The Great Hope

Here it is six months after the most important election in U.S. history (as I was told at least).  In the months leading up to it, I was bombarded by how significant this election was to be.  It was, you know, the turning point for the United States.  It was impressed upon me just how vital getting the right men and women in office was.  It was the last hope we had to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and reclaim our status of a Christian nation after all.

As Christians, we were told to pray for the election so that our country doesn’t continue going to ‘hell in a hand basket.’  So much talk, so much prayer, so much hope was invested into one day of punching chads and filling in bubbles.

The funny thing is nobody seemed particularly happy afterwards.  Predictably, I have Christian friends who were very upset their party didn’t get enough power.  More interesting though, my friends didn’t agree on whether it was the donkeys or elephants who were more deserving.

Yes, I did vote.  No, I didn’t pray much about the election (gasp!).  I have little hope that the ‘right’ politician will bring about the peace I’m looking for.  Instead, I stand with the Apostle Paul to declare that our blessed hope is the “appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us.” (Titus 2:13-14)

Undoubtedly, there will be an appearing of Christ in the last days.  At that time every knee will bow and every tongue confess.  This is orthodoxy.  My question is why will every knee bow?  What would compel every living thing to bow to Christ at His appearing?

I dismiss the idea of a sword flinging Jesus on a revenge mission.  The clearest revelation of God is Christ on the cross.  Revelation shows us Jesus as the slain lamb.  Peter was rebuked when he flung his sword.  I don’t know what the ultimate reason why every knee will bow, but I doubt it’s because Jesus holds a bigger nuke.  Perhaps it’s something along the lines of His beauty.

Yes, this speaks to my eschatology, but it also informs how we should interact with society right now.

We’ve all heard it before, the word Christian means ‘little Christ.’  We all know we are supposed to imitate Christ, but do we believe doing so has any impact?  If the appearing of Jesus is the ultimate answer to our world systems gone awry, should not the appearing of a Christian be a small answer to the same problems?  I submit that we are when we follow Jesus in sacrificing ourselves for others.  “You say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”

How does this work, I don’t know.

I’m working on it though.  I have some ideas.  I have some questions.

That’s what I want this blog to be about: working out how to imitate Christ in a way that can be a small answer to what’s wrong in the world.

I managed to jump right into both politics and religion in my first post.  I think I’m off to a good start.

Will you join me?