In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Mark 1:9

Baptism of Jesus

Did you hear the one about the pastor who went for a hike? He met a hungry and angry bear. The bear chased him, and the pastor ran for his life. Finally the pastor tripped on a log and there was no chance for escape. As he lay on the forest floor he prayed that the this would be a loving Christian bear. Then he pastor heard a voice, it was low and rumbly it was the voice of the bear that was kneeling with its front paws together in prayer it said, “Dear God, thank you for this food you have provided for me. Amen.” Ha ha ha. The moral of the story is, you may call yourself a Christan, but if you devour others around you, you might think about what it means to be a Christian.

About five thousand people violently stormed and vandalized the United States Capitol this past Wednesday January 6, 2021. Many of them Christian flags, crosses, t-shirts, etc. It is said that the last time this happened was during the British Invasion in which they went so far as to burn the capitol. That was 1814. I am so very deeply sorry and saddened by what has happened. It was wrong for people to storm the Capitol building, vandalize, and wreak havoc. Vandalism and looting are not God's will for any group of people.

Not long after the time of Jesus, the Jewish temple was destroyed for the second time. There was a Jewish revolt against Roman authority. The revolt failed, and the Romans burned down the Jewish temple. About 700 years before the Romans burned the temple, it was the Babylonians. The strategy of such an action is to demoralize a perceived enemy, to strike fear in their hearts, so that they may be overtaken. 

Then again, sometimes destructive behavior is done not because there is any animosity toward the victim, but rather because the perpetrator just wants something and they are willing to crush anyone who is in their path to get what they want. Just the other day one of our members was robbed at gunpoint in our parking lot. The criminal didn’t see our church as it’s enemy, but as a means to get what they want, money. What is troubling is that they would use a weapon, like a gun, to get what they want. Thankfully our member is okay, and the police have been helping us to secure our campus. 

What I can’t help thinking about, however, is how the very same member who was robbed had just finished building the beautiful cross tower we have been enjoying. How could it be that as soon as a faithful follower of Jesus completes an act of faith and devotion they suffer. It makes me think of the old adage, “No good deed goes unpunished.”   

Jesus himself spent his whole life loving, healing, teaching, and caring for others. What happened to him? He was crucified! Doing good and being good are not guarantees that you will not suffer. If could even be the opposite. Doing good in some twisted way arouses persecution. So what can you do?

You can evangelize. As Christians we are called by Jesus to love our enemies. This includes people who have hurt us, and people who have done hurtful things. Loving someone is not enabling them. Love has boundaries. Love is not about being foolish or unwise so that others may victimize you. No. Loving an enemy includes justice. It includes a reckoning of what has been done that was wrong. It includes atoning for wrongs made. But as Christians we are to see beyond retribution and work toward the evangelization of our enemies. We are to love our enemies. 

The apostle Paul was a genius at evangelism. We read about his evangelistic missionary journey in the book of Acts chapter nineteen. He finds so