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“Racism lives in the USA today
Better get hip to what Martin Luther King had to say
I don’t want my kids being brought up this way
Hatred to each other is not okay
Well I’m not a preacher just a singer son
But I can see more work to be done
It’s what you do and not what you say
If you’re not part of the future then get out of the way”
–Peaceful World, John Mellencamp, 2001
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Today, Christians celebrate Easter. The resurrection of our Lord.
I began this season of Lent feeling like a leftover. The kind of leftover I had every intention of eating, when I placed it in my refrigerator, only to be quickly forgotten and discovered weeks later, when it too late…
There are so many of us ‘leftovers’ in the world, clinging to crumbs thrown our way. Those of us deemed helpless or hopeless, either from ourselves or others.
The leftovers.
Those of us overwhelmed, lonely, rejected, worthless, ashamed.
The leftovers.
Those of us willing to throw our embarrassment away, abandoned our ideas about money and careers, leave the barriers of our sins and lives behind, hoping for something better.
The leftovers.
Those of us who keep showing up, extending grace, silently singing “Hatred to each other is not okay”.
My week began with Palm Sunday.
Palm Sunday, the story of a revolution. Where the powerful attempt to keep the powerless in their rightful place. However, on this day, the powerless are winning.
The powerless are standing strong in a parade of waving palm branches, claiming the government is not king and lord over all.
The powerless are standing tall and claiming they are not, nor have ever been, last month’s ‘leftovers’.
The powerless are standing proudly on the rooftops, loudly shouting “Hatred to each other is not okay”.
The week moves on, as weeks seem to do. Media headlines catch my attention…
United Airlines (I am not certain anyone knows how to respond to this one) …”Hatred to each other is not okay”
The Mother of All Bombs – MOAB (As if a mother would choose a bomb over love)…”Hatred to each other is not okay”
A Dez Bryant tweet under scrutiny (Criticism, shame, and judgment for trying to lead by example)…”Hatred to each other is not okay”
The powerful trying to put the powerless back into their rightful place.
I arrive at Friday, Good Friday.
The day, as a leftover, I resonate with so deeply. The day the powerless turn and fear overcomes. Fear of those things that can hurt the body, while tolerating those things that can hurt the soul.
The day the consequences of the revolution, of just a few short days ago, rears its ugly head.
The day a leftover is beaten down, betrayed, tortured and crucified…”Hatred to each other is not okay”
The day loneliness and despair are at their deepest and we no longer understand our lives, our world and any of those around us…”Hatred to each other is not okay”
The day the words “It is finished” are uttered. Submission and surrender finally complete…”Hatred to each other is not okay”
The day when too many things feel dead and resurrection feels unlikely and impossible…”Hatred to each other is not okay”
The day, for a leftover that starts as a slave and ends in freedom…”Hatred to each other is not okay”
The leftovers.
Those of us fortunate in that we are on the other side of the resurrection. Fortunate in knowing we will wake up Easter morning to the words “He is Risen.”
The leftovers.
Those of us fortunate in knowing we will not remain leftovers in the back of the refrigerator forever, as God continues to stay faithful, seeing us at our worst and loving us still.
The leftovers.
Those of us fortunate in knowing new life follows death, even well past the moment it makes sense to still hope for it.
The leftovers.
Those of us fortunate in knowing we are the people of the resurrection and…
Hatred To Each Other Is Not Okay.
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Photo Credit: Getty Images