So let me just say it right off the top. The notion that politics and religion do not mix is like saying that politics and family do not mix. Neither Jesus’ family, nor the religious leaders of his time liked the way he talked about loving the outcast and they let him know it. Jesus promised that where two or three of us are gathered, he would be among us. He failed to tell us that where two or three of us are gathered, there would be two or three different sets of political opinions, and things would get uncomfortable.
This week we read the story of David dancing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. Clearly, in ancient Israel, religion and politics were not separate. Sadly, if history is our guide, this kind of mix of religion and politics can be deadly.
But we can be accused of getting too political simply by asking hard questions. Famously, Dom Helder Camara, an Archbishop in Brazil is quoted as saying “When I feed the poor, they call me a saint, but when I ask why the poor are hungry, they call me a communist.” How quickly our questions, rooted love and justice, get us into the political arena.
But people of faith, love and justice need to keep asking questions. That is what daring justice looks like. Why is it so hard for our refugee committee to find housing for our family? Why are so many families unable to send their children to camp? How can we create a more just society so that everyone has a good home, and none are left behind?
To me, our heartfelt desire for justice, for fairness, for equality may make things uncomfortable. But religion at its best tends to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
See you Sunday.