More on Stuff

"But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."
( Luke 6:27-31)

American Christianity is a strange sort of patchwork that mixes parts of the bible together to form a God that promotes and stands for American principles. In American Christianity its OK to say God Bless America and screw everyone else, its quite normal to support war and rally against the poor. I was discouraged by this partisan Christianity that was fueled by republican politics more than biblical value. Enter, the Emerging Church the Emerging so often took seriously loving your neighbor , or your enemy and caring for the poor and destitute. This of course earns people that have this mindset the dreaded insult of "Liberal", of which is bad if you are truly holding to biblical orthodoxy, its just that you take more of the bible into consideration. But even at this point in my Journey I think the point is lost, because while Mainline churches and Emergers take those things mentioned above serious so often all of us ignore the rest of that brief passage in Luke 6." From him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back."Its funny how we still wont let go of our stuff, are we as the church and as individuals giving as Jesus asks of us here? Or are we so reliant on our things that we would be willing to give away our shirt and our favorite hat, are we willing to give our stuff to any one that asks? and if we get stuff taken from us will we not ask for it back? Its funny and sad that I hear both Emerging and Evangelical Christians defend their stuff. We hold onto things so tightly that we don't see that we are holding onto those things so tightly.My things are not mine they are Gods and if He wants to take them away He can, because, He's God. Things should consist of the least value in our lives and should even at times be given away to give us that freedom. Now of course I'm not talking about the thrift store kind of give away, where we take the old beat up and raggedy stuff we don't need anymore and give it away, I'm taking about something that may be even brand new that holds sway on us or that we value or still need. This life is more than about things its about Jesus . Pope John Paul II said , not to long before his death, that America was lost in the grips of materialism, a comment for which he received much criticism, from U.S. politicians and even religious leaders. There was an irony to a man who headed the richest organization on Earth criticising the materialistic was of a nation, but then it struck me , his pursuit of life was not about getting things , it was about service. The culture of the United States is geared toward getting things, and unfortunately so often so is church culture, it can't be about gotta have in the Church of Jesus Christ anymore, it needs to become about gotta give.