killing Jesus

Jesus did not die at the hands of muggers rapists and thugs.

He fell into the well-scrubbed hands

of deeply religious people

                                    Brennan Manning

____________________________

There are so many ways to kill Jesus

When we exclude the immigrant, we kill Jesus

so too when we separate children from their parents, in the name of safety

When we choose the way of abusive power

and put most of our resources into a military

that we do not use wisely

and when we support a program like ICE

within our own borders

we kill Jesus

When we neglect our own children

failing to education them well

or provide them with food security

or clean water

or housing

we kill Jesus

When reject and demonize others because

their skin is a different color

or because they follow a different creed

or because we have decided they are unclean (think about Peter’s vision of the blanket)

we kill Jesus

When we choose wealth over generosity

judgment over compassion

power over servanthood

lies over truth

bullying over kindness

anger over forgiveness

hate over love

we kill Jesus

It’s a good thing Jesus refuses to stay dead

It is a good thing Jesus is about resurrection

It is a good thing that love never dies

So while we do our worst

God / Love is always at work

overcoming evil with good

There is no question here

it is not to be debated

life is one mixed up mess.

We are people caught between all kinds of conflicting forces.

our desire to be generous, and our greed.

our desire to include and welcome, and our fear.

in America, between truth and falsehood.

this is painful, and as we consistently reject the way of Jesus

and virtually crucify him, again and again

we are also allowing what is good in us to die

our choices kill our love, our hope, our spirit.

But that Jesus!

That risen one

Who not only lives but lives in us

That one rises up, refusing to let death win

and takes with him

lifting us up to a new level of loving and living