"Humble and Gentle"

So, 

In a contentious world what is your responsibility as a follower of Jesus?

I’ve been watching a Facebook argument about a certain Pizza parlor not in Otisville. It has gotten pretty rough, with people from the community complaining about the quality of the pizza, and the pizza parlor complaining about nasty customers.

It is a conversation that would have been - just a few years ago - happening in a few houses and with a few customers. 

But with social media it has blown up into a community wide mud throwing contest that is remarkably embarrassing to watch. Well, perhaps also really amusing too. But sad.

Because good people are choosing up sides and more and more people are getting angry. 

Why folks have decided this is the hill upon which they want to die, as the saying goes, is a complete mystery. And it is not nearly the only one on Facebook or Twitter.

Who is right and wrong is almost entirely obscured by the anger, the hurt, and the interesting revelation to the world who the nastiest folks in town are. I am sure they are convinced they are doing the work of justice.

But, to be honest a tempest in a teapot, or in this case, perhaps, a typhoon in a trattoria.
Someone, a true spirit in my book even went so far as to put up a graphic of the sun, and in front of it images of the planets, and deftly pointed out that this argument is about the same size (and importance) as the earth is in relation to the sun.

Small, inconsequential, perhaps very, very overblown, absorbing huge amounts of energy, and succeeding mostly in hurting lots of people’s feelings.

Making a mountain out of a molehill!

Maybe it make one person or a few feel good at some level, but it obscures the reality that if someone doesn’t like your pizza, or a customer is rude, does not mean we should set the world on fire.

Especially, if one is a follower of Jesus.

Because the followers of Jesus are peacemakers.

In a world where yelling at the “bad guys” is a given, the disciples are characterized by their humbleness and generosity, not just of money, but of love.

Being online - and I suppose somewhat anonymous - doesn’t give us a license to yell, accuse, or abuse others. Quite the opposite. We are even online to be like Jesus who in Isaiah 53:7 is characterized this way: 

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 

In Ephesians 4 the Apostle Paul even goes so far as to argue that the most obvious characteristic of a Christian in Christian community ought to be their humility and gentleness. 

Reminder:

No one ever said following Jesus would be easy. In fact, Jesus said it would be like taking up a cross and following him. Because living in peace isn’t easy. 

It means hearing the anger and responding with love, with caring, and with concern, but not passing the anger on. Yes, the pizza was awful, yes, the customer was rude. How can we change that?

Because we all love a good pizza! And we all love loyal, delighted, happy customers. So, what do we need to do to make that true?

Now one of the other restaurants in town figured out it was a great time to go on Facebook and point out that they have amazing artisan pizzas with gourmet ingredients and a wonderful set of staffers that would be delighted to provide an excellent pizza experience.

And, they even have gluten free pizza!

Maybe not exactly a solution, but a right excellent retort!

But for the people of God a reminder: we are not the people of anger, of self-righteousness, the underdogs, but rather the children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and are invited, yeah commanded, to love our neighbors, even our enemies, and doing so to reveal the fact that the Kingdom of God is already here!

Crazily, the calendar says it is not only fall, and with it leaves on the way down, acorns falling like rain, and cold temperature that force us to find those unused thermostats.

And, it also election time! The politicians signs are growing like weeds, and so are the tempers. 

Maybe between now and November 8, just like in relation to the typhoon in the trattoria, we ought to reveal ourselves as Jesus people - the peacemakers. 

Hearing the angst and anger, and return for it, humility and gentleness, grace and peace.

Not at all because we are weak. But because we are strong. 

And want to be like Christ Jesus our Lord! 

Just a thought.

Amen.