me, Mike Huckabee, and Christ's descent from the cross
As I meditated yesterday on the presence of God, I returned to the image of Christ's descent from the cross, after he died, as he was prepared for a quick burial. I placed myself in the scene. I wanted to clean his wounds. I kept splashing the vinegar on my hands and rubbing my fingers over his chest and over his cuts. His gashes from the whipping were deep. I know it's gross, but my fingers kept bouncing in and out of his flayed flesh.
While I washed his body, I wondered who else was with me, preparing him in adoration. I knew Mary was around, but I didn't see her. As I looked down his body, toward his legs I saw Mike Huckabee. I was as surprised as you are. He and I are only united in our relationship with Jesus. Mike and I are very different in our political ideology, and we do not agree on many areas as to how Christ's ethics should be applied civically. In my meditation, we also disagreed on how to get the body ready for burial.
Mike was in a rush. He wanted to hurry up and sew up the body bag before evening, when Sabbath began. I wanted more time. I wasn't done. I needed more time to mourn. Mike didn't want to break any more religious rules. I was getting mad at him. I resented him. I do now. My dilemma is he, like myself, claims to follow Jesus. He belongs with Jesus, like me. Jesus accepts him, as he accepts me.
I have changed over the past decade when Mike was last running for U.S. president. Back then, I really liked Mike. I was a conservative believer. To resist accepting Mike as a fellow pilgrim, is to reject myself. But I have abundant grace for myself. If he and I are so much alike, though in a time shift, then he is not "them" but "we."
In my fall series, "Not everything Biblical is Christian," I wrote them as letters to my younger fundamentalist self instead of those bad fundys. If I can allow myself to be wrong, I am obligated to let others be wrong as well.
Huckabee is really easy to accept when compared to these folks, though.
They propagated violent oppression of fellow citizens, even Christians, who were of African descent. They were wrong. This picture exemplifies the expression, "Christ loves sinners." The guys in hoods believed in the love of Jesus, but with conditions. They were wrong. My understanding of the love of Jesus has been limited and conditional as well. It still is.
As I washed the body of Christ with Mike Huckabee, my understanding of God's love grew a little bit more. It was a difficult and multi-year process for me to move to an open and affirming position for gay pilgrims. Part of that process included strong disagreement from those I formerly agreed with, which led to my resentment of thought leaders who I no longer agreed with, people like Huckabee.
My struggle is to disagree and love, to persuade with love. I cannot stay angry. This prophetic preacher was able to love the hooded guys, and he was doing it in his 30's and died for it before he was 40.
While I washed his body, I wondered who else was with me, preparing him in adoration. I knew Mary was around, but I didn't see her. As I looked down his body, toward his legs I saw Mike Huckabee. I was as surprised as you are. He and I are only united in our relationship with Jesus. Mike and I are very different in our political ideology, and we do not agree on many areas as to how Christ's ethics should be applied civically. In my meditation, we also disagreed on how to get the body ready for burial.
Mike was in a rush. He wanted to hurry up and sew up the body bag before evening, when Sabbath began. I wanted more time. I wasn't done. I needed more time to mourn. Mike didn't want to break any more religious rules. I was getting mad at him. I resented him. I do now. My dilemma is he, like myself, claims to follow Jesus. He belongs with Jesus, like me. Jesus accepts him, as he accepts me.
I have changed over the past decade when Mike was last running for U.S. president. Back then, I really liked Mike. I was a conservative believer. To resist accepting Mike as a fellow pilgrim, is to reject myself. But I have abundant grace for myself. If he and I are so much alike, though in a time shift, then he is not "them" but "we."
In my fall series, "Not everything Biblical is Christian," I wrote them as letters to my younger fundamentalist self instead of those bad fundys. If I can allow myself to be wrong, I am obligated to let others be wrong as well.
Huckabee is really easy to accept when compared to these folks, though.
They propagated violent oppression of fellow citizens, even Christians, who were of African descent. They were wrong. This picture exemplifies the expression, "Christ loves sinners." The guys in hoods believed in the love of Jesus, but with conditions. They were wrong. My understanding of the love of Jesus has been limited and conditional as well. It still is.
As I washed the body of Christ with Mike Huckabee, my understanding of God's love grew a little bit more. It was a difficult and multi-year process for me to move to an open and affirming position for gay pilgrims. Part of that process included strong disagreement from those I formerly agreed with, which led to my resentment of thought leaders who I no longer agreed with, people like Huckabee.
My struggle is to disagree and love, to persuade with love. I cannot stay angry. This prophetic preacher was able to love the hooded guys, and he was doing it in his 30's and died for it before he was 40.
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