So, who died and made YOU judge?

One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” 

“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” 

Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means. (Luke 7:36-8:3 ESV)

(No, Jesus is not the right answer, Caiaphas.)

This post is dedicated to those sanctimonious, self-aggrandizing "Christians" who spit fire and brimstone in a world full (FULL, I tell you) of scoffLaws (upper case L intentional).

I got up this morning, padded to the front door, picked up the newspaper, stopped by the coffee pot, then sat down in front of the news on tv and started to thumb through the first section. On page 3 the following headline gave me a spiritual sucker punch: Pastor praises killing of 'sodomites' Here's an excerpt from this story carried by the Washington Post...

Following the deadliest shooting in U.S. history, a preacher stood at his pulpit Sunday night in Northern California and delivered an impassioned sermon praising the brutal massacre at a gay nightclub in Florida.

Pastor Roger Jimenez from Verity Baptist Church in Sacramento told his congregation that Christians “shouldn’t be mourning the death of 50 sodomites.”

“People say, like: ‘Well, aren’t you sad that 50 sodomites died?’ ” Jimenez said, referencing the initial death toll in Orlando, which authorities later clarified included 49 victims plus the gunman. “Here’s the problem with that. It’s like the equivalent of asking me — what if you asked me: ​’Hey, are you sad that 50 pedophiles were killed today?’

“Um, no, I think that’s great. I think that helps society. You know, I think Orlando, Fla., is a little safer tonight.”

He added: “The tragedy is that more of them didn’t die. The tragedy is — I’m kind of upset that he didn’t finish the job!”

The sermon has drawn scorn from faith leaders, gay rights activists and others who have called it “hateful propaganda” and “bigotry.”

“I condemn his entire presentation,” the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, a leading Christian conservative and president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, told Sacramento Bee columnist Marcos Breton.

Jay Brown, spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, told The Washington Post that there is “nothing whatsoever Christian” in the pastor’s sermon.

“He’s preaching hate from the pulpit,” Brown said in a statement. “His words offer no comfort to the survivors of the attack, to the family and friends whose loved ones they’ll never see again.

“And to think of the LGBTQ youth in his own church, it’s simply heartbreaking.”

Members of the LGBT community are not allowed to join Verity Baptist or attend its services, according to the church’s “What We Believe” page. It states the church believes “sodomy” — referring to homosexuality — is “a sin and an abomination before God​ which God punishes with the death penalty.”

“I wish the government would round them all up, put them up against a firing wall, put a firing squad in front of them, and blow their brains out,” Jimenez said during his Sunday sermon, which Verity Baptist posted on its website under the title “the Christian response to the Orlando murders.”

There's plenty more (if that excerpt isn't enough), including mention of a pastor in Arizona with the same message...

I drove to seminary in a pouring rain this morning with a heavy heart over the mess we've made of the Christian Church. It's one thing to be a firebrand for the Lord, but a true Christian spreads a Gospel message of love, not hate; of hope and forgiveness, not despair and judgment. And before any self-proclaimed Christian preaches wrath for another's sin, he ought to look in the mirror. There was only one sinless human to ever walk this earth and He walked as a humble and obedient servant, not a finger-pointing judge (see Matthew 7:1-2). When I read that article in the paper, it made my stomach turn.

I thanked God that I'm in seminary today; the world just wears me down sometimes. But this Post article is just another reminder that apologetics is so important-- I feel for the people who have no church connection and learn about Christ and Christians from media outlets.

We attend chapel every morning and today's message was wrapped around those verses above from Luke's Gospel. We were reminded of our proclivity to judge at times-- and God knows this, which is why He sent us Jesus. Within each of us is a Pharisee just waiting for an opening...you know, when the compass turns south from G(od) to M(e). When our spiritual/moral compass fails us (as it does from time to time) the only reliable navigational aid is Christ. And the path back to God is Love.

It's that simple. Love.

Sin is God's business and the Cross took care of it...

I feel better when I leave a chapel service, re-reminded that God's in control. And that at the seminary there is strength in numbers...

It's such a good place to be!  :)