATE, FEAR AND DEFILEMENT


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Romans 12:2, 14-18
Matthew 15:10-11, 17-20

The first line of the song, "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught" from Rogers and Hammerstein's musical goes, "You've got to be taught to hate and to fear."  

 (watch on youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diYlHI8Ghkg)

 I remember those carefully taught lessons that were drummed into my dear little head.  They were about "us and them," them being the people that we looked down on with disdain, the ones we weren't supposed to associate with, the ones we were suppose to hate and to fear:
When Jesus and his followers gathered grain to eat on the sabbath, they were criticized for breaking the letter of the lay, breaking the rules. However, Christ, teaches us that sin is the result what is in our hearts and minds, what we hold as truth.

Those lessons of hate, fear, and bigotry taught to us become part of the heart of our value system that effects our perceptions, thoughts, view points and behaviors.  It is little wonder that Jesus refers to the resulting values as "defilement."  They defile the image of God within us, they sully our relationships with our fellow human beings, and in some cases have resulted in the violation of the basic human rights of others.  They also deny the humanity of those who are made objects of hate.

This is counter to the spirit of the law which is to love God with everything we are and have and our neighbor as we would want ourselves loved.  

Pay Attention to Our Own Fear and Anger

Just when I think I have successfully untaught myself those carefully taught lessons of my childhood and youth, some bigoted thought pops into my mind, or I say something that is judgmental and hateful.  Has that happened to you?

Thank God for God's grace, because when that happens, we can confess our sin to God and receive what Romans 12:2 calls the renewal of the mind.  That's when we ask Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to come in and erase those lessons from the blackboard of our thoughts and hearts and replace them with the loving spirit of the law.

Affirm the Humanity of All People

We can't change people, but through the power of Christ in our lives, we can influence people's attitudes and beliefs by living out the spirit of the law of God's love in our own attitudes, actions and words.  We can begin by affirming that all human beings are created in the image of God.  We can celebrate that God created them as unique individuals to love and be loved.  We can remember that through God's all inclusive, unconditional love, Christ died for every person on this planet.

PRAY!

Pray for protection for those who are made scapegoats for other's anger or are vulnerable to attack by hate groups.

Pray for those who commit hate crimes and promote racism.  Can you imagine the fear and emotional and spiritual wounds they are living with, how they're damaging their own souls?  Pray for their healing and the renewal of their minds by Christ's love.


 Protect the Vulnerable

Matthew 25:14-30 reminds us that we are called to carry out Christ's ministry by caring for the least and the vulnerable among us:  the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned.  We are called to welcome and care for the stranger, the outsider, with the inclusive, unconditional love of God no matter what their religion is, country of origin or who they love.

One way to care for the vulnerable is to become their advocates.  Living out the spirit of the law includes not only includes being a living example but also speaking up for others and partnering with other organizations and churches who work for justice, seek to build unity and uphold human dignity.


We can't change others, but by participating with the transforming love of Christ, we can experience a change in our own attitudes and actions.

We can't change others and their attitudes and beliefs, but we can influence them by living out the spirit of the law with integrity in every aspect of our lives including being an advocate for others as we affirm all people's humanity and pray for those who are victims of hate and for those who advocate hate and violence.  

 And the time to start is now.


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