I am extremely political. Sometimes polarizingly so. My King said, in his first speech in office “"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." He has commissioned me to be an ambassador of the Kingdom of God, wherever I go and with whomever I meet. He has blessed this ambassador with the privilege to be born in the USA and live here on American soil. He has instructed me to pray for kings and all those in authority, so that we may live quiet and peaceful lives.
But he has never, ever instructed me to live exclusively for an earthly kingdom, or to die for an earthly kingdom. Respect those in authority? Yes! Honor the leaders? Yes! Pray for them? Absolutely! Give my allegiance to them and the system, heart and soul? No! I have no King but Jesus. When I take up my cross and follow King Jesus, it is for His Kingdom first, no matter where I live and no matter what ruling documents form the basis of that nation-state. He (God) uncovers deep things out of darkness, And brings the shadow of death to light. He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them. (Job 12:23). In the current chaos all across America, I am saddened and disturbed by the destruction, division, and looting. Remember when Jesus said “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full?” (John 10:10). Well, we are seeing the stealing, killing, and destroying and it’s devastating. But I feel no inner compulsion to defend this country, just because I was born and raised here. I have had my skin crawl by reading “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” where leaders lied and broke "treaties," colonists killed Native Americans, destroyed their villages, and stole whatever was left. I have read of the atrocities of this nation against slaves and the subsequent post-civil war policies that continued the offenses, and it hurts me. Art galleries, museums, and wealthy Americans all across the USA "own" artifacts, gold, and silver that was often taken through legalized extortion from people and groups in other regions and from other backgrounds. If it has a "legal" stamp on it, we reason it was not stolen. But art dealers and those dealing in antiquities know that this thievery has happened for decades in America. The Congo has been pillaged of its treasures for centuries in exchange for a pittance, but somehow that is okay and it not considered "looting." I am an ambassador in the Kingdom of God. I feel no inner compulsion to defend a rapacious nation-state in which I live, even if I have been a beneficiary of much of its strengths. I wince at the language of “burn it to the ground and start over.” That does not make sense from a practical point of view. I certainly can’t put forth a candidate to suggest to lead that new start-up nation with grace and civility. And I can't imagine finding a viable representative group to draft a new constitution that would be accepted by even 60% of the populace. But I am first a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Kingdom of God (this includes church), family, then country. I am not just a citizen in the kingdom of God; I am an ambassador, which makes me politically engaged. May God empower His Kingdom ambassadors to be people of active prayer, witnesses for Christ, moving forward with grace, truth, and love. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. (Colossians 1:13). Rich
1 Comment
6/5/2020 06:56:59 am
I get confused and uncertain when I read the news these days, but this kind of reading brings my focus back to where it should be. Thank you!
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Rich SchwartzSon of the Father, husband to Sandy, father of six amazing gifts, Bronx brother, active participant in Believers in Jesus Church, insurance adjuster, occasional runner Archives
February 2022
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