If you are a fan of Alice in Wonderland, you will remember when she went into the rabbit hole, she fell slowly enough to look at the shelves, and read the label of a jar of marmalade, which she placed back on the shelf, lest she drop it and it hit someone below.
I feel the analogy holds here as I watch my country free-falling into more and more darkness. It's been a slow fall, but it is one that leads straight down.
As we have looked at the Kingdom of God, we see its radical nature more and more as we compare it to our country today.
There has always been darkness in the world. History teaches us that. But darkness has gradations--not all darkness is created equal. The darkness in a cave is not the same as turning off a light in your bedroom.
Darkness can start out as a dimming of the light. Think of sunset. There is a enough light in the sky to keep the darkness at bay; you can still walk at twilight. But as the light fades, the darkness becomes more absolute. Soon, the light is all but gone, and darkness, not light, is the dominant feature. Darkness makes us lose our way; paths are not clear, roads are not obvious and cardinal directions are not easily discerned. Yes, you can use the stars to navigate, but what if it is a cloudy night?
I am disturbed that darkness is becoming more and more the dominant feature of our country. We no longer have the Bible as a moral compass, and we think what we believe is good enough to discern right and wrong. Standards are mocked, upholding biblical definitions are scorned and hating your enemy is standard operating procedure.
Jesus' day had darkness in it as well. The Romans were a vicious and violent people, and the Jewish leadership was more interested in following rules than following God. So, it is no wonder when Jesus spoke His sermon, He was out of touch with the surrounding culture.
The Kingdom of God always is.
The Kingdom of God is where the poor, the sad, the meek, the seeking, the merciful, the sincere, the peacemakers and the persecuted have a place.
Our salt flavors the world, and our light drives out the darkness.
We don't take our anger out on others.
Our gifts are sweetest to God when we are at peace with those around us.
We settle disputes quickly with those who think that a court of law is the only place to go.
We think kindly of others, not lustfully or selfishly.
Our marriages seek to bring out the best in each other.
Where our word is good enough.
We could punish the other person, but we forgive.
We forgive those who are hostile to us, knowing God pursues them as well as us to come to His table.
We love the unlovable.
We serve the poor for their sake, not for ours.
We pray to the One whom we love and respect, knowing He hears us.
We forgive the unforgivable.
We deny ourselves, so we open up more of ourselves to Him.
Our heart is filled with His beauty, not our greed.
We do not worry, for we serve a loving and caring Father.
We do not judge others, for we know we all fail in one way or another.
We are active in our faith, pursuing God with wild abandon.
We know following Jesus isn't easy, but we do it knowing that it is worth it.
We listen to Jesus, not to others who want to deceive us, or who just get it wrong.
We want to do His will alone, in His name alone, and in His love alone.
We live in a house that sits on a rock and is weather-proof.
Wow. The Sermon is a way of thinking, acting and living in a matter that pushes back on the darkness and allows His light to shine in and heal the brokenness that led to the darkness in the first place.
I don't know where our country is going, but the Sermon the Mount is an excellent way to get our moral bearings and try to reach out in Jesus' name to encourage and touch those around us.
We need to pray without ceasing.
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