Picking A Side

       I just want to follow up on some of the discussions we’ve been having--as followers of Jesus who are trying figure out how to think, act, and pray about the events and issues of our day.  I have been chewing on a famous quote attributed to my favorite President (and soon to be Oscar winner) Abraham Lincoln.  In 1867, Francis Carpenter, who had spent six months in the Lincoln White House, wrote the following:

No nobler reply ever fell from the lips of a ruler, than that uttered by President Lincoln in response to the clergyman who ventured to say, in his presence, that he hoped "the Lord was on our side."

"I am not at all concerned about that," replied Mr. Lincoln, "for I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side."

         I love Lincoln’s insight.  It helps me remember that my job isn’t to hitch Jesus to my preference, my cause, my perspective, but rather my job is to figure out the preference of Jesus, to best understand his perspective, and ally myself to the Kingdom, which was the cause Jesus died pursuing.

Lord knows it’s a good time to be reminded of Lincoln’s insight.  The Spielberg film on is a powerful testimony of how even the messiest “sausage making” of government can still produce something noble and true.  We’re having simultaneous national conversations about a number of important issues.  We are wrestling with what should and should not be done to curb gun violence—especially in the face of horrific mass shootings.

We’re debating how best to balance bulging deficits with the chronic joblessness brought about by the Great Recession.

It is beginning to look like we are finally debating a comprehensive fix to our broken immigration system.

And we are starting to discuss the limitations of military intervention as well as how far diplomatic pressure can go in bringing peace to some seriously chaotic corners of our world.

It just strikes me as an ideal time for us to reconsider whether Jesus is really as enamored with our political and theological stances as we previously thought.  Have we been asking him to be on our side or have we tried to figure out where His side is and cleave as closely to it as we can? 

In my own life, I’ve discovered that the territory staked out by Jesus is surprisingly inconsistent.  Jesus wanted to conserve the best of the past when it came to the Law of Moses, but he also put enormous hope in the power of God to create a new relationship with God’s people.  Jesus had words of judgment for the sin of some, and nothing but comfort and forgiveness for the sin of others.  At times Jesus took a radical political position, and then turned around the next moment and confessed that his true Kingdom is not of this world. In moments of prayer, I’ve known Jesus to touch me with profound peace and then kick me firmly in the rear end ten minutes later—during the same prayer.

         No one said a life of discipleship would be easy.  In fact, if I remember right Jesus warned us that it would be fraught with difficulties.  There are faithful, loving women and men of God who can disagree quite vociferously with me on any number of issues, but who are nevertheless beloved sisters and brothers in Christ.  I have to trust that they have done everything they can to discern “God’s side” and have put themselves on it.  In fact, if we take the time to listen and respect one another we may discover that we have immeasurably more in common than we first thought.  We may even both be on God’s side—he or she on the left and me on the right or vice versa.  If nothing else, the love we share from God and the desire we have to serve Jesus far outweigh anything that threatens to come between us.

         If God is for us—on our side--than who or what can be against us?  If we both place ourselves at His side—than what can possibly come between us?