We Have a Job to Do

When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and d
id as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. Matthew 28:12-15

Conspiracy theories are nothing new in the world. They invented one about Jesus in Matthew 28. (See above verse)

Sometimes conspiracy theories cause great chasms between the generations. That was the way it was in the 1970s, when I was a youth pastor. You can see the differences between my dad, my grandfather, and myself; but we all had something which gave us a deep bond that no one could understand―unless they were radically committed to following Jesus Christ. We were out to change the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Not to rule the people with a Christian government, but to change the people one person at a time - because the government just reflects the people. What a uniting force this revolution in Jesus Christ has been through the centuries―different political parties, ethnic groups, economic groups, races all joining together and loving one another―willing to sacrifice their life for the noblest cause in the world.

I read studies that say some believe that September 11th was a conspiracy. I remember talking to some of my friends who were meek, mild-mannered physicians and priests/pastors from New York; and to them those were fighting words. They each had friends and family who died on that terrible day. Today the topic is just as volatile. Many have relatives serving in Afghanistan. There were topics just as difficult to talk about in the years when I was a young pastor, but we knew what was important―we had a job to do. In spite of Watergate or the differing views of the Vietnam war, Christians have always been a force of radical love and change- - - doing something rather than giving into the cynicism of anarchy. If ever there has been a time for America to come together it is September 11 ten years later.

Where were you on September 11, 2001? I was at home trying to call my brother who had an appointment in one of the twin towers. I called families in the church whose had loved ones flying Jets out of east coast cities to see if they had been hijacked. I was in shock that this could happen on American soil. I was also dismayed as some other nations cheered in the streets while others rallied by our side. I think we all prayed a little regardless of our religious ideas.

Last August our financial prospect as a nation was downgraded from Standard to Poor because we could not get along. Now everyone is pointing fingers and I don’t think that’s going to change until the next election is over (if even then), but for Christians there are symptoms and conclusions as well as action plans that run much different than pop-politics. This weekend is a time for us to call our nation to revival, repentance, change, and a new vision of hope. That is what we do if we are more than following Christ, but we are actually in Christ and he is in us.



Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White