tough words from Jesus and Paul

I was reading the daily lectionary this morning and doing my prayer time and the scriptures were like a punch in the belly. Paul was upbraiding the church about taking each other to court in lawsuits. It made me ponder the sorry state of the church as the culture wars disintegrate many of the mainline churches. One of the horrors is the lawsuits.

Church splits are like divorces. By the time that the division takes place there is so much hurt and anger that the parties are often blinded. I once read where the Epsicopal church refused an offer of a departing parish to buy their facility. Not long afterward, the Diocese sold the abandoned church property to Muslims (at half the offered price). It was a vicious act and financially poor stewardship and showed the Epsicopal church to be very petty and shortsided.  But how often to divorces cost over $100,000 as lawyers battle it out? How often do men and women hurt themselves financially (and mentally, spiritually and physically) in an effort to hurt their former spouses?

I think Paul's words on courts are hard words. They are the kind of words which we ignore as we jump up to defend our own actions. They are the kind of words we ignore as we blame 'the other' for our problems. I am clear that Paul would not be impressed with the direction the Episcopal church has taken. Yet I do wonder if he would not see some parallels to the conflicts in Corinth about which he was writing.

And Jesus is much tougher. "But I say to you, love your enemy..." As I sat in prayer and reflection, I thought about how hard this really is. It is especially difficult in the culture wars, where the groups genuinely think that the other is evil (or doing evil). As I pondered Jesus' words, I kept in mind His actions. He did not shy away from conflict and He certainly had harsh words (e.g., 'brood of vipers' and 'hypocrites') for His adversaries. What did the love of enemy look like for Jesus, a man who had many enemies? How does one genuinely love those with whom one is in a heated conflict?

I have heard the criticism that religion was created by humans as a way to give consolation and make life easier. This morning I laughed at that idea. As I prayed for the strength to love those who would do me harm, I was aware that the demands of the Christian life generate as much anxiety as consolation many times. In large part, it is because Christian faith is shaped in the sign of a cross. And we are the ones on it, with Jesus. Love in action. Self gift, like Jesus.