Our Hope

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Whether or not Christianity, in an alienated, divided, and oppressive society, itself becomes alienated, divided, and an accomplice of oppression is ultimately decided only by whether the crucified Christ is a stranger to it or the Lord who determines the form of its existence

          Jurgen Moltmann

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it is so much more comfortable

to think of Christus Victor

the overcomer

the risen one

 

Christ the King is so much more appealing

to our sensibilities

and our love of domination

 

then Christ the Beaten

Christ the Crucified one

 

we love to jump from Palm Sunday

to Easter

 

ignoring the dark and ignominious journey

in between

through betrayal

and tears an fears

and oppression

and death

 

We see Christ risen, glowing

not Jesus bleeding

Christ on a throne

not Jesus in the tomb

 

Christ becomes the ruler

winning

judging

and worse, becomes “ours”

 

seen and embraced from the swampy ground

of ego-consciousness

where the center of gravity is

the self

me as a separate individual

 

distinct from you

separated and alienated

by fear and need

wanting to win

perhaps to dominate and oppress

 

and recruiting Jesus as our ally

 

Who aligns with a guy on a cross?

that loser

foolish enough to suffer and die

 

The Christ of dominion separates

and feeds the fragmentation

leaving us seeing ourselves as distinct

and in competition

and leaving the world shattered and in pieces

 

“My God is bigger than your God!”

“My faith more sincere than yours..”

“I am taller, handsomer (or hotter)

smarter and richer”

“My crowds are bigger”

“I am loved and blessed by God, you aren’t”

(we are not, some believe, all God’s children)

 

But the crucified Christ

the one who empties himself

and embraces humility

 

that Christ draws us

to the foot of the cross

where the drops of seat and blood

and bitter wine

rain down

 

Baptizing us

in the way of truth and compassion

making us part of a greater whole

 

changing us from those who

alienate, divide, and are accomplices of oppression

to those who reconcile, unite

and strive against oppression

 

But it’s not Christ with a gun

It is not body builder Jesus

Not Christ draped in a flag

who is our hope

 

Its Christ on the cross.