Are You Disposable? Am I?

Strip away religion, church traditions, denominational pet peeves, and whatever else clogs the pipeline from God to us. Strip it all away and at the heart of Christianity is one essential truth and revelation. You and I are deeply valued and loved. We are no accident. We have been created with passion for a purpose, overflowing with meaning and potential. God is both our Creator and a loving Father who means us no harm. In fact, despite our frequent indifference, rebellion, and our self-absorption at times he never gives up on us. From the moment of our conception his hand reaches out to offer guidance, support, unconditional love, and a promise to never leave us, orphaned, nor abandoned. Before we ever knew or were aware – his offer, hand, and invitation was/is extended.

The core message and revelation penetrates deep into the human heart. God so loved his rebellious children, including some who inherited their ignorance of him from parents and generations who lived before they ever saw the light of day. No matter what our circumstance or heritage he has no favorites. He sent his son Jesus to walk this earth in order to help us make sense of the unbelievable. That there is a God who lives and loves and who holds the universe in the palm of his hand. He did not come to condemn, accuse, or tease. Jesus hung on a Cross so that however our rebellion against God has been manifest, deliberate, or quite ignorantly, forgiveness would be real, available, and freely offered. From the Father, through the Son, to whomever realized, repented (yes, turned to face their truth – good, bad, and ugly), and received all that this wonderfully mysterious yet personal God had always made available and desired for them/us.

Sometimes we seem to care more about disposable cups and stuff, than human beings. God was the first into recycling in a major way – us, then stuff.

In Jesus, God underscored the value he places on every human life. Quite simply, no-one is disposable, beyond hope, or reaches the point where God gives up on them. Jesus talked about a shepherd who had 100 sheep. Although 99 were safe in the fold he went out and searched for the one who was lost. When he found the isolated sheep he hoisted it on his shoulders and returned rejoicing. The ‘one’ was precious. The 99 that were safe and sound did not tip the balance and cause the shepherd to shrug and conclude, “Win some, lose some, too bad.”

A Samaritan was travelling along the road to Jericho and came across a man beaten by robbers and left bruised and bleeding by the side of the road. Two religious leaders had already passed by and chosen to ignore, or rationalize, or not want to get their hands dirty. Whatever their mindset, this one in the ditch wasn’t worthy of their attention. Jesus recounted how the Samaritan bathed the wounds of the one in the ditch with oil and paid for his accommodation so that he could recover. “Who was the one who had mercy?” Jesus asked at the end of his parable. “The one who did something, the one who had mercy.”

Implication? The one who expressed a concern in action for the stranger who was weak, and in need. Never once did Jesus speak about whether the victim deserved mercy, or had what was coming to him. That’s because God’s value on human life begins and ends with Him, not what any human life may have degenerated into for all manner of reasons. He grieves with every one who is abandoned, lost, or wounded. He rejoices with every one who is carried on another’s shoulders to safety, community, and restoration.

Th greatest news of Christianity is that every person matters, is of value, and is never disposable. That includes those who are already in the fold, belong to church, have dared to join our community. The realization being that those within the fold share an experience of Gods grace, and acknowledge that each continues to be flawed and a work in progress. There is no ‘us and them’ in God’s worldview.

How is that translated into our relationships and communities? In some ways it is easier to love strangers, offer support and resources to charities and projects outside of our communities. And those projects are necessary and worthwhile; a legitimate expression of the love of God. But what about those in our communities and churches? I’ll be honest here. I have been incredibly disappointed at how disposable we, and others, seem to be. It doesn’t take much to turn away, talk about freedom of choice to justify washing our hand in absolution, walking by on the other side, or using busyness to rationalize indifference or letting go.

How much do we contend for one another, like the God who always contends for us? Have we always deserved his unconditional love, never rebelled, always been pure of heart? Is our track record so spotless that we see ourselves as more worthy than ‘the other’? Are we one who never gives up on someone who we may know is struggling, or even rebelling and living in a way that we totally disagree with? There are always reasons, which is never justification.

Remember when Jesus was dining as a guest in Simon, the Pharisee’s house? A woman of very questionable reputation makes a public display of anointing Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume and drying his feet with her hair. It was awkward, sensuous, inappropriate, and certainly not the kind of behavior Simon found acceptable. And yet Jesus praised and defended her because she was expressing gratitude in the most vulnerable and meaningful way she knew. It also cost her; the perfume was all she had, and was very expensive. “The one who has been forgiven much, loves much.”

Another time Jesus reminded his disciples: “Love one another, as I have loved you.”

He went on to demonstrate his love for them. When facing the Cross they all deserted him, betrayed his confidence, and failed to keep their promises of commitment to him, no matter what. Sound like you and me, perhaps? After his unexpected and miraculous resurrection the first people that Jesus appeared to were those same disciples. They didn’t deserve it. He could have given up on them and supernaturally called a new band of disciples like Saul/Paul and started again. But no-one is disposable. “Let’s begin again,” he told a wet and penitent Peter on the shores of Galilee, together with others gathered around the baked fish and fresh bread he had provided.

A friend wrote to me a few years ago. We have had decidedly different life journeys and he has been very successful. My path has been more of an undulation. I thought we were quite close until he said, “I guess we all move on in a multitude of ways…” At least he said it out loud. I have not heard from him again, and neither have I felt inclined to reach out – which makes me equally culpable and needing to pay attention to this blog. But I believe, sadly, that ‘moving on‘ is the norm in Christian circles – and I define the group because we claim to be different and should be better. I could illustrate a hundred stories but then I would probably be interpreted as bitter, or angry, or stuck in some way. Stories not just about myself but mainly others. How we disregard people when they fail, when they are politically incorrect, when they commit infidelity, or repeatedly screw up with addiction. When they don’t immediately respond, show gratitude, or do what we advise? You know the stories well.

How many do we search for? Who do we refuse to give up on, irritate with our invitations to have coffee, pray for, send emails, remind them of their value when they may have forgotten themselves? I have been surprised how many I have met over these past years who are actually open to God but live as strangers out on the fringes of faith because the Christian community has not felt safe, kind, or gracious. I won’t belabor the point. Merely repeat the question, or invitation, that reveals the heart of God the Father. We can’t see or touch Jesus in human form. So the only way anyone else can experience his unconditional love and know that they are contended for, is through another human being who has awakened to the wonderful fact that God contends for them. And the greatest expression of gratitude they/we can possibly give back is to pay it forward. As Jesus encouraged his disciples to do.

And the cherry on the top is his promise to be with us always. “I’ll help you,” he said. “My Spirit living in you will make up for your weakness, indifference, or even reticence. Give me you heart, your hands, your feet, sometimes your emails, your time, and your wallet. Watch what we can do together.”

No-one is disposable. And when we maybe tempted to judge or dismiss: “There but for the grace of God, go I.”

(I’m amazed how often there is music to capture the essence of what I want to say. Even if it’s country :-))

If anybody had a reason
To turn around and walk away it was you
Nobody would have ever blamed ya
If you dusted off your hands and said I’m through

When everybody else was leaving
You could have packed your bags and headed out of town
Oh but you kept on coming for me, ’cause you knew
Love is a battleground

And it’s always a fight
Don’t feel fair sometimes
Sure ain’t for the faint of heart
Cuts you like a knife
It can bleed you dry
And leave you feelin’ torn apart
These wounds and scars you wear ’em like a crown
Love is a battleground

When everybody said you’re crazy
It’s a hopeless case, a waste of time
Ain’t nothin’ ever gonna change it
Even all those prayers and all those tears you cried

But you walked right through the fire
Never thought of backing down
Yeah, you kept on coming for me, ’cause you knew
Love is a battleground

It’s always a fight
Don’t feel fair sometimes
Sure ain’t for the faint of heart
Cuts you like a knife
It can bleed you dry
And leave you feelin’ torn apart
These wounds and scars you wear ’em like a crown
Love is a battleground

Yeah love is battleground
Mm yeah
Mm yeah love
Love is a battleground
Mm yeah

It’s the give it’s the take
A life that you laid down
Love is a battleground
Love is a battleground

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Tony Wood / Michael Farren / Zach Williams