Faith is a No Hate Zone

       I have stood at the fences in mourning with our nation at both Ground Zero in New York and in Oklahoma City.  Now I find myself praying for and mourning with the people of Norway after the violent attacks in July.  I've known what I wanted to say in response, but it has been hard to write it down in part, I think, because it stirs up older griefs but more that I needed to find some clarity about why I feel it necessary to speak out about this.
       After all, it is not my country, my city, friends or relatives that have been affected.  Why is it my business?
       It is my business because it is the business of the Church to speak and act in response.  And like the children's song says, the Church is the people and that is each one of us who are on the journey of following Jesus whether we are just taking our first tentative steps of faith or have lived long lives of faithfulness.
       It is our business because once again someone has acted violently, killing people and stunning a nation, all the while naming Christianity as the reason for their cause.  Once again, someone (an individual or group) is acting out of hate for others and trying to bless that action with faith.  And whether Breivik acted alone or with others, there are all too many people who are willing to climb on board and voice their hateful rhetoric and perhaps act on that hate.  Once again, hateful messages are getting attention, causing some to live in fear.
       The Church needs to respond loudly and confidently that hate is not the response of faith.
       We, you and I, need to speak out that talking and acting out of hate is not acceptable now or ever.
       Jesus makes it very clear that being his disciple, being one of those that belong to him, means  acting out of love to all people.  It is the instruction Jesus gives over and over.  "Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another."  And more than commandment, Jesus  teaches that we are to be known and recognized by how we live out that love with one another.
       It is not a new idea.  The prophet Micah writes, "what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"   In spite of all the speeches and rabble-rousing to the contrary, hate-filled speech and actions are not equated with faith in anyway.  As the people that make up "the Church", we need to speak up and out to make clear to others that such actions are not Christian in any way.
       We need to bear witness to the love that comes from Jesus Christ.
       Out of that love, join with me in praying for those affected by the violence in Norway and all those who are targeted by hate.  Ask God for courage to be able to say "no" when hate is spoken or urged in your presence.
       And above all, seek out ways to act in love towards others.  It is about welcoming, forgiving, and caring.  It is the witness that Jesus wants.  We don't have to impact a whole group or culture of people or change the world.  It starts with the next person we meet when we reach out in love.  The most powerful thing we can do is to act out of love to the person next to us.    Read John 13:34-35