And They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love
Monday evening 66 individuals from our congregation and community gathered in fellowship hall to hear from Tyrone Ballew's lawyer, Bill Mooney. For those not fully aware, Tyrone is a member of our congregation serving out a sentence on Death Row in a maximum security prison in Chillicothe, Ohio. He has lived behind bars for 23 years…or over 8,000 days. His story is a long and complicated one, but suffice it to rest on the descriptor, 'member of our congregation.'
I often encounter people seeking council who have acted in ways in which they struggle with either the consequences of their actions or their own guilt. I have acted in ways where I struggle with the consequences of my actions or my own guilt. I think it safe to say this is part of the human condition. I frequently hear children saying they don't want to be someone's friend anymore because of something the other one did to hurt them. My council usually leans towards compassion…compassionate treatment of the self and the other.
No one seeks to be fully defined by something they did at any given point in time. I remind the teens I work with that I am an incredibly flawed individual who frequently makes mistakes…some big, others not so big. For many years, as I sought to raise my children I struggled with the things that lent themselves to my definition…pregnant teenager, high school drop-out. Today, after years of coming to terms with who I am, I realize the only thing that matters in my definition is 'Child of God.'
The things we do and say do not have to become who we are, but they do go a long way towards shaping other's understandings of who we are. We must learn to take great care with our speech and our actions. The things we say and do cannot be taken back and apologies do not make our transgressions go away; they only convey our sorrow and our acknowledgements when we have done wrong. We also need to allow for grace and compassion when others seek forgiveness and understanding. Ultimately, as people of faith, we are to follow the examples Jesus set: forgiveness and compassion.
The debate over the 'rightness' or 'wrongness' of capitol punishment is convoluted. Where I stand on the issue is not significant to the purposes of this article. The question of guilt or innocence tends to get wrapped up in philosophical debates that twist and turn and often end in subjectivity. The point is…to live the faith we are called to live is not easy. Micah 6:8 stands as the religious trifecta of how to live faithful lives. The Hebrew word 'hesed' is translated as kindness or mercy, but the word carries a much deeper meaning. Within the definition of this word are love, loyalty and the relationship aspect of faithfulness. To live the call of Micah 6:8, "He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (NRSV), is to live in compassionate and loving relationships with one another. This applies to our children and how they treat one another, to our community and the ways we seek justice, to our families and our faithfulness to them and to our church members and our loyalty to each other.
Our devotion to God, our commitment to follow Christ is completely wrapped up in this requirement spoken in the book of Micah. Living relationally and EVERY aspect of our lives speaks of who we are as 'Children of God.' And Tyrone Ballew, as a full member of this congregation, knows our love, knows our kindness, knows our compassion and our loyalty. Now, we seek justice and mercy on his behalf.
…and they'll know we are Christians by our LOVE.
Blessings,
Tracy