Dunbar UCC

May 10, 2009

Acts 3:12-19

Luke 24:42-48

Judgment Mother God

      The readings today are a judgment against human judgment.  They say our judgment is often bad.  We can have a genius I.Q. but lack discernment.  Discernment is knowing the difference between right and wrong.  The Bible says a lot of us have eyes but don't see. 

Peter scolded the people who watched him heal a crippled man.  They thought the healing power came from Peter.  Peter said our power to do anything good or loving comes from God.  None of us can do this without grace. 

Its hard for us to understand this.  We do something and think, Look what I did. But the Bible teaches that anything good we do comes from God and when we understand that, instead of taking the credit, well thank God -- we will be grateful for the good that God allowed to come through us. 

Peter said, You're impressed at this healing?  Do you know you killed the One who brought this healing power to earth, and pardoned a murderer.  This Healer walked among you, but you called him bad, and killed him. 

We need a more humble attitude toward what we are able to do without Gods help.  Without grace, our judgment and our best efforts fail.  And sometimes, going to church makes us worse, not better.

      The Pew Research Center did a poll about torture.  54 percent of people who go to church at least once a week say that torture against suspected terrorists is justified.  But only 42 percent of people who don't attend church believe that torture is justified.  I was amazed at those results -- because I cant understand how people who follow Jesus Christ can justify inflicting pain on Gods children -- sometimes to the point of death.   JESUS ONLY HEALED PEOPLE -- Jesus only cast demons out of people.  HE NEVER HARMED, NEVER VIOLATED ANY PERSON. Many tortured him -- but he never, never returned the evil.

      What's wrong with our judgment?  We follow the Healer, the Peacemaker, the Lover of His Enemies -- and yet justify violating the bodies and minds of the children of God that we call terrorists? 

 On this Mothers Day Sunday we pray that God, who is our true Mother and Father, will forgive us for harming, or wanting to harm, any of Gods children.  And we pray for the grace to be able to discern -- and do -- Gods will.