God offers us forgiveness and an invitation to fellowship with God, and perhaps this is a concept of God that we Christians forget when we want to see someone punished by God. Yet, Jesus Christ gives us a better offer: Forgiveness, renewal, restoration, and fellowship with God (Hebrews 12:18-24).

May we, in turn, offer others forgiveness in the hope of renewal and restoration. May we present others with a better offer than what the world gives, when it comes to our treatment of others, including our enemies.

Jesus tells us that he came to bring division (Luke 12:49-53). First, this does not mean that we go out of our way to create a division and a ruckus in the name of Christ. Second, it is not a badge of Christianity to say mean ugly things in order to rile others up. Yet, what do these words of Jesus mean? The original readers of Luke’s Gospel were cast out of their homes and communities for following Christ. Thankfully, we do not face such opposition for being a Christian, but if you had been a Christian in ISIS held areas it was a reality. Being a Christian in some parts of the world may cost you a good job or a good position, or land you in jail; and, yes, betrayal by family and friends.

Being a Christian does carry some protests that cause divisions in that we protest what is wrong with society by living lives of compassion and kindness. Unfortunately and sadly, a few may react with vehemence against lives that bear witness against their prejudice, malice, and hatred. Yes, when you choose to the compassionate kind deed like Christ, you may find opposition.

Isaiah received a God-given vision about what their society could have been if they indeed had been willing and obedient (Isaiah 1:1, 11-17). Their rebellion against God’s command to care for the most vulnerable in society brought disastrous consequences. God does not overlook any society’s injustice toward its most vulnerable citizens, including our own! Jesus himself talks about judging the nations based upon their treatment of their society’s most vulnerable. Tradition has it that Isaiah was sawn into by the evil King Manasseh, and we know what happened to Jesus.

We have not arrived and we know we can do better. Until we reach the “other side,” God gives us the grace to be willing and obedient in order to set things right so that the present and future can be different (Isaiah 1:18-20). This fosters hope for a better world, both today and tomorrow.

Once there was a man living the American Dream in ancient Palestine (Luke 12:16-21). He was so successful that he had to build bigger barns to hold all his goodies, yet he neglected to think of God when his untimely death occurred. The parable is called “The Rich Fool” because he was not rich toward God. His sin was not eating, drinking, and making merry; rather, his sin was that he prevented others from doing the same by hoarding his wealth.

(W. Robert McClelland)

May we be rich toward God in this life to make life more bearable for all, especially the most vulnerable as Jesus would say it.

Colossians tells us that our minds can be captivated by evil, corrupt ways of thinking. It also tells us of a vantage point from which to gauge the competing claims on our lives, and that vantage point is Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:6-8). May we not lose our focus upon Christ and become captivated by malice, greed, hatred, and prejudice. May we “set our minds on ‘things above.’”

(Colossians 3:1-3)