All We Need is Love...

Dear Family, I have to say that if the Beatles were around today, we could use some of their great theology guiding us in our journeys. Although the atmosphere of the Starbucks that i am enjoying my latte feels rather loving; i rest here knowing that a storm is coming. Japan is still recovering from the disastrous earthquake and tsunami that have put the entire globe on high alert as nuclear wastes could pollute the seas and a valuable ecosystem, and as that crosses our sceens nightly, Japan has just been hit, again, with a 7 plus earthquake. And as catastrophic as that could be; i am not talking about Japan. At midnight our government could shut down. Not literally, as police and fire rescue personel will still do their jobs, but the loss of wages for a huge population of government employees will happen. National parks closed. IRS offices closed. This could be a good thing or a bad thing. Military personel will receive a check, but the second check of the month wont make it, and after this initial check; they wont get anymore until the government starts back up. Medicaid. Social Security. And the list goes on and on and on. It is a crazy time for our government employees, and we if do not realize the larger ripple from this; we have our heads in the sand. I wonder if our president will lose his check? Senators? Representative Boehner? I doubt any of them would sacrifice their income, and yet they seem to have no qualms or hesitation to affect the less thans within the government hierarchy, and i find that to be a true abomination, an embarassment, a charge against our government. Why will they shut down? Because they cant agree on a budget. They would rather fight, tooth and nail, then come to an agreement that truly, TRULY, benefits the American people. This is not just asanine. It is a severe injustice, and i wonder what we can do about it? Or maybe this us versus them is so innate, so ingrained into our psyches that we can't exist or dream of a life without constant conflict and struggle. Why shed light on the government shut down on a blog about our religious community? Because the government side taking, name calling, hair pulling, and just juvenile behavior exists everywhere, and this behavior is to the detriment of the Kingdom of God. When God's children, who gather as the church, would rather anchor down and wage war against each other, so that they can have what they want, God gets pushed aside. Hate wins. Love loses. And as Paul wrote in I Corinthians 13; the first and most important fruit of the Spirit is LOVE! Love will navigate our ship through the murky waters of the unknown. Love will unite as sisters and brothers no matter what political, social, or economic affliliation we find ourselves. And love will create a community where conflict is mediated and worked through for the good of the whole, where we will commit to one another, serve one another, live for one another, and put childish ways behind for one another. These are the symptoms of Godly love, and ironically this love, God's Love, is what the world, Japan, and especially our political leaders, need now more than ever. Amen. Shalom, jerry