Why do Sundays make me sad?
So, I am looking with particular devotion for the evidence of a 'Holy Spirit' that can be recognized in the behaviors of persons who claim to be followers of the prophet Jesus of Nazareth. The promise of receiving such a transformative infusion of spirit-altering holiness is a foundational tenant of Christian spirituality. Adherents to this religious practice are ensured that when they open themselves to the teaching and values espoused by Jesus--affirming that Jesus is their savior and lord--this Holy Spirit will reform their contrary human spirit that is prone to promote selfishness and deception because of some lingering element of sinful intuition attributed to an original deviation.
So far I have been confused by what I have seen, especially in the behaviors of persons in the so-called 'evangelical' stream of Christianity. Healing the sick, feeding the hungry, welcoming the strangers, these are precise values that Jesus practiced and heralded as important actions for living in harmony with what the creator intended for human life in the earth. Not to mention applauding persons who use the name of God as a token for self aggrandizement; not to mention having a disregard for truth-telling and community building, all practices that Jesus specifically condemned.
I do not understand how certain persons who proudly claim to be Christian can endorse and advance actions and policies that clearly contradict the simply articulated message of Jesus to love the neighbor as you love yourself, to treat others like you want to be treated. Who would not want to be cured when they are sick, not want to eat when they are hungry, not want to be welcomed when they are strangers?
But who am I to judge. 'The just shall live by faith,' so the Christians maintain. Faith in what? A declaration? A lifestyle? Maybe it means having faith in what Jesus said and did.
Jesus said it is okay to heal the sick, to feed the hungry, to welcome the stranger, to practice humility, to stand up for truth, to build community across all boundaries. And Jesus did these kinds of things.
Having faith in Jesus means trusting this direction enough to devote your life to doing it. Anything else is just religious talk.
Garland Robertson, PhD, author, How the Church Betrays the Gospel: The unreasonable dimension of the teaching and example of Jesus